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RESOLUTION NO. R-1415-6: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, ADOPTING THE REVISED ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDE FOR BUS STOP LOCATIONS AND BENCH AND SHELTER ADVERTISING.
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BACKGROUND: On April 27, 1993, City Council adopted Ordinance No. O-9293-23 that allowed courtesy bench signs or bus shelters and established criteria for them. Staff also prepared Administrative Guidelines for Bus Stop Advertising that were submitted for the record when the ordinance was adopted, but the Guidelines were not formally adopted by the Council at that time.
City Council, in its meeting of January 13, 1998, requested the Administrative Guidelines for Bus Stop Advertising be amended to include the provision of obtaining permission from abutting property owners in residential areas that are proposed for use as bus stops. In the Council meeting of January 27, 1998, the Administrative Guidelines were amended, including the title, and the Administrative Guide for Bus Stop Locations and Bench and Shelter Advertising was adopted.
On July 22, 2008, City Council approved Contract No. K-0809-9 with Cleveland Area Rapid Transit (CART) that provided funding to CART and also approved new locations for bus benches and shelters. In processing sign permits related to the new benches and shelters, Staff discovered that because of amendments to the Sign Code, the Administrative Guide and the Sign Code were not consistent. To conform to the Administrative Guide, Staff was not able to approve some of the sign permits although the Sign Code would have allowed approval. Concurrent to this issue, CART requested revisions to the Administrative Guide to update information, allow for flexibility in design of bus shelters, and to allow benches and shelters to be erected adjacent to a neighborhood comprised of dwellings, provided the bench/shelter is located on an arterial roadway at the perimeter of the subdivision.
Both issues were addressed by the Transportation Committee, and language was drafted to amend the Sign Code and the Administrative Guide to make the two documents consistent and to add wording to the Administrative Guide to incorporate the CART requests. Planning Commission in its meeting of April 9, 2009 recommended approval of the changes to the Sign Code in ordinance O-0809-43, and City Council subsequently approved those changes.
DISCUSSION: Recently Staff was requested to review the Guide for consistency between it and the adopted Sign Ordinance. Although having essentially the same meaning, the wording was not consistent. Therefore, Resolution R-1415-6 is being forwarded to amend the current Guide to be consistent with the Sign Ordinance, to specify that all stops must be ADA compliant, and to clarify the location of bus benches and shelters on arterials adjacent to single-family neighborhoods.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of Resolution R-1415-6 that amends the Administrative Guide for Bus Stop Locations and Bench and Shelter Advertising as presented.