Regular meeting
The Norman City Council rejected the purchase of a property for a new homeless shelter, approved the development of new residential housing and voted to classify a home as a public nuisance at its regular meeting on Tuesday.
Huettner Drive homeless shelter purchase
Council discussed a $940,000 purchase for property located at 5451 Huettner Drive. The property was rejected by a vote of 7-2, with Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant and Ward 1 Councilmember Austin Ball voting in favor.
City Attorney Kathryn Walker said the property measures over 6 acres.
The property is intended to house a new homeless shelter. Walker said the property would require several inspections over the course of 60 days, including an environmental study due to its location near industrial properties.
Most residents have spoken against the idea during public comment, citing the rural location of the property as well as the financial costs.
Mayor Larry Heikkila said he does not support the purchase because they do not have a plan regarding a facility. He asked council not to vote for the purchase.
“We need to go in there more informed,” Heikkila said. “I would ask that you vote against this.”
Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman said he is frustrated with the conversation regarding homelessness in Norman. He said there aren’t any other options, other than maintaining the current Gray Street shelter or waiting for other properties.
Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash said the city can’t afford the property, regardless of its possible success rate.
Ward 6 Councilmember Elizabeth Foreman said buying the property alone is a waste of funding, adding she was opposed to the property.
At a city council special meeting on Feb. 13, council discussed the purchase of a permanent emergency housing shelter after asbestos was reported in the city’s 109 W. Gray St. shelter.
According to a presentation at the special meeting, the cost for asbestos removal would be $60,000 and the total cost for renovations would be $300,000.
305 E. Boyd St. and 221 E. Boyd St. housing developments
Council voted unanimously to allow for housing developments on 305 E. Boyd St. and 221 E. Boyd St. Two multi-family residential structures are planned for the areas.
208 Apache LLC filed for the structure on 221 E. Boyd St, which includes five residential units and measures 13,400 square feet.
CCR Boyd LLC filed for the structure on 305 E. Boyd St, which includes seven units and a buildable area of 18,071 square feet.
Both buildings will have four bedrooms per unit and feature grilling areas and a dog park. The ground floor has been designed for potential commercial use, according to lawyer Gunner Joyce of Rieger Law Group.
Bridge bond bids
Council discussed awarding the $16 million purchase of general obligation bonds. Council voted 8-1 to award the bonds, with Nash voting against it.
On Oct. 10, Norman voters approved $50 million in General Obligation bonds, or GO Bonds, for the replacement and reconstruction of up to 18 bridges across Norman.
The bonds were expected to be issued with the design and construction schedules for the bridge improvement projects.
Interim Director of Public Works Scott Sturtz said he has looked for bridge funding for 10 years. He said the program will last 20 years.
Public nuisance declaration
Council held a public hearing to determine the possible condemnation or disconnection of 3104 Woodcrest Creek Drive from city services for six months.
The property has been the source of over 50 calls for police since March 2022 for criminal activity like illegal drug use, suspicious foot traffic, disturbances involving weapons, health and safety violations, erratic and violent behavior from individuals at the residence, shots fired, harassment, threats, suicide attempts and a fentanyl overdose, according to a staff report.
“The neighbors feel unsafe due to the criminal activity, disturbances and drug use at the residence and have established a Neighborhood Watch Group due to the illegal, threatening and harassing activity,” the staff report read.
According to city staff at Tuesday’s meeting, a public nuisance has only been considered once before, but that motion was never approved.
Norman Police Department Officer Ben Gomez and Sgt. Chris Allison are presenting an overview of cases associated with the property. They said the property is across the street from Vineyard Park, prompting residents to question their safety.
The officers said three individuals live on the property and all of them have had contact with law enforcement.
Neighbors are particularly concerned about Daniel Owens, one of the individuals listed, according to the staff report. Owens has a pending Cleveland County District Court case for assault and battery and malicious injury to property dated Oct. 23, various traffic violations and three disturbing the peace violations.
Owens also owns two businesses that are operated from the address, Turff-Man lawn care and Onyabike Shop.
Eric Hudson, one of the occupants of the property, said he was given five days to respond and requested an extension to attain a lawyer.
Around 20 members of the neighborhood are in attendance. One neighbor said they were tired of the situation and presented twenty members of the neighborhood in attendance.
