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RESOLUTION R-1819-19: A RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF NORMAN, OKLAHOMA, AMENDING THE NORMAN 2025 LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION PLAN SO AS TO REMOVE LOT TWO (2), IN BLOCK ONE (1), OF VALUE PLACE ADDITION, A REPLAT OF LOTS ONE (1) AND TWO (2), BLOCK ONE (1), OF HUETTNER ADDITION SECTION TWO, A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, TO NORMAN, CLEVELAND COUNTY, OKLAHOMA, FROM THE INDUSTRIAL DESIGNATION AND PLACE THE SAME IN THE COMMERCIAL DESIGNATION. (5451 HUETTNER DRIVE)
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SUMMARY OF REQUEST: The applicant is requesting to amend the NORMAN 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan from an Industrial Designation to Commercial Designation. This request is to allow the applicant, Blue Jay Construction, L.L.C., to develop an RV/Travel Trailer Park (RV Park) on the 6.2 acres - with no more than 76 RV pad sites. The proposed RV Park is located east of the existing WoodSpring Suites hotel. There is a companion rezoning application to go from I-1, Light Industrial District to a PUD, Planned Unit Development District. The WoodSpring Suites offers overnight and extended stay accommodations. This PUD will allow for an RV Park and those uses strictly associated with the RV Park as well as any uses currently allowed by right in the I-1, Light Industrial District.
HISTORY OF ADJACENT DEVELOPMENT: In April of 2006, the lot to the west of this current proposal was rezoned from I-1, Light Industrial District to PUD, Planned Unit Development, allowing for the development of a hotel, including an extended stay option and those uses already allowed by right in the I-1 District. The extended stay hotel was Value Place but is now WoodSpring Hotel/Suites, also an extended stay hotel.
In 2006, when the application for rezoning was submitted a companion NORMAN 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan amendment application was also submitted. The original request was to rezone the property from I-1 to PUD and amend the land use from Industrial Designation to Commercial Designation. However, after the Pre-Development meeting the application moved forward to Planning Commission and City Council for only the rezoning portion of the application - the land use amendment application was withdrawn leaving the area designated as Industrial.
Staff reviewed the file for the 2006 rezoning proposal for the hotel; the information in the file reflected that the hotel was presented as a resource for the then existing York Manufacturing Facility, located just south of the hotel. In the file staff outlined the reasoning behind the withdrawal of the 2025 Land Use Plan amendment going from Industrial Designation to Commercial Designation was to eliminate the possibility of any future proposals for commercial/retail use in the area already designated for industrial uses.
STAFF ANALYSIS:
1. There has been a change in circumstances resulting from development of the properties in the general vicinity which suggest that the proposed change will not be contrary to the public interest.
Development in this general area has been slow since the initial platting in 1999. In the last 20 years 15 of the 19 platted lots have developed, with the most recent development for a paint and body shop directly north of this subject proposal. There is a church located at the northern end of the Huettner Plat, fronting Indian Hills Road. A gymnastics facility is located at the corner of Huettner Drive and Huettner Court. The remaining businesses consist of oil & gas offices, warehousing, landscaping businesses, boat mechanic and sales and an auto detailing shop. The development of the residential use at the extended stay hotel represented a change in use for the area; this proposal for an RV Park, is similar in character to the adjacent hotel - allowing temporary/overnight residential stays - and the proposed RV Park does not present itself as contrary 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 proposal to add the RV Park is not considered an adverse land use to the adjacent properties and adverse traffic impacts are not expected. The applicant has visited with staff in the Traffic Division. To allow the development of an RV Park with no more than 76 rental pad sites does not demonstrate adverse traffic impacts. The uses proposed for this site are considered low impact traffic uses for the area.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Similar to the 2006 application on the adjacent property, staff does not support a request to amend the land use from Industrial to Commercial based on similar reasoning as was noted in the 2006 withdrawal of the land use plan amendment. Staff does support the location of this RV Park proposal in an industrial park, situated in close proximity to I-35 and the railroad track on the east. The recommendation from staff to not change the land use designation is also because there is only the one commercial use requested, that of the RV Park, and the remaining uses requested for the site are industrial. As noted this location is appropriate for the use of the RV Park but the land use designation should remain as industrial to eliminate the possibility of any future commercial ventures viewing the area as commercial. Staff does not support the request to amend the land use from Industrial Designation to Commercial Designation and recommends denial of Resolution R-1819-19.
At their meeting of August 9, 2018, Planning Commission recommended denial of this 2025 Land Use Plan amendment by a vote of 7-1.