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RESOLUTION R-1415-84: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING THE NORMAN 2025 LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION PLAN SO AS TO REMOVE THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION FIFTEEN (15), AND THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION FIFTEEN (15), AND PART OF THE SOUTH HALF OF SECTION FOURTEEN (14), AND THE NORTHEAST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION TEN (10), AND THE NORTHWEST QUARTER OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER AND THE SOUTH HALF OF THE SOUTHEAST QUARTER OF SECTION TEN (10), TOWNSHIP EIGHT (8) NORTH, RANGE TWO (2) WEST OF THE INDIAN MERIDIAN, TO NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, FROM THE VERY LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DESIGNATION AND PLACE THE SAME IN THE MIXED USE DESIGNATION. (GENERALLY LOCATED NORTH OF POST OAK ROAD ON BOTH THE EAST AND WEST SIDES OF 36TH AVENUE S.E.)
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SUMMARY OF REQUEST: The applicants Shaz Investment Group, L.L.C. and Rieger, L.L.C., submitted an application to rezone and amend the current land use designations in the NORMAN 2025 Plan on property encompassing the areas south of the Corporate Addition Industrial Park and John H. Saxon Park, along the west side of 36th Avenue S.E., continuing south across Cedar Lane Road and down to Post Oak Road. The ownership then crosses 36th Avenue S.E. to include approximately 275 acres on the east side of 36th Avenue S.E. and north of Post Oak Road. The properties within the application boundary total approximately 762 acres. This property was zoned A-2, Rural Agricultural District with Ordinance 1322 in December of 1961. The associated rezoning request is to go from A-2, Rural Agricultural District to Planned Unit Development for a Master Planned Development - Destin Landing.
The intent of the land use amendment is to allow for a Master Planned Development, regulated by one zoning district and managing growth under one cohesive plan; providing for adequate circulation and parking, high-quality aesthetic architectural character while including mixed residential densities and including those commercial/retail developments required to provide adequate service for the needs of the growing population within the new development.
The subject area was designated on the Norman COMPLAN, adopted March of 1981, as Urban Reserve - Tier Three and Rural Area - Tier Four. The greater majority of the area for this application was designated as Urban Reserve - Tier Three; this area was defined as land designated for future urban development but not, at that time, served by infrastructure systems. Those areas in Tier Three were planned to accommodate the City’s projected future population. A smaller area to the south and east in this application, adjacent to Post Oak Road, was Rural Area - Tier Four; this area was defined as lands within the corporate limits of the City not designated by the Complan Map for urbanization. These areas were not recognized as part of the Future Urban Service Area (FUSA) as no services were remotely close to servicing this site at that time. Both of these sites, Tier Three and Four were included in the Suburban Residential Area on both the 2020 and 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plans. It has been 12 years since the adoption of the NORMAN 2025 Plan, development in this area has surpassed the expectations for growth identified in the NORMAN 2025 Plan as both water and sanitary sewer with proposed lift stations are now available to serve the majority of this site.
The NORMAN 2020 Plan, adopted March of 1997, designated the area as Very Low Density Residential. In 2004, the NORMAN 2020 Plan was updated with the NORMAN 2025 Plan. With that update this area was once again designated Very Low Density Residential.
The NORMAN 2025 Plan identifies several criteria that must be examined before a land use change is approved.
LAND USE DESIGNATION CHANGES:
1. There has been a change in circumstances resulting from development of the properties in the general vicinity which suggests that the proposed change will not be contrary to the public interest.
In recent years there have been several developments, both residential and commercial, in this general vicinity.
• To the northwest are Southlake Addition, St. James Park Addition and Cedar Lake Estates; all three are single-family additions. There are two apartment complexes, Renaissance and Chapel Ridge north of the single-family additions. Renaissance Apartments has 228 units, with one, two and three bedroom units. Chapel Ridge Apartments has 144 units, with one, two and three bedroom units. Southlake Addition has 132 single-family lots. Currently, St. James Park Addition has 176 lots platted and Cedar Lake Estates has sixteen large lot single-family home sites. St. James Park still has the southern portion, adjacent to East Cedar Lane Road, to develop so there is a possibility of approximately 489 lots to be platted in the future.
