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SUBMISSION OF THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NORMAN 2025 LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION PLAN.
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BACKGROUND: Since the 1997 adoption of the Norman 2020 Land Use and Transportation Plan (Norman 2020), and its successor, the Norman 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan (Norman 2025), adopted in 2004, the Planning and Community Development Department staff has produced an annual report on the status of development in the City of Norman. This year’s report summarizes development activity for calendar year 2018. Staff provides this annual report to Planning Commission and City Council members to allow comparison of the pace of growth anticipated by the land use plan and its companion document Norman 2025 Land Demand Analysis (Land Demand) to the actual rate of development that has occurred in the community.
This report consists of nine sections. Each section describes different aspects of development and planning that has occurred in the City of Norman during 2018. The section begins with a narrative and is followed by maps and tables that include statistical summaries of the amount, type, and location of development and construction in Norman for Calendar Year 2018. Several tables include information dating back five years. These tables put the current year’s development into a temporal context and illustrate trends and changes that have occurred in recent years.
DISCUSSION:
SPECIAL PROJECTS:
Home Energy Rating System / Energy Rating Index
In 2018, the City Council adopted Resolution R-1718-117 to establish a procedure to allow building permit fees to be adjusted as an incentive for residential homes achieving a certain Home Energy Rating Systems (HERS)/Energy Rating Index (ERI) score. The Home Energy Rating System (HERS) Index is the industry standard by which a home’s energy efficiency is measured. It is also the nationally recognized system for inspecting and calculating a home’s energy performance.
Historic District Expansion
In 2018, the residents of areas adjacent to both the Southridge Historic District and the Chautauqua Historic District obtained the necessary signatures to seek historic district designation and become part of their adjacent districts. The Southridge Historic District expanded by 33 parcels and the Chautauqua Historic District expanded by 43 parcels.
National Register of Historic Places Designation
In the fall of 2017, neighbors in the Southridge Addition began the process to have a portion of the neighborhood placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Historic District Commission at their May 7, 2018 meeting recommended to the State Historic Preservation Commission and the National Keeper of the Register that the Southridge Addition be placed on the National Register. On August 31, 2018, the Department of the Interior placed the Southridge Addition on the National Register of Historic Places.
Comprehensive Plan
The preparation of PlanNorman was suspended in early 2018. The consultant’s last action was drafting a revised version of the Plan based on comments received from the Steering Committee in December 2017. That draft was available in January, 2018 and remains available on the PlanNorman website.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CODE OF ORDINANCES
Tiny Houses
The City Council adopted ordinance O-1718-36 in March, which amends Chapter 22 to allow tiny houses to be permitted in Norman. Tiny houses may be allowed by City Council as a special use in the A-1, General Agricultural District; A-2, Rural Agricultural District; and RE, Residential Estate District. The International Code Council has published an appendix on tiny houses, which the city will adopt separately to regulate the construction of tiny houses.
Agri-Wedding Event Venues
The City Council adopted ordinance O-1718-36 in March, which amends Chapter 22 to allow agri-wedding event venues be allowed as a special use in Norman. This use may be adopted by City Council in the A-1, General Agricultural District, and A-2, Rural Agricultural District.
Sprinkler Requirements for Duplexes
In June of 2018, City Council adopted Ordinance O-1718-47, which requires duplexes built in the Central Core Area of Norman with four or more bedrooms in each unit to be sprinkled. Generally, a two family duplex does not require fire protection through a sprinkler system under the International Residential Code (IRC). However, fire protection through a sprinkler system is generally required for apartments, boarding or lodging houses, hotels, motels, and townhouses (defined as more than two attached dwelling units with grade level access at each dwelling unit). The increased density in the Center City Zoning District and the interest in the development in the Central Core Area of duplexes, which appear to be designed to house more than a single family unit on each side, (four or more bedrooms with a bathroom for each bedroom) make it prudent to require a similar level of fire protection for these duplexes as would be required for apartments, boarding houses, or lodging houses.
Alcoholic Beverages in Movie Theatres
Recent changes to Oklahoma liquor laws and licensing to serve and sell alcohol has prompted the Council to approve Ordinance O-1718-51 to amend and update some of its zoning language to stay consistent with current laws. While reviewing the needed amendments to keep up with the State changes, staff also moved forward with several amendments to clean-up old language in the Zoning Ordinance.
Medical Marijuana
In order to implement and follow current state law and regulation, Council approved O-1819-17 that adds Marijuana Establishments as permitted and special uses to the City of Norman’s various zoning districts.
Small Cell Wireless Facilities
Over the last year, cell phone providers and infrastructure providers have approached cities around Oklahoma about attaching a new technology called “small cells” on street lights, electric poles, and structures to enhance the cellular network and provide faster download speeds. Small cells are critical to the implementation of a new fifth generation (5G) cellular network. The Oklahoma Municipal League formed a working group of municipal attorneys and municipal electric utility providers to work on legislation with cell service providers at the request of AT&T. The efforts of the working group culminated in Senate Bill 1388, which was signed by Governor Fallin on April 26, 2018.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Declaratory Ruling on September 26, 2018 in the matter of Accelerating Wireless Broadband Deployment by Removing Barriers to Infrastructure Investment. This ruling included adoption of Final Rules for Streamlining State and Local Review of Wireless Facility Siting Applications. The Council approved Ordinance O-1819-18 to comply with the new laws and regulations.
CONSTRUCTION
The overall value of construction during 2018 is down $77 million from 2017. The reduction is primarily in the commercial sector: it is down $92 million from the prior year. The main driver of this reduction is the lack of publicly funded projects starting during calendar year 2018.
The total value of residential construction increased by $14.3 million over the previous year led by a $17.2 million increase in single family permits. The total value of single family houses permitted in 2018 was $113.4 million wit h average value of the individual unit increasing to $285,642 from the mid $270,000s per unit of the previous three years. The number of single-family permits issued is up slightly from 2017.
The majority (86%) of all residential units were constructed in the Current Urban Service Area. Units constructed in the Suburban Residential and Country Residential Growth Areas account for the other 14%. The largest numbers of single-family units were permitted in Ward 6 followed by Wards 5 and 8.
LAND USE PLAN AND ZONING AMENDMENTS
The City of Norman accepted seven applications for amendments to the Norman 2025 Land Use and Transportation Plan in 2018. Two of the seven were denied, one by Planning Commission and one by City Council. The largest amendment in 2018 was the Grace Living Center that moved 8.5 acres of land from Medium Density Residential to Mixed Use.
The City of Norman acted on 26 applications for rezoning during calendar year 2018, five more than were processed in 2017. All but three of the Zoning Amendments were less than 5 acres in size. The largest area rezoned was the 107 acre Jackson Freedom Farm, which was granted a special use to be an agri-wedding event venue.
RECOMMENDATION: Staff presents the Annual 2018 Status Report on Development and the Norman 2025 Plan for your review and information.