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CONTRACT NO. K-1314-99: A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BY AND BETWEEN THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AND THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA IN THE AMOUNT OF $100,000 FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE CENTER CITY MASTER PLAN/VISIONING PROJECT AND BUDGET APPROPRIATION.
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BACKGROUND: In June 2013, the City Council Community Planning and Transportation Committee received comments from the Norman Economic Development Coalition (NEDC) and the University of Oklahoma (the “University”, “OU”) regarding a desire to engage in a collaborative and inclusive approach to creating a vision for the Campus Corner and Main Street corridors. At that meeting, OU President David Boren pledged the University’s resources and support to develop this vision in partnership with the City of Norman. In order to proceed with joint funding for this project, the City of Norman and the University of Oklahoma have developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) proposed to establish terms and conditions to engage in a planning and visioning process for the “Center City Master Plan/Visioning Project”.
At the January 7, 2014 City Council Study Session, Council discussed the proposed MOU. The item is now coming to City Council for formal consideration of the MOU at the January 14, 2014 City Council meeting.
DISCUSSION: The MOU sets forth the terms and conditions that govern the development of a Center City Master Plan/Visioning Project and outlines the responsibilities of the City of Norman and the University of Oklahoma. Under the terms of the MOU, each party is responsible for providing representation in the selection of a Consultant for the Project; providing representation on a Project Steering Committee; providing support to the Consultant in their respective areas of expertise; and providing funding for the project up to $100,000 each with a total funding allocation not to exceed $200,000.
The Plan for this Project will be generated and recommended through a Steering Committee. In addition, an Executive Subcommittee of the Steering Committee shall be comprised of one representative from the City of Norman, one representative from the University of Oklahoma, and one citizen chosen jointly by the City of Norman and the University of Oklahoma. The three-member Executive Subcommittee has been identified as: the Co-Chairs of the Steering Committee, Mayor Cindy Rosenthal and Richard McKown; and Daniel Pullin for the University of Oklahoma. The Executive Subcommittee’s responsibilities are set out in paragraph four of the MOU and include “administering the Project, developing and recommending meeting schedules, processes and procedures for the timely and efficient operation of the Steering Committee.” The Executive Subcommittee recommendations will be submitted to the Steering Committee for final review and approval. The Steering Committee meetings will be preceded by posted meeting dates and times and will be open to the public in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act procedures. This language, regarding the Executive Subcommittee submitting recommendations to the Steering Committee and Steering Committee meetings being open to the public following Open Meeting Act procedures, has been added in order to accommodate Council member feedback made at the January 7, 2014 Study Session.
The City Council approved appointments to the Steering Committee on December 10, 2013. The Steering Committee members are:
Mayor Cindy Rosenthal;
Councilmember Stephen Holman, Ward 7;
Councilmember Greg Jungman, Ward 4;
Councilmember Chad Williams, Ward 8;
Richard McKown, real estate developer with business interests located in the Center City area and a Ward 8 resident;
Jim Adair, Adair & Associates, Downtown property owner;
Rebecca Bean, Downtown business owner and resident of Ward 4;
Susan Connors, Director of Planning and Community Development;
Jonathan Fowler, Fowler Volkswagen, resident of Ward 4;
Judy Hatfield, Equity Realty and Campus Corner property owner, with Ward 4 home ownership;
Father Dwight Helt, St. John Episcopal Church on University Boulevard;
Becky Patten, attorney at law with offices on Campus Corner, and a Ward 4 resident;
Daniel Pullin, University of Oklahoma, a Ward 4 resident;
Cynthia Rogers, Professor of Economics, a Ward 4 resident;
Barrett Williamson, architect with his firm located on Campus Corner; and
Heather Woods O’Connell, owner and manager of businesses on Campus Corner and Downtown.
The Project will commence once the Project Manager (Consultant) is identified and the City of Norman and the University of Oklahoma have agreed to terms and conditions with the Consultant. Currently, the City of Norman and the University of Oklahoma are engaged in ongoing discussions with the National Charrette Institute regarding best practices and possible procedural options for the Project. In addition, the University agrees to fund “Preliminary Project Costs” defined as costs associated with: identifying the terms and conditions of the contract between the Consultant; identifying the terms and conditions of the contract between the Consultant, the City, and the University; and work performed on the Project until such time as a contract between the Consultant, University, and City is approved by the City Council and the University. The Preliminary Project Costs will be shared equally between the University and the City once a contract is approved by the City Council. Such Preliminary Project costs shall be counted towards the funding limits of $100,000 by each party for a total funding allocation of $200,000. This language regarding Preliminary Project Costs has been added subsequent to the January 7, 2014 Study Session in order to better reflect the steps necessary to commence the Project.
If the MOU and budget appropriation are approved by City Council on January 14th, the next steps in the process are to conduct a prelaunch scoping site visit with the Executive Subcommittee on January 15, 2014 and Council consideration of a consultant contract perhaps as early as January 28, 2014. Subsequent to these steps, Phase I: the Visioning Process will begin and is anticipated to take approximately six months. Phase II: the Implementation Process (drafting of recommended regulations) will begin and is anticipated to take an estimated nine to twelve months.
Adoption of recommended regulations within the study area will ultimately require City Council consideration and approval.
RECOMMENDATION: The MOU provides that the City of Norman and the University of Oklahoma partner to sponsor a Visioning/Master Plan Project for the Campus Corner and Downtown areas. If Council desires to enter into the MOU, Staff recommends that funds for this project be appropriated from the General Fund Balance (account 010-0000-253.00-00) into Consultant-Management Research (account 010-1093-413.40-01). The accompanying Memorandum of Understanding along with the budget appropriation, are presented to City Council for consideration at this time.