Norman City Council approved an ordinance zoning land for a permanent homeless shelter and postponed votes related to camping on public property and in parks.
Homeless shelter developments
The news: Council approved a contract for portions of the design and engineering of a new permanent homeless shelter and an ordinance to zone the land, at Reed Avenue and East Eufaula Street, for shelter development.
The contract is between the city of Norman and Frankfurt-Short-Bruza, an Oklahoma City-based architecture and engineering group, in the amount of $107,312, according to a staff report. The schematic design portion of the contract will cost $91,312 and includes $16,000 for civil engineering.
The zoning ordinance places the land in a simple planned unit development, allowing for mixed-use development of the area. The property did not previously have a city zoning designation, according to a staff report, because it had been used institutionally by the State of Oklahoma.
What they’re saying: Assistant City Attorney Anthony Purinton said the zoning will support various uses.
“What that means is there are facilities supporting shelter services that could include laundry, multi-use space, dog handling and staff operators in community office areas for outreach and related services,” Purinton said.
Purinton emphasized the importance of council holding continued discussions regarding the shelter.
“I think promises are incredibly important, especially in this conversation. I don’t want to have any promises made here tonight … because you as a council haven’t had these discussions yet …,” Purinton said. “All of those promises, yes, will be made at a later date if the council decides to put them on an agenda and make those promises at that time.”
The vote: The contract was approved unanimously as part of the agenda’s consent docket. The ordinance passed 8-1, with Ward 5 Councilmember Trey Kirby voting against.
Public property encampments
The news: Council postponed a vote on a proposed ordinance that would prohibit camping on public property, with violations only occurring if a path were obstructed, according to a staff report. A clause has been added to the ordinance that would allow council to enact the ordinance by emergency.
The ordinance states the city would provide notice before removing campsites, allowing individuals the opportunity to voluntarily remove belongings. The ordinance would authorize coordination with shelters and other outreach organizations to connect individuals experiencing homelessness to resources.
The proposed ordinance follows the clearing of a homeless encampment at Frances Cate Park by the Norman Police Department in May.
The ordinance would not apply to permitted events, city-approved activities, emergency responses and other specified exemptions.
The ordinance comes over a month after council rejected an ordinance that would have allowed camping in residential areas and follows continued discussions by council regarding homeless encampments.
Council also postponed a vote on a proposed ordinance that would update park rules, expressly prohibiting camping. An emergency clause was also added to the proposed park rules ordinance.
What they’re saying: Ward 1 Councilmember David Gandesbery was not in support of the proposed public property camping ordinance, noting House Bill 3985, known as the Oklahoma Safe Neighborhoods Act, which will require compensation for certain property damage.
“What House Bill 3985 basically says is that, starting November when the law goes into effect, any ordinance that a town or city has on the books then becomes what they are mandated to do,” Gandesbery said. “Meaning that if we set this in motion tonight, and then in November, one resident calls us and says ‘Hey what about this,’ we have to go respond to that incident every call, or be sued by the individual and be taken to court as a city.”
The bill states property owners may submit a claim for compensation if city governments with a population of 130,000 or more decline to enforce existing laws, ordinances or other legislation prohibiting illegal public camping. Norman has an estimated population of around 132,000 residents, according to the city website.
Ward 8 Councilmember Scott Dixon motioned to consider the ordinance again at council’s Oct. 27 regular meeting before House Bill 3985 takes effect on November 1.
The vote: The ordinance related to camping on public property was postponed unanimously. The ordinance related to camping in public parks was postponed 8-1, with Kirby voting against.
This story was edited by Reagan Rozzi and Audrey McClour.