“We're all here because we're fed up with it,” they said.
Council unanimously voted to adopt the resolution.
Absentee Shawnee Tribe’s Tribal Transportation Program bridge funding resolution
Council approved the consent docket, including an agreement between the city and the Flint Hills Homeowners Association for landscaping purposes, adopting a revised public transportation title to the 1964 Civil Rights Act and a resolution supporting the Absentee Shawnee Tribe’s Tribal Transportation Program.
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe is headquartered in Shawnee and holds a membership of 4,661, according to their website.
The Absentee Shawnee Tribe is preparing a grant application with Cross Timbers Consulting, LLC, a civil engineering firm placing special emphasis on tribes, which intends to gain funding through the Tribal Transportation Program Bridge Funds, a federal plan to improve inefficient tribal bridges.
The tribe, with Cross Timbers Consulting, LLC, has proposed two applications, one for a single large bridge on Porter Avenue north of Tecumseh Road and another that includes multiple smaller bridges at different locations. The tribe sought the city of Norman to work together on a bridge program.
1964 Civil Rights Act public transportation title
Council approved a revision of the Title VI public transportation title of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The title prohibits the discrimination of individuals based on race, color and national origin for federally-financed programs.
Flint Hills Homeowners Association and Noun Hotel
Council approved a $5,000 agreement between the city of Norman and Flint Hills Homeowners Association to allow the placement of landscaping, irrigation and signage within the public right-of-way.
Flint Hills Homeowners Association is designed to collect dues from, enforce covenants and hire landscapers to maintain the Flint Hills area, according to their website. It is managed by C Solutions, which is exclusively retained by Ideal Homes.
Council also approved a revocable, $4,250 right-of-way license and agreement between Noun Hotel and the city of Norman for the placement and maintenance of paving, seating, artwork and landscaping within the public right-of-way.
Noun Hotel is a hotel located on Campus Corner.
Special Meeting
The Norman City Council discussed updates to the Norman On-Demand program and a possible time change for its regular meetings at its special meeting.
DuPont, 3M litigation
Council adjourned into executive session to discuss pending litigation.
The litigation, originally filed from South Carolina, is designed to resolve claims regarding perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl contamination in public water systems’ drinking water against DuPont and the 3M Company.
Time change discussion
Council discussed the possibility of changing the time allotted for city council regular meetings.
Ward 2 Councilmember Lauren Schueler said she does not support a time change. She said she already has difficulty attending because she works a full-time job.
Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash and Ward 3 Councilmember Bree Montoya said they agreed with Schueler.
Ward 2 Councilmember Austin Ball said a time change should be determined by Norman residents. He added he would like the time to benefit public engagement.
Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman said he doesn't see a preferable allocated time change for meetings, citing possible objections to the change.
Mayor Larry Heikkila said council could discuss a time change again in six months.
Norman On-Demand
Council discussed an update about Norman On-Demand presented by Transit and Parking Program Manager Taylor Johnson.
Johnson said $750,000 was allocated towards the implementation of the program in 2023.
Johnson said over 1,600 users have completed 13,000 rides through Norman On-Demand. He added the service has a 94% approval rating from users.
According to the presentation, the average walking distance to use the service is 0.07 miles. Johnson said the target average walking distance was 0.10 miles.
The average wait time for Norman On-Demand is 20.8 minutes, with the target wait time being less than 15 minutes, according to the presentation. Johnson said the maximum wait time is 63 minutes — 43 minutes above the 20 minute goal.
"The way to drive those down is to expand the service drivers' hours," Johnson said.
Johnson suggested funding over $100,000 towards the service, which would be used for two additional vehicles, according to the presentation. Another scenario costs over $50,000 and proposes adding one additional van. He said the implementation of another vehicle could decrease wait times.
Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman asked how much a potential bus route to the Moore Norman Technology Center would cost. Johnson said it would cost over $400,000.
Johnson said Norman On-Demand doesn't currently have a budget for FYE 2025 and might require negotiation with Norman Director of Finance Anthony Francisco.
Norman On-Demand is a pilot microtransit service that provides $2 rides within core Norman during evenings and all day on Sundays. The app can be downloaded from the App Store and the Google Play Store, or used by calling 405-643-8638.
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd.
