The owner of University Town Center, a shopping mall in Norman, is suing the city for $5 million with interest, claiming city officials are withholding tax increment finance funds for a development project.
According to court documents as first reported by The Norman Transcript, Bob Stearns, owner of University Town Center LLC, filed the suit on Oct. 16 against the city of Norman, the Norman Tax Increment Finance Authority, City Manager Darrel Pyle and Finance Director Anthony Francisco. The lawsuit claims city officials are refusing to pay $5 million that was allegedly promised for development of the University North Park area.
The filing alleges the refusal to give the $5 million is part of a “scheme” for the city to keep the money.
“The Manager and the Finance Director keep putting up roadblocks to prevent Plaintiff from receiving the TIF funds. Why? Because the contract includes a ‘Town Center Incentive Deadline’ of June 30, 2026, and the Manager and the Finance Director are scheming to run out the clock so that the City can keep the money instead of releasing it to Plaintiff,” the filing reads.
OU Daily reached out to Tiffany Vrska, Norman’s chief communications officer, who wrote in an email that the city does not comment on ongoing litigation.
According to the documents, University Town Center requested more than $2.9 million in September 2022, which included costs for utilities, streets, sidewalks and other infrastructures to support “several new restaurants not already located in Norman.”
According to the documents, the city said Main Event, an entertainment center and restaurant with games, bowling and laser tag, “isn’t different (or different enough) from other entertainment venues that are already located in Norman and therefore doesn’t satisfy the criteria in the contract.”
The company received a letter from Pyle on Oct. 28, 2022, declining the request on the basis that restaurants aren’t “retail or entertainment” development, according to the petition.
On Aug. 1, the owners of University Town Center submitted an updated request for a $5 million reimbursement.
According to the documents, Francisco provided a copy of a recommendation letter from the TIF’s oversight committee to Pyle dated Aug. 23.
“The Citizen’s Oversight Committee for the UNP TIF recommends that the City Manager approve the release of Town Center Incentive funds as the developer has met the requirements as set forth in the respective development agreements,” the letter read.
A summary judgment hearing is set for 9 a.m. Jan. 29 at the Cleveland County Courthouse.
This story was edited by Ismael Lele and Peggy Dodd.
