Tulsa Developer Plans Unique Apartments For Seniors And Special Needs Residents

A Tulsa developer and his wife are planning to build a unique $6 million housing complex for seniors, people with special needs and others.

From the outside, renderings for the housing complex reflect 1920s architecture, adding to Tulsa’s renowned collection of art deco buildings.

Stuart McDaniel, founder and principal of GuRuStu Communities, said the diverse group of residents living in the complex will reflect our world today.

"So, you've got four very unique resident types all under one roof, sharing what looks from the outside as a cute little apartment building,” said McDaniel.

He and his family live near Admiral and Utica, which is where he plans to turn a grassy lot into a 39,000 square foot housing complex.

McDaniel said plans include 42 units: 16 on the first floor for seniors, six on the second floor for special-needs residents and 20 on the third floor for affordable housing and market rate residents.

McDaniel said inspiration comes from his sister-in-law, Amy Arnold, who has Prader-Willi Syndrome, a disorder that makes it hard to detect temperature and control appetite.

The goal is to have Arnold, along with other special-needs residents, live in the units with rooms for their caregivers.

McDaniel said those units will also have technology that show when the temperature is too hot and lockable "pocket doors" in the kitchen to keep residents from getting food they should not.

"Just little things like that, but we want to hide them in plain sight, so you don't recognize it as institutional,” said McDaniel. “This will not feel like a hospital or a nursing home.”

McDaniel said the funding will come from his own money, a philanthropic partner and local lenders.

"This has never been done before, where you can house such a diverse type of resident within one structure and keep it respectable, dignified housing, where from the outside, no one even knows what's going on inside," said McDaniel.

McDaniel said he hopes to start construction this fall.

He also said the complex will partner with non-profits to help care for the seniors and special needs residents.