Billboard Placed Near Tulsa Neighborhood Has Residents Angry

A Tulsa neighborhood has a towering new addition and many people don't want it there.

The highway sized billboard overlooks 41st and Yale, but it's standing in a neighborhood and because it's on a sliver of restricted Indian land, it appears neighbors can't do anything about it.

Like many of her neighbors, Ashley Gangas know things could be worse.

“I think it is far better than the smoke shop they were planning,” said Gangas.

But the giant billboard is the new scorn of the neighborhood. It's an LED sign that's still under construction. The work started this week but going quickly.

"And now it's up so there wasn't much time for us to go against it," said Gangas.

The lot where the billboard stands belongs to a member of the Creek Nation. It's restricted Indian land where city zoning doesn't apply, and city permits aren't required.

The neighbors were first concerned when it was cleared off for a smoke shop but that was never built.

A fireworks stand later appeared on the property but it never opened and the property was fenced off marked as "federal land" now this week it's the site of a billboard.

I asked our attorney what the cost would be he said at least $100,000," said neighbor John Dickmann.

A neighborhood leader says they don't believe they can fight what's already there now but he's amazed that it could happen right next door and it doesn't appear there's anything the city or the neighbors can do about it.

"The law that the rest of us have to abide by, don't apply," said Dickmann.

The only consolation for the neighbors is that the billboard faces away from them and it won't create the traffic of a smoke shop.

The owner of the land was not able to be reached for comment. City Councilor Ben Kimbro is also working on this issue, hoping to come up with something so at least it couldn't happen again.