September 24, 2025 City Council Meeting

Announcements

• Council Travel: Council members Bradley Carter, Kamal Pennington, and Mark Stonecipher were approved to attend the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Intercity visit 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee, from 📅 October 22nd through the 24th.
• Asian Night Market Festival: The Asian District Cultural Association will host its 7th annual Asian Night Market Festival from 📅 October 3rd through 5th, 2025, in Military Park.
• Mesta Festa: The Mesta Park Neighborhood Association will hold Mesta Festa from 📅 September 27th through 28th, 2025, at Pearl Mesta Park.
• Affordable Housing Forum: An affordable housing forum, co-hosted by Council members, is scheduled for this evening at Metro Tech at 6:30 PM.

Key Decisions & Votes

• Council Proceedings & Travel Expenses: The Journal of Council proceedings (Items A and B) and a resolution approving travel expenses for Council members to attend the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce Intercity visit 2025 were unanimously approved.
• Revocable Permits for Community Events:
  • A revocable permit for the Asian Night Market Festival (October 3-5, 2025) was unanimously approved.
  • A revocable permit for Mesta Festa (September 27-28, 2025) was unanimously approved.
• Municipal Authorities Actions: All items under the Oklahoma City Municipal Facilities Authority (OCMFA) and the Oklahoma City Public Property Authority (OCPPA) were unanimously approved.
• Consent Docket Approvals:
  • Consent Docket Item BQ was approved by a 6-2 vote.
  • The remainder of the consent docket, including the installation of chilled water air handling units (Item AT), was unanimously approved.
  • The concurrence docket (Item 10) was unanimously approved.
• Zoning and Development Ordinances:
  • PUD 2072 Rezoning: An ordinance rezoning 7700 Southwest 74th Street from AA Agricultural District to PUD 2072, Planned Unit Development District, was unanimously approved.
  • SPUD 1736 Rezoning: An ordinance rezoning 1526 North McKinley Avenue from SPUD 829 to SPUD 1736, Simplified Planned Unit Development District, to allow three units on a former single-family house lot, was unanimously approved.
  • Platt Street Right-of-Way Closure: An ordinance closing multiple portions of Platt Street right-of-way for further development was unanimously approved.
• Property Condition Declarations: Resolutions declaring a dilapidated structure (Item 11H.2.A), unsecured structures (Item 11I.2), and an abandoned building (Item 11J.2.B) were all unanimously approved.
• Opioid Litigation Settlement: A resolution approving the City's participation in the 13th amended joint Chapter 11 plan of reorganization for Purdue Pharma and other opioid litigation settlements was unanimously approved following an executive session.
• Workers' Compensation Claim: A joint resolution with the Oklahoma City Municipal Authority approving the settlement of a Workers' Compensation subrogation claim for William Dashield was unanimously approved.
• General Claim Approval: A claim recommended for approval (Item 11M) was unanimously approved.

💰 Financial Matters

• Visit OKC Annual Report (FY25): Zach Craig, CEO and President of Visit OKC, presented the annual report, highlighting:
  • Significant growth in overnight stays over the past five years.
  • Successful marketing efforts, including a feature in Travel and Leisure and the social media team being recognized as "best influencers in Oklahoma" by 405 Magazine.
  • Major bookings include the 2027 Mary Kay seminar, projected to generate 16,000 room nights.
  • Strong performance in sports tourism (gymnastics, wrestling, softball) and equine/livestock events.
  • The new OG&E Coliseum contributed to the Appaloosa Horse Club relocating its headquarters from Idaho to Stockyards City.
  • Upcoming FY26 initiatives include wrapped Ubers/Lyfts in Dallas for promotion and a partnership with an Amazon Prime series, "The Story of Art in America," which will feature local OKC artists next spring.
• Downtown Business Improvement District (BID) Assessment Roll (FY25-26): The Council held a public hearing and unanimously approved the resolution and ordinance adopting and confirming the assessment roll for the Downtown BID. This district covers areas like Automobile Alley, Bricktown, City Center, Deep Deuce, Midtown, and West Village.
• Stockyards City Business Improvement District (BID) Assessment Roll (FY25-26): The Council held a public hearing and unanimously approved the resolution and ordinance adopting and confirming the assessment roll for the Stockyards City BID.

Public Comments

• Asian Night Market Festival: Steve Lee, Executive Director of the Asian District Cultural Association, spoke about the festival's growth from 5,000 attendees in 2018 to 30,000-40,000 over two nights. He emphasized its role in showcasing diverse Asian culture and attracting visitors, noting 13 million visitors to the Asian District last year, with 4.37 million being first-time visitors (up 12%).
• Mesta Festa: Amy Newberry, representing the Mesta Park Neighborhood Association, highlighted the 30th anniversary of Mesta Festa. She announced a new initiative allowing children to participate as vendors for free, fostering community engagement and empowering youth.
• Downtown Business Improvement District (BID): Cindy Marillo, representing the Oklahoma City BID Advisory Board, spoke in favor of the assessment roll. She praised the DOKC group and the Oklahoma City Green Team for their work in maintaining clean and welcoming downtown streets, noting the board's unanimous approval of the FY26 budget.

Council Comments

• Councilor Stonecipher (Ward 8): Highlighted Oklahoma City's ranking as 8th in the U.S. for shortest commute times (22.1 minutes average), linking it to improved quality of life and workforce productivity. He cited recent economic growth, including a new $46.7 million medical research lab (400+ jobs), a $200 million pediatric heart center, and an expansion of a forensic lab (100 new workers).
• Councilor Pennington (Ward 7): Announced an upcoming Affordable Housing Forum at Metro Tech at 6:30 PM, co-hosted with the Vice Mayor and Councilwoman Hammon, aimed at exploring ways to create more accessible housing in the city.
• Councilwoman Avers (Ward 3): Expressed concerns about "hostility around planning and development" in Ward 3 due to rapid growth. She urged developers to go beyond minimum legal requirements by posting large, visible notices at development sites and hosting information meetings to foster collaboration and minimize adverse impacts on neighbors. She also announced the formation of a task force with experts from energy, water, commerce, and other agencies, along with residents, to proactively address considerations for large-scale zoning changes, specifically mentioning a new, larger data center request in Ward 3.

Agenda Summary Table