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CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE O-1617-18 UPON SECOND AND FINAL READING: AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING SECTION 460 OF CHAPTER 22 OF THE CODE OF THE CITY OF NORMAN SO AS TO REMOVE PART OF SECTION SIXTEEN (16), TOWNSHIP EIGHT (8) NORTH, RANGE TWO (2) WEST OF THE INDIAN MERIDIAN, TO NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, FROM THE A-2, RURAL AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT AND PLACE THE SAME IN THE C-2, GENERAL COMMERCIAL DISTRICT, AND THE RM-6, MEDIUM DENSITY APARTMENT DISTRICT, OF SAID CITY; AND PROVIDING FOR THE SEVERABILITY THEREOF. (WEST OF THE INTERSECTION OF CLASSEN BOULEVARD AND 24TH AVENUE S.E. ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE RAILROAD TRACKS)
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SYNOPSIS: Classen Business Park is a mixed use development proposal consisting of commercial/office and multi-family. The total site is approximately 20 acres. The applicant is requesting a rezoning from A-2, Rural Agricultural District to C-2, General Commercial District and RM-6, Medium Density Apartment District. The proposal includes 102 apartment units, 40,000 square feet of office space and 29,000 square feet of commercial lease space.
ANALYSIS: On October 21, 1961 City Council adopted Ordinance 1318, annexing this property into the Corporate City Limits. On January 23, 1962 City Council adopted Ordinance 1339 placing this property in A-2, Rural Agricultural District.
The location of this development is between an arterial, Classen Boulevard/State Highway 77, and the Burlington Northern Railroad to the west. The site is north of Post Oak Road, south of Cedar Lane Road, on the west side of Classen Boulevard/State Highway 77.
Since the 1960’s this area of Norman has experienced substantial changes from a rural, agricultural and industrial character to a more urbanized corridor of the city. The character of Classen Boulevard/State Highway 77 has changed in recent years; single and multi-family as well as commercial developments have expanded in this area.
Staff could find no record of residential use of the site. The site has 2 active oil well sites; the proposed development has been designed around the wells with the required buffer zones/setbacks from active oil wells.
ACCESS: The site will be accessed from a main drive off Classen Boulevard/State Highway 77. This drive will grant access to the development both north and south as well as the multi-family in the rear of the site. There will be a second drive from 24th Avenue S.E. This second drive will provide access to the southern portion of the development as well as provide an additional access point to the multi-family.
USE: As proposed, approximately 7.5 acres is designated as multi-family. The remaining 13.22 acres is designated for commercial/office uses. This request for rezoning fits with the recent development in the surrounding area. All design guidelines will be reviewed and regulated by the Zoning Ordinance and Subdivision Regulations including: required setbacks, landscaping, bike racks, access, dumpster locations, parking requirements, open space, utility and drainage easements.
OPEN SPACE: There is green space throughout the commercial/office portion of the development. When the building applications for the multi-family are submitted, the applicant is required to provide calculations outlined in the RM-6, Medium Density Apartment District; these calculations consist of coverage, open space, livability and recreation ratios.
PARKING: Adequate parking has been distributed throughout the commercial/office area, adjacent to Classen. As building permits are submitted the parking will be reviewed to make sure adequate parking is met for each user. As proposed, the multi-family development requires 184 parking spaces, 1.8 spaces per dwelling unit; the proposal is to provide 255 parking spaces.
LANDSCAPE REQUIREMENTS: The commercial and multi-family development will provide adequate landscaping as building permits are approved. A landscape and irrigation plan will be required for review during the permitting process.
ALTERNATIVES/ISSUES:
IMPACTS: Classen Business Park will provide multi-family housing and commercial/office services to a growing area of Norman. This development is located in southeast Norman, less than 2 miles south of State Highway 9 and less than one mile south of the new Wal-Mart Super Center and fueling station. To the east there is the recent rezoning for Destin Landing, a 760 acre development of mixed uses. The areas surrounding the proposed development are a mix of single-family uses, student based housing and commercial uses. This proposal is in character with recent proposals and the surrounding future developments. Therefore, a mixed use development such as this will not have adverse impacts on the surrounding area.
OTHER AGENCY COMMENTS:
PREDEVELOMENT MEETING #16-21 - October 27, 2106
No neighbors attended the meeting.
GREENBELT COMMITTEE MEETING #14-11 - October 17, 2016
The Greenbelt Commission approved the statement unanimously with no additional comments or references to the Greenbelt Ordinance criteria.
PARK BOARD: The Norman Board of Parks Commissioners recommended fee-in-lieu of parkland.
PUBLIC WORKS: All required public improvements have been identified. Sanitary sewer mains will be installed in accordance with approved plans and City and State Department of Environmental Quality. Utilities Department supports the sanitary sewer solution as long as the following conditions are met: a monthly Lift Station operation, maintenance, and replacement fee will be implemented for Lots 1 - 8, Block 1 of Classen Business Park, which will utilize the existing Post Oak Lift Station for the purpose of pumping wastewater from the newly platted subdivision into the Authority’s wastewater system and that said monthly fee be billed to each lot, business, dwelling or apartment in the subdivision served by the lift station through the City of Norman utility billing process. Said provision shall be included in the restrictive covenants covering said subdivision.
There are currently two active oil wells on the property that have been considered in the design of the development. The developer and oil well operator are working on an agreement for future accessibility, fencing and operation of electrical lines and flow lines and other procedures in developing around existing oil well sites.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: This development proposal is similar in character with the immediate surrounding area of Norman. This location for a Mixed Use development can be supported by staff because this area of Norman is no longer agricultural or industrial. Staff supports the request for rezoning for a mixed use development; this development will not have adverse impacts on the surrounding area. Staff recommends adoption of Ordinance O-1617-18.
Planning Commission, at their meeting of December 8, 2016 recommended approval of Resolution R-1617-56, Ordinance O-1617-18, and PP-1617-3, to City Council, which passed by a vote of 5-2.