The latest hurdle has been cleared for Hennessey to add another retail store.

“We’d be their landlord,” explained Alabama developer/builder Scott Delaney who asked for a variance to Hennessey’s parking space requirements.

The recently-approved building code requires 52.5 parking spots for Delaney’s proposed 10,500 square feet Family Dollar-Dollar Tree store.

He asked it be reduced to 34 parking spaces.

Delaney Property Group has built nine other Dollar Tree structures.

“It’s part of the norm, and standard, to have 32 to 34 parking spaces,” said Delaney via Zoom before the Hennessey Board of Adjustment approved his request at its Thursday night meeting

“There’s really nowhere else for us to put more parking,” said Delaney about the property located at 225 E. Jack Choate Ave. (State Highway 51, across the street north of the Pizza Hut).

A board member asked what would be behind the structure and Delaney said grass, an Oklahoma environmental requirement.

Town Administrator Tiffany Tillman recommended approval and the vote to approve was 4-0 by Richard Hedrick (chairman), Dustin Vinson, Logan Macy and D.L. Knierihm.

This board’s vote is final. It does not require approval by another board.

The land on S.H. 51 is owned by local developer/ farmer Scott Hajek, who said at the Aug. 12 board of trustee meeting that he hadn’t signed anything yet.

Hajek was not at the Thursday meeting, but told the KT&FP that evening that he still hasn’t signed a contract.

Tillman told the adjustment board members that if the town board hadn’t approved the new building codes that Delaney would have been required to have 70 parking spots.

It took the town board three meetings and votes to finally approve the new codes 3-2.

Tillman has not received building costs yet, she said, and didn’t know the cost for the variance permit.

Also at the meeting was Town Clerk Kati Walters who also served as recording clerk, and Garrett Baker, Delaney’s project manager, was on the Zoom call.

The Board of Adjustment meets only for called meetings. The board’s last meeting was about three years ago.

A replacement for Richard Simunek, who resigned after being elected to the town board, has not been appointed.