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RESOLUTION R-1819-32: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING THE NORMAN 2025 LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION PLAN SO AS TO REMOVE LOTS 37 AND 38, BLOCK 5, HARDIE RUCKER ADDITION, TO NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, FROM THE LOW DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DESIGNATION AND PLACE THE SAME IN THE MEDIUM DENSITY RESIDENTIAL DESIGNATION. (1414 GEORGE AVENUE)
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SUMMARY OF REQUEST: The applicant’s proposal is to build a single story efficiency apartment with an attached one-car garage; the total square footage of the garage and apartment is 595 square feet. In conjunction with the land use amendment, the applicant is requesting to rezone from R-1, Single Family Dwelling District to SPUD, Simple Planned Unit Development to allow the garage apartment. The lot area requirement in the R-2, Two Family Dwelling District to allow a single family dwelling and a garage apartment is 7,000 square feet. The lot is approximately 6,937 square feet; in July 2018 the applicant requested a variance to the 7,000 square feet lot requirement, the Board of Adjustment approved the variance of 62.5 square feet to allow the garage apartment contingent on City Council approval of the land use amendment and rezoning requests.
STAFF ANALYSIS: The NORMAN 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan identify two criteria that must be examined before a land use designation change is approved.
1. There has been a change in circumstances resulting from development of the properties in the general vicinity, which suggest that the proposed changes will not be contrary to the public interest. The surrounding area has significantly changed over the last decade. This neighborhood is surrounded by the University of Oklahoma which has been purchasing properties in this area over the last several decades.
The western edge of this neighborhood, on Lincoln Avenue, once was an eclectic mix of single family homes, garage apartments, and single family homes that were converted into small apartments. OU purchased the entire west side of Lincoln Avenue (except the two most southern parcels that St. Thomas More church owns) to build a parking lot and Headington Hall, an athletic and honors dorm with commercial uses on the first floor. OU continues to purchase properties in this neighborhood; currently there are at least eight properties that have been purchased throughout this neighborhood and one of these properties is the neighboring property directly to the north of the applicant’s property.
This subject property is located on the west side of George Avenue and directly across the street is the OU College of Architecture Model Shop, a convenience store with a gas station, and apartments.
One parcel to the south of this site, on the corner of George Avenue and Stinson Street, there are two duplexes; one parcel was a single family home and one lot was vacant. City Council approved the land use amendments and rezoning requests in 2013 to allow the duplexes.
One street to the west, on McKinley Avenue, City Council approved a Special Use for a Bed and Breakfast in 2014; however the Special Use expired because the property owners did not establish the Bed and Breakfast within two years of City Council approval.
There are multi-family apartments to the southeast on Stinson Street and the OU athletic practice field on the south side of Stinson Street west of George Avenue.
It is evident that there has been a change in development patterns of surrounding properties that have not had a contrary impact to the public interest.
2. 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 University of Oklahoma has expanded around this neighborhood over the last several decades, and because of the close proximity to OU there are many rental properties. There are similar land uses to this request within the vicinity and they have not had an adverse impact on the neighborhood.
The applicant is requesting to rezone to SPUD, Simple Planned Unit Development, to specifically limit the uses on this parcel to a single family home and a single story efficiency apartment with an attached one car garage. This use is similar and alike the existing land uses and built environment in the general vicinity.
George Avenue is the eastern boundary and Stinson Street is the southern boundary of this neighborhood; these streets are the main access from Lindsey Street and Jenkins Avenue into this neighborhood. Both of these streets are wider than most residential streets with parking allowed on the street. Due to the location of this property on the eastern edge of the neighborhood and on the west side of George Avenue the land use and traffic impacts to the surrounding area will not be adversely affected.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: The criteria used to evaluate a request for a land use amendment and the impacts on surrounding properties within the general vicinity demonstrate there will not be adverse land use or traffic impacts associated with this proposal. Since the criteria for a land use amendment is met staff recommends approval of Resolution R-1819-32.
Planning Commission, at their December 13, 2018 meeting, recommended adoption of Resolution R-1819-32 by a vote of 8-0.