Norman City Council approved rezoning and preliminary plats for Sooner Village and Armstrong Bank Consolidated Project at its regular meeting.
8:33 p.m.
Council unanimously approved a preliminary plat and rezoning for the Armstrong Bank Consolidated Project.
7:54 p.m.
Council considered a preliminary plat and rezoning for the Armstrong Bank Consolidated Project, a 289,885-square-foot planned unit development.
Armstrong Bank Consolidated Project is located south of Cedar Lane Road. between Classen Boulevard and 24th Avenue Southeast, according to a staff report. The report adds the proposed preliminary plat measures 40 acres and includes 12 lots.
“This PUD will allow for a creative and enhanced development of the Property, providing a compatible masterplan layout that will entice private investment in the area in close proximity to the University of Oklahoma,” a presentation from the agenda notes.
Royce Enterprises Inc. and Sooner Investment are the applicants.
Sean Rieger, an attorney with Rieger Sadler Joyce LLC, said he could not disclose the end user of the area but added it could attract more large-scale end users.
“You’ve heard it: ‘The east side of town doesn’t get the top-end retailers or the restaurants,’” Rieger said. “That’s about to change. With this end user, you’re about to see something that a lot of people will be amazed at.”
7:52 p.m.
Council unanimously approved the preliminary plat and rezoning from industrial to mixed-use designation for Sooner Village.
7:40 p.m.
Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman asked Sean Rieger, an attorney with Rieger Sadler Joyce LLC, why the property would be attractive to residents.
“We've left an industrial buffer between city uses and the residential uses over to the east, and between those we have a large area of detention and green space, so we think we have buffered it appropriately,” Rieger said.
Holman said he will support the project.
“I feel pretty satisfied with the answers I've heard with the concerns I had. … I do think it is worth noting as well that it is a project that is not asking us for any public improvements,” Holman said.
7:30 p.m.
Council opened public comments regarding Sooner Village.
Dan Munson, Ward 6, said he was concerned with the project’s proximity to Norman’s wastewater treatment plant, adding it should remain as an industrial property.
“This equipment is essentially the same noise as a train horn. Wastewater plants smell terrible because they release gasses like hydrogen sulfide, methane,” Munson said. “These chemicals could pose risk to residents in near proximity if there was a major chemical release.”
6:57 p.m.
Council considered a preliminary plat and rezoning from industrial to mixed-use designation for Sooner Village.
Sooner Village is a mixed-use, planned unit development intended for the southeast corner of Highway 9 and Jenkins Avenue, according to a staff report.
The report notes the property measures 56 acres and includes 32 lots. Development would include a gas station, office or commercial space, a hotel or multifamily residential unit, a self-storage facility, warehouse facility or distribution facility, residential duplexes, residential townhomes and a multifamily residential complex, according to the report.
The area would include five access points along Jenkins Avenue, the report notes.
Highway 9 Jenkins M&J Investments LLC requested the rezoning and preliminary plat.
6:56 p.m.
Council unanimously approved the consent docket, which includes an $88,381 allocation for renovations to Sooner Theatre and a final plat for Crimson Flats, a simple planned unit development at the northeast corner Imhoff Road and Oakhurst Avenue.
6:30 p.m.
The regular meeting was called to order.
Every council member was present except for Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash.
5:00 p.m.
Norman City Council heard an update regarding the AIM Norman comprehensive plan at its conference meeting. Amy Haase, urban planner for RDG Planning and Design, is presenting the updates.
AIM Norman, or the Norman Area & Infrastructure Master Plan, is a comprehensive, 25-year area and infrastructure plan that compiles seven areas, including land use, water, wastewater, stormwater, housing, transportation and parks.
According to the presentation, the AIM Norman website has been visited 21,200 times and received 3,071 responses for monthly polls.
Development principles listed in the presentation include protecting the environment, promoting diverse housing options and making decisions in a “transparent and collaborative effort.”
The presentation notes land use is distributed according to existing land use patterns, infrastructure, transportation and environmental impact.
AIM Norman intends to identify solutions for wastewater reclamation, collection and treatment, according to the presentation. Goals for stormwater include assessing water quality and flood risks, and recommending supporting studies.
Haase said increasing housing diversity is an important goal of the plan. According to the presentation, Norman has a demand for 23,226 homes by 2045 to accommodate 57,733 new residents.
“We need more variety within the market to provide that flexibility and opportunity for people to move and be in the housing that's appropriate for their stage of life, increasing attainable, accessible and quality housing options for all folks and all people in our community,” Haase said.
Haase said plan adoption for AIM Norman will occur following Jan. 1.
