Norman City Council approved an extension to the Norman On-Demand program and the purchase of a permanent supportive housing project at its Tuesday meeting.
Land purchase for a permanent supportive housing project
The news: Council approved the purchase of a vacant parcel of land for a permanent supportive housing project.
The city will purchase 1305 Triad Village Drive for the negotiated price of $400,000. The city also owns the adjacent parcel, 221 Triad Village Drive.
According to a staff report, funding for the project will come from the Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME funds. Because the property will be purchased with HOME funds, future use of the property by the city will be limited to creating affordable housing options.
The staff report states that the purchase is in line with goals in the 2025-29 Consolidated Plan and the AIM Housing Strategy.
What they’re saying: Ward 2 resident Mary Katherine Long encouraged council to approve the purchase, citing a lack of affordable housing in Norman.
“This is not a homeless shelter. This is housing for people who need it and who will benefit from it,” Long said.
Long commended the location choice because of its proximity to three bus stops.
“This is a fabulous opportunity for people to have safe and secure housing in a location that will allow them to love, work and play and be a member of our community,” Long said.
Karen Canavan, executive director of the Norman Housing Authority, said she believes the location is “perfect.”
“It’s not a good location for a shelter, it’s a great location for an apartment community, which is what it will be,” Canavan said.
Lee Hall, former Ward 4 council member and member of the Community Development Block Grant program, said 9,400 units are needed for Norman residents who are in need of affordable housing.
“Permanent supportive housing is a housing type that has been needed in Norman for many years,” Hall said. “Approving the contract tonight is an important first step.”
Ward 1 resident Nancy Ashton said that as someone who lives in the area by the property, she found out Monday that this property would be purchased by the city and turned into a permanent supportive housing project.
“I’m not here to speak about the homeless,” Ashton said. “This is about us. This is about the people that live where these developments are going in. Nobody has talked about us.”
Ashton said the city completed an environmental study to determine the impacts on the surrounding community and while the new development will not disrupt the livelihood of the existing community members, the city did not speak with residents around the area until Monday.
“The truth is these projects are going to create an incurable defect in our location,” Ashton said. “I feel like this location was chosen because it’s out of sight, out of mind.”
Lisa Craig, Community Development Block Grant grants manager, said that services such as job training, budgeting and mental health assistance will be given to existing community members, and background checks will be performed to ensure that applicants meet the criteria to live in the development.
“Permanent supportive housing such as this has a lower barrier because you have a landlord that understands the situation,” Craig said. “It’s not that they’re going to overlook everything that has occurred in their past.”
Ward 6 Councilmember Joshua Hinkle said the project is a necessary step to decrease homelessness in Norman by offering more affordable housing to residents.
“This isn’t going to be a homeless shelter,” Hinkle said. “This is going to be one of the next steps in helping unhoused people find that pride of ownership and become a part of a community.”
Mayor Stephen Tyler Holman said this resolution is only to purchase the land and other items associated with the project will require public hearings and council’s approval.
The vote: Council unanimously approved the purchase of the land.
Norman On-Demand program extension
The news: Council approved an amendment to extend the Norman On-Demand program for one year beginning Aug. 21 and ending June 30, 2026.
Norman On-Demand is a pilot microtransit service that runs late weeknights and during the day on Sundays. Norman On-Demand houses OU SafeRide, which provides free rides for students between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.
According to a staff report, it has completed 44,934 rides in fiscal year 2025 and 70,735 total rides since the program launched in August 2023, and has a 4.9 out of 5 customer satisfaction rating.
To extend the service, the city will revise its contract with the service provider, River North Transit, LLC to not exceed $2,243,470.
The vote: Council unanimously approved the extension.
This story was edited by Ana Barboza and Natalie Armour.
