Norman City Council approved the purchase of land for a homeless shelter and discussed a contract with the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition on Tuesday.
Land purchase
The news: Council approved the purchase of a 3.23 acres along Reed Avenue and south of Main Street near Food and Shelter for a possible homeless shelter.
The land cost around $74,290 and was purchased from the Oklahoma State Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, according to a staff report. It was made available due to the department's efforts to hire a new state mental health hospital, according to the staff report.
This comes after the department announced plans to move Griffin Memorial Hospital’s services to southwest Oklahoma City.
What they’re saying: Norman residents voiced support and disapproval of the purchase during a public comment period before the vote.
Evan Taylor, a Ward 4 resident who lives near the land, said he was concerned the shelter might bring issues to his neighborhood and surrounding areas.
“Much of this land surrounding the parcel is still owned by the state, which the city cannot police,” Taylor said. “That creates a gap that must be addressed in the design.”
Taylor reminded the council to not rush into building the shelter without the proper planning.
“Do not rush a temporary shelter next to us,” Taylor said, “without the planning, the framework, the oversight, and the protection this location requires.”
Misty Lamb, another Ward 4 resident, asked council to postpone the vote and take time to assess it.
“I sit on my porch and I have seen prostitution. I have seen drug deals. I have seen them use drugs. I’ve seen them defecate right on the corner of Findlay (Avenue) and Main (Street). … Just make sure that you’re making the right decision,” Lamb said. “I’m for (a homeless shelter), I know the need, I see it every single day. … Make sure that it's not going to be something that directly impacts the ones that do pay taxes, that do pay to live in this town.”
OU philosophy professor Stephen Ellis voiced his support for the purchase. He said he understands people might not want to live near a homeless shelter because it can affect property values and the stability of a neighborhood, but added that this issue was already happening.
“Food and Shelter exists there already and there has to be some place for people who are very poor and indigent to have a place to lay their head,” Ellis said. “This is a nice location, it's close to services … It's getting to be winter. We’ve got to find places for people to stay, we can't just keep kicking this can down the road.”
Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman said he supported the purchase because of the opportunities it could provide to the city.
“I do believe it is an opportunity that we have to take at this moment,” Holman said. “There is a long road ahead for what actually happens with that property.”
Holman said it will take at least six months to find funding for the shelter and determine how long construction will last.
“These are all questions that are going to have to be answered before we have a permanent solution,” Holman said.
The vote: The purchase passed unanimously.
Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition
The news: Norman City Council discussed entering into a contract with the Cleveland County Economic Development Coalition at its study session Tuesday.
The CCEDC is the renamed, Norman Economic Development Coalition. The CCEDC is intended to address economic development throughout Cleveland County, including portions of Lexington, Moore, Noble, Slaughterville, south Oklahoma City and property that does not fall into a municipality according to a staff slideshow.
The slideshow notes Norman would have to pay around $1 per capita for CCEDC services, which the city notes would be around $125,000 annually. The contract also does not include language of annual audits.
What they’re saying: Ward 1 Councilmember David Gandesbery said he was concerned about the transparency of audits.
“I personally want to see every audit and inquiry report they gave us. … I’d like to see a true financial layout on what our return on investment is,” Gandesbery said.
Since council did not reach a consensus on the matter, Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant suggested council hold another study session before Dec. 31.
This story was edited by Thomas Pablo and Ana Barboza.
