August 27, 2025 City Council Meeting

Announcements

• Ward 1: Citizens are encouraged to reach out to and join local school PTAs, as many are struggling for support.
• Ward 3: The Fall Residential Cleanup is scheduled for 📅 October 4th for Monday polycart service routes and 📅 October 11th for Tuesday service routes.
• Ward 4:
  • Jessica Schwager was thanked for her service on the Human Rights Commission.
  • Community Events:
    • Midway Deli will host a summit featuring Caleb McGee on 📅 Friday, August 29th, at 6:30 PM, benefiting Thunderbird Clubhouse, an organization supporting adults recovering from mental illness.
    • The Ink the Block Party, featuring music, art, and steamroller printmaking, will take place on 📅 Saturday, September 20th, in downtown Norman's Walker Arts District. Applications for artists, vendors, and sponsors are available at oscillator-art.com.
  • The Norman Transcript was thanked for publishing the downtown Norman and campus area public resources list, available at bit.ly/40PF0JK.
• Ward 6:
  • Holly Peppler was thanked for agreeing to serve on the Bicycle Advisory Committee.
  • The Norman Arts Council Arts and Education Scholarship Exhibition is currently on display at the Norman Arts Council Main Site through 📅 September 12th.
  • Porch Fest is scheduled for 📅 Saturday, September 13th, in the Miller Historic District.
  • A reminder about the upcoming football game this weekend.
• Ward 7: Kayla Molina was thanked for representing Ward 7 on the Historic District Commission.
• Ward 8: Council Member Hinkle's town hall has been rescheduled to 📅 this Thursday at 6:30 PM in the tournament room at the Wi-Fi.
• Mayor Holman:
  • Acknowledged students starting school and urged residents to exercise patience and grace due to increased traffic.
  • Encouraged everyone to enjoy the first game day this weekend on Campus Corner and downtown.
  • Announced the grand opening ribbon cutting for the new stadium at Norman North High School, approved by voters two years ago, which will host the Crosstown Clash next Friday night.
  • Highlighted significant economic development, including Bell Helicopters' new training flight school in Norman, expansion of Simper Fly Helicopters, a new control tower, hangers, and planned runway extension at the airport.
  • Noted recent business openings: Main Event (University North Park), Love Works (new building on Gray Street), and the new Stevenson Cancer Center at Norman Regional Healthplex.
  • Reminded citizens that weather conditions can cause delays in street construction projects.
  • Invited the public to the Community Planning and Transportation Committee meeting on 📅 this Thursday at 4:00 PM at City Hall for updates on public transit and road construction projects, also live-streamed on YouTube.

Key Decisions & Votes

• Consent Docket (Items 1-21)
  • The City Council unanimously approved the consent docket, which included routine administrative and operational items.
• Item 22: Rezoning Property at SW Corner of Stony Brook Drive and North Interstate Drive
  • An ordinance was presented to rezone property from C1 Local Commercial District to SPUD Simple Planned Unit Development. The applicant explained the SPUD was specifically for an off-premise sign along I-35, limited to 0.1 acre, and restricted to sign use to address previous neighbor concerns. The Planning Commission had recommended unanimous approval.
  • Council discussion clarified that the SPUD allowed for a reduced list of allowable uses, lessening impact on adjacent residential areas, and avoided the need to plat the entire property.
  • The ordinance was unanimously adopted on second reading section by section and then unanimously adopted on final reading as a whole.
• Item 23: Rezoning Property at 2880 and 2886 Classen Boulevard
  • An ordinance was presented to rezone property from C2 General Commercial District to a SPUD Simple Planned Unit Development. The applicant described a mixed-use development featuring commercial units in the front and 18 residential units in the back. The 2.75-acre infill site has existing utilities, and the SPUD would plat the entire property into one lot. The project is consistent with the Aim Norman Comprehensive Plan, received no public protest, and had unanimous Planning Commission approval.
  • Council questions addressed the detention basin (piped to storm water), the allowance for home occupations in residential units (slightly enhanced business model with minor customer interface and small signage), parking levels (slightly below recommended), pedestrian connectivity between commercial buildings (highly visible crosswalks planned), tree preservation (avoiding invasive species), and consolidation of existing driveways into one aligned with a curb cut across the street.
  • The ordinance was unanimously adopted on final reading as a whole.

Public Comments

• Stephen Ellis (Ward 4): Expressed concern that SPUDs are often used to bypass existing rules rather than for "special" developments that benefit the community, leading to a perception of unequal treatment and distrust. He specifically questioned the appropriateness of the SPUD for the sign (Item 22) in this context. He also thanked the council for the presentation on the Norman Citizens Corps (Item 15 on the consent docket), finding it informative about the organization's good work.
• Ben Plummer (Ward 4): Agreed with Mr. Ellis regarding SPUDs, suggesting that minimum square footage requirements for planned unit developments unfairly limit access for lower-income individuals. He also complained about the Norman Police Department directing game day traffic down Flood Street, causing pollution and neighborhood access issues, and suggested James Garner Avenue as an alternative route.
• Mayumi Windler (Ward 2): Compared Norman's predominantly R1 residential zoning to more varied zoning she observed in Canada, advocating for more diverse housing types (duplexes, fourplexes) within neighborhoods. She inquired about the process for rezoning R1 property to allow for a duplex and asked why the Economic Development Advisory Board has not met recently. The Mayor noted that SPUDs are one method for rezoning R1 property to allow for duplexes.

Agenda Summary Table