There are several new commercial developments north and west of this proposal, along the east and west sides of Classen Boulevard, just south of State Highway 9.
• To the west of this site are two apartment complexes, The Links and The Greens at Norman. The Links has 528 units, consisting of one and two bedroom units. The Greens at Norman has 396 units, also consisting of one and two bedroom units. This development has a golf course, which is open to the residents of the apartments as well as to the public, with membership. Further west, adjacent to Classen Boulevard is a new Wal-Mart Supercenter with associated fueling station and several out lots, yet to be developed. South of the Wal-Mart is a branch of the Astellas facility. This facility was a distribution center that closed and Astellas moved some of their operations into the building.
• To the west, across Classen Boulevard, there is a mix of residential and industrial uses. Several of the lots to the west have expanded with soft industrial uses, such as a mini-storage facility and an assembly business for medical gel-packs.
• Further west, across the railroad tracks there are numerous single-family developments, some existing and some proposed. The Eagle Cliff Addition final platted 496 single-family lots. The Eagle Cliff South Addition final platted 167 single-family lots, with 101 remaining in the preliminary plat. The Cedar Lane Addition preliminarily platted 692 single-family lots. Monterey Addition preliminarily platted 157 single-family lots. Independence Valley final platted 43 single-family lots.
• There are two student based multi-family developments on the east side of 12th Avenue S.E., north and west of this development proposal, The Grove and The Avenue. The Grove consists of 224 units with 600 beds. The Avenue consists of 197 units with 704 beds. Both of these facilities are leased by the bed not the unit.
• Southwest of this site is Special Planning Area - SPA 7. Special Planning Area 7 was designated as Mixed Use. Previously, this SPA existed on both the west and east sides of 24th Avenue S.E. along the south side of Cedar Lane Road. In 2008 a developer requested a portion of the SPA 7, on the east side of 24th Avenue S.E., be removed to allow for the Links and Greens, new multi-family developments. The new designation for that area is Medium Density Residential. A second amendment to the SPA occurred in August of 2014, allowing for another small area of SPA 7 to be designated as commercial use. There is still a small portion of SPA 7 remaining south of the multi-family development, along the east side of 24th Avenue S.E. and a portion adjacent to Classen Boulevard.
• Directly south of this proposal is Noble City Limits; the land is vacant. Staff is not aware of any future development in the area south of this proposal.
There is a determination that the proposed change would not result in adverse land use or adverse traffic impacts to surrounding properties or the vicinity.
The growth within this general area has been substantial, as indicated in the above noted development list. The expansion/improvements to Classen Boulevard and continued expansion of Cedar Lane Road, including the signalization at the corner of Classen Boulevard and Cedar Lane Road have opened the area to more development. With this development additional improvements to the intersection of 36th Avenue S.E. and Cedar Lane Road will be required; these improvements to the intersection of 36th Avenue S.E. and Cedar Lane road are long overdue and will improve an unsafe intersection. In addition to those noted improvements, State Highway No. 9 has expanded, including signalization at the intersections of 24th Avenue S.E., Technology Place, John Saxon Boulevard and 36th Avenue S.E., all within a one mile section, all making way for continued development in the general area. The preliminary access points for the proposal have been reviewed by staff. These preliminary access points for the development have been approved while taking into consideration the road designation and traffic flow all while recognizing future preliminary plats will be reviewed for approval of future development.
CHANGES TO FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION OF ROADWAYS: The Comprehensive Transportation Plan, adopted 2014, amended the previous roadway classifications adopted with the NORMAN 2025 Plan in this area, no changes proposed.
GROWTH AREA BOUNDARY CHANGES: An integral part of the NORMAN 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan is the continued designation of various Growth Areas related to the character, density and level of appropriate public services. The Growth Areas are designated as part of the ongoing effort to accomplish the Goals and Policies related to managing the location of growth in relation to infrastructure and the suitability of land for development.
