Title
CONSIDERATION OF ORDINANCE NO. O-1314-11 UPON SECOND AND FINAL READING: AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, CLOSING THAT PART OF FARMER STREET LYING BETWEEN JENKINS AVENUE AND LINCOLN AVENUE LOCATED IN HARDIE-RUCKER ADDITION TO NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA; AND PROVIDING FOR THE SEVERABILITY THEREOF.
Body
BACKGROUND: An amended plat of Hardie Rucker Addition was filed of record May 11, 1923 with a fifty foot (50’) street right-of-way known as Farmer Street between Jenkins Avenue to the west and Lincoln Avenue to the east.
DISCUSSION: A great amount of transition has taken place in this area. Beginning with the construction of Headington Hall by the University of Oklahoma north of Farmer Street, a University of Oklahoma parking lot south of Farmer Street, the construction of Lindsey Street from Lincoln Avenue to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad tracks, and the installation of traffic signals at the intersections of Jenkins Avenue/Stinson Street and Lindsey Street/ George Avenue. If the street closure is approved, a public street will no longer be in conflict with the University’s plans for continuity of their property. The proposal is green space and landscaping in place of the street paving. An open space element will make a break from the multi-story structure to the north and the existing parking lot to the south. With the neighborhood to the east and southeast, there are other public street access points provided with the best locations at the signalized intersections of Stinson Street and Jenkins Avenue and Lindsey Street and George Avenue.
The current traffic using Farmer Street between Jenkins and Lincoln Avenues was recently studied on Thursday, September 5, 2013. Based on this study, an average daily traffic volume of 675 vehicles currently travel this segment of Farmer Street. If Farmer Street is closed, these 675 vehicle trips will be dispersed onto other streets such as Lincoln Avenue north to Lindsey Street, Lincoln Avenue south to Stinson Street, or Farmer Street east toward George Avenue. Traffic diversions south toward Stinson Street will be particularly well accommodated with the new traffic signal, installed in cooperation with the University of Oklahoma at the Jenkins Avenue intersection with Stinson Street. Likewise, traffic diversions to the east toward George Avenue will have easier access to Lindsey Street by way of the new traffic signal on Lindsey Street at George Avenue installed as part of the East Lindsey Street Bond Project in 2011. The East Lindsey Street Project also included wide sidewalks on both sides of the street. The University of Oklahoma constructed the same width sidewalks for Lindsey Street and Jenkins Avenue as part of the Headington Hall Project.
Sidewalks were also constructed adjacent to Lincoln Avenue from Lindsey Street to Farmer Street. A City project in March, 2007 installed a sidewalk on the south side of Farmer Street from George Avenue to the east side of Jenkins Avenue. If Farmer Street is closed, the sidewalk will terminate at Lincoln Avenue.
If City Council approves the closure of Farmer Street, the applicant (University of Oklahoma) has also agreed to construct north-south segments of public sidewalks across the vacated Farmer Street right-of-way at both Lincoln Avenue and Jenkins Avenue.
It should be noted that the City has a sanitary sewer main that runs north and south about mid-block of the closure and a storm sewer located on the north side of Farmer Street running east and west (draining Jenkins Avenue to the east). The City will need easements to cover these facilities which will be obtained during the vacation process in District Court. City staff has received responses from AT&T Southwest and OG&E needing easements for their facilities. There have been no other responses from the utility companies.
RECOMMENDATION: With the proposal of the green streetscape by the University and the newly installed traffic signals and sidewalks providing pedestrian capabilities, staff can support the request for the closure of Farmer Street between Jenkins Avenue and Lincoln Avenue and between Blocks 1 and 8 of Hardie Rucker Addition upon receipt of adequate easements during the District Court process to accommodate public utilities and construction of missing sidewalks on Lincoln Avenue and Jenkins Avenue. Planning Commission, at its meeting of September 12, 2013, recommended approval of the closure of Farmer Street.