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CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE NO. O-1213-41 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 PLACE PART OF THE WEST HALF OF THE EAST HALF OF THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF SECTION 9, TOWNSHIP 8 NORTH, RANGE 2 WEST OF THE INDIAN MERIDIAN, NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA; IN THE PUD, PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT, AND REMOVE THE SAME FROM THE A-2, RURAL AGRICULTURAL DISTRICT, OF SAID CITY; AND PROVIDING FOR THE SEVERABILITY THEREOF. (SOUTH SIDE OF IMHOFF ROAD APPROXIMATELY 900 FEET EAST OF CLASSEN BOULEVARD)
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SYNOPSIS: The applicant has submitted a request to rezone an existing property from A-2, Rural Agricultural District, to PUD, Planned Unit Development District, for a student housing project. The proposal consists of 158 units with approximately 552 beds. The tract currently has a single-family home on-site but it will be divided from the development as platting is completed. The land under review for this request was set aside on the 2020 Plan and again on the 2025 Plan as industrial due to its close proximity and access to Highway 9, a major road, and the possibility of extending additional industrial use already in place to the east of this tract.
STAFF ANALYSIS: When the 2020 Land Use Plan was adopted, a detailed land use analysis was completed that revealed Norman had 925 acres of land that was being used for industrial purposes, and the Plan reserved industrial, and recommend that 1,200 additional acres be added and preserved for future industrial use. This deliberate decision of the Council, at that time, was to create multiple opportunities to accommodate all types of industrial activities in a wide variety of locations. The actual demand for industrial land was estimated at 198 acres over the entire time frame of the Plan. It was predicted that the surplus industrial land would be absorbed at the rate of approximately ten acres per year.
Policy does not prohibit conversions from industrial designations, but does recommend that such requests be critically evaluated. In this case, this land is not currently zoned for industrial use, but has been reserved on the 2025 Plan for future industrial use.
One of the purposes for designating land as industrial use is to allow tracts of various sizes throughout the community to be reserved for a wide range of industrial opportunities, which are a major economic driver for any community. Conversely, from the landowner's perspective, industrial land is one of the slowest to be absorbed and usually sells for less value than uses which have more immediate needs, such as housing or the needed shopping areas that may serve them.
This location lies immediately to the west of the Hitachi plant, an industrially zoned use. The area to the west of this proposal is zoned C-2, General Commercial District, with commercial uses in place. Those commercial uses are considered a more intense use than the typical shopping center you might see in a commercially zoned area. The use directly to the west is a construction company which expressed concerns at the Planning Commission meeting that the noise they create, when working on concrete tilt-up wall, may impact the new residential neighbors.
PUD ANALYSIS:
USE: As proposed, the project will be student housing development focusing on the University of Oklahoma students for their residents. However, students will not be their only tenants. The project will consist of 158 units and 552 beds, with associated amenities of a pool and clubhouse.
DESIGN: One entrance to the subdivision is proposed from Imhoff Road. There will be two and three-story buildings on this site. These buildings are described as American Craftsman-Style design. The landscaping shall be provided in conformity to the City of Norman Landscape Ordinance
OPEN SPACE: There will be open space and green space areas located throughout the development. The open space area totals over 10.94 acres or approximately 58%. A portion of the 10.94 acres is accounted for as a drainage pond.
PARKING: The parking is distributed throughout the development to meet the city requirements.
LIGHTING: The lighting proposed for the site shall be installed in conformance with the Commercial Outdoor Lighting Standards.
SIGNAGE: All signage shall be in conformance with the City of Norman's sign codes. The additional comment in the PUD stated signs may be lit and landscaped with appropriate vegetation and planter boxes designed so as not to interfere with traffic sight lines.
FENCING: Fencing will be added to the northeast corner of the development to shield the existing residential home.
ISSUES:
OIL WELL: There is an existing well site located on this tract of land. The site development plan will meet the building setback requirements for that area.
OTHER AGENCY COMMENTS:
PARK BOARD: The Board of Parks Commissioners recommended fee-in-lieu of land to fulfill the parkland dedication requirements for the development.
PUBLIC WORKS: A Traffic Impact Study was submitted and reviewed by Staff. Detention will be provided for storm water run-off. Water and sanitary sewer is available to the property. Interior sanitary sewer is private. Interior water lines will be installed per city standards to serve for fire protection.
2010 INDUSTRIAL LAND USE STUDY: In March of 2010, City staff completed an Industrial Land Use Study. This study was done in response to applications staff had received for rezoning and land use amendment of industrially designated land to commercial, residential, and mixed uses. The study highlighted the need for preserving readily buildable areas of adequate size and location for industrial uses. The 2010 Industrial Land Use Study revealed that, of the area designated for industrial use on the 2020 Plan, almost eight hundred forty-nine acres have been rezoned and designated for uses other than industrial. Of that total, five hundred eight-six acres were included in the University North Park area, of which approximately one hundred-seventy-five acres are still available for industrial purposes, although no definitive plans have been presented. One hindrance to developing the UNP area as industrial is the high cost of land, which makes it better suited for office development. Of the remaining two hundred sixty-three acres, commercial requests comprise almost sixty-eight percent of the area that has been changed. In some cases, changes to the update of the 2020 Plan were discussed as part of the adopting process, and resulted in the removal of substantial amounts of industrial land. Almost three hundred acres of industrially designated land was eliminated in the area south of Tecumseh Road, east of 12th Avenue NW to allow two large residential developments to occur (Trailwoods and Greenleaf Additions). In the same area, as the northwest corner of Tecumseh Road and 12th Avenue, approximately one hundred thirty-six acres was changed from industrial designation to commercial, high density residential, medium density residential, office and low density residential. An addition sixty acres of land located at the southern boundary of the community was changed form industrial to mixed use.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The question is not whether the development itself has been correctly designed, but whether this is the appropriate location for a multi-family development. The impact a multi-family development can have on existing industrial and commercial developments and vice-versa can be problematic. The Hitachi plant is a 24-hour facility. The noise and traffic impacts on a multi-family development can be challenging. A residential component added adjacent to an industrial use may possibly register noise complaints. These complaints can cause industry to relocate to new locations due to constraints placed on them for noise violations. Typically once a residential use is established adjacent to an industrial use noise and traffic become an issue to the adjacent residents.
In keeping with the goals of the 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan to preserve industrially designated properties for future development, staff does not support rezoning request Ordinance No. O-1213-41.
At their meeting of April 11, 2013, the Planning Commission, by a vote of 4-4, failed to make a recommendation with regard to Ordinance No. O-1213-41