Residents urge council to preserve Deep Fork Trail as Kirkpatrick Foundation seeks PUD change

Dozens of residents, cyclists and neighborhood leaders urged the Oklahoma City Council on the introduction of a planned-unit-development (PUD) application to preserve the planned Deep Fork Trail alignment through the property recently purchased by the Kirkpatrick Foundation.

The speakers said the unfinished section of the Deep Fork Trail forces pedestrians, runners and bicyclists onto busy, hilly roads — including Northeast 50th Street and Kelly Avenue — and asked the council not to accept a proposed PUD change that removes express trail language from the development plan.

The speakers included residents who described near-misses with cars and longer, less-safe trips because the trail is not continuous. “We were forced…to jump from the curbs into the grass several times to avoid getting hit by cars,” said Antonio de la Vega, describing a 6 a.m. run that required two miles on busy streets. “Pedestrians, runners, dog walkers, and stroller pushers deserve to have a safe venue,” said de la Vega.

Why this matters: the Deep Fork Trail is the remaining link in a roughly 100-mile municipal trail network. Speakers argued the missing segment harms safety, accessibility and the connectivity that residents were told would be provided when voters approved related bond measures and trail projects.

The council heard that three of five Deep Fork Trail phases are complete; the phase that would cross the Kirkpatrick-owned parcel (Phase 2) is designed but not built. Melinda McMillan Miller, director of Parks and Recreation, told the council Phase 2 “will be constructed” and that staff has asked the original consultant, Half & Associates, to develop alternate routing options for the segment between Kelly Avenue and Lincoln Boulevard. Those alternate routes, she said, could include alignment near I-44 or other designs worked out with the foundation; Half & Associates is expected to return with options in early fall.

Multiple speakers urged the council to delay any final zoning vote until the alternatives analysis is complete. “This decision can’t really be done until we know what any potential alternatives are,” said Kevin Farmer, president of the Oklahoma Bicycle Society, who called the existing plan “the missing link of our hundred miles of multiuse trail.” Several speakers said the trail alignment was included in project listings tied to voter-approved bond packages and to prior trail master plans.

Planning staff and the Kirkpatrick Foundation representatives said the current PUD contains coordinating language — “developer will work with the city of Oklahoma City on the coordination of the trail construction planned along the northern boundary of this PUD” — but not a legally enforceable easement. Planning staff member Jeff Butler said that language is “more of a coordinating language” and difficult to enforce as a binding obligation. The parks director confirmed the city does not currently hold an easement for the needed corridor and cannot build the trail on private land without acquiring legal rights.

Council procedure and next steps: the council treated the item as an introduction; the final hearing is scheduled for April 22. Parks staff said they expect