Change from Suburban Residential Area to Current or Future Urban Service Area.
1 The land must be contiguous to existing Current or Future Urban Service Area land;
The area proposed for amendment is south and east of two areas already designated as Current Urban Service Area and Future Urban Service Area.
2. There must be an indication that the existing Urban Service Areas may not be adequate to accommodate the full range of urban land demands based upon land use type and the areas of the community;
The current Growth Area Boundary designated for this site is Suburban Residential Area.
Suburban Residential Area is defined as:
The Suburban Residential Area consists of areas suitable for development from an environmental standpoint, but not planned for sanitary sewer service. Therefore, the Plan recommends development at suburban densities of not more than one unit per two acres. Development will generally require individual water wells and sewage treatment systems; however, city water should be provided for any development in this area where high quality water cannot be assured. It is important for the City to maintain the rural nature of this area and to be explicit as to the limited infrastructure anticipated. Specifically, the City does not plan to extend sanitary sewer service to this area.
The applicants are proposing a Mixed Use Designation for this site; uses ranging from large acre lots for single family homes, multi-family development up to the typical commercial development. The current designation of the area, Suburban Residential, cannot accommodate these proposed uses as the majority of them will require City water and sanitary sewer. Within the general vicinity, to the west and north of this site, City water and sanitary sewer services have already been established due to the recent growth.
3. Justification for expansion of the Urban Service Areas should accompany the request;
The applicant did not specifically justify the expansion of the Urban Service Area in the application for the Norman 2025 Land Use Plan change. The comments below are staff’s observations regarding the change from Suburban Residential Areas to Current Urban Service Area.
This area of southeast Norman has experienced substantial changes in the last 12 years, since the adoption of the NORMAN 2025 Plan in November of 2004.
Several of the changes in the area are as follows:
• Expansion of Cedar Lane Road widening project improving access to the area
• State Highway No. 9 expansion and widening along with signalization at major intersections - again adding additional access to the area
• Approval of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter at the corner of Cedar Lane Road and Classen Boulevard
• Norman Public schools recognized the need for a new elementary school; the school will serve a portion of this area. The remaining area on the south side of Cedar Lane Road will be served by the Noble Public School District
• The recent completion of the Links at Norman and Greens at Norman apartment complexes and public golf course
• John H. Saxon Park improvements for the community - also a sign of recognition the southeast part of Norman is continuing to grow
• Platting and zoning of the new single-family subdivisions across State Highway No. 9, Summit Valley and Bellatona, and the rezoning of a portion of Bellatona residential area to commercial use
4. Concurrent application for Planned Unit Development zoning must accompany the request in order to insure compliance with development criteria for the Current or Future Urban Service Areas.
The applicant submitted with this application a Master Development Plan - PUD proposal, Destin Landing. This Master Development Plan - PUD will control the development, use and design of the area. The application did not include a preliminary plat; the Master Development Plan is the preliminary step in this process and preliminary plats will follow with each area of development when it is ready to move forward.
OTHER AGENCY COMMENTS REGARDING FUTURE DEVELOPMENT: (The following documents are attached to staff report for Ordinance .O-1415-33)
BOARD OF PARKS: See staff memo from James Briggs, Park Planner II
PUBLIC WORKS: See staff memo from Shawn O’Leary, Director of Public Works
ENGINEERING: See staff memo from Todd McLellan, Development Engineer
TRAFFIC: See staff memo from David Riesland, City Traffic Engineer
UTILITIES: See staff memo from Mark Daniels, Utilities Engineer
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: This area of southeast Norman has grown in recent years. Zoning and Land Use amendments, as well as roadway expansions, have made way for this growth. Staff supports the request to amend the NORMAN 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan from Very Low Density Residential Designation to Mixed Use Designation and from Suburban Residential Area to Current Urban Service Area for approximately 762 acres.
Staff recommends approval of Resolution R-1415-84.
Planning Commission, at their February 11, 2016 meeting, unanimously recommended approval of this resolution by a vote of 6-0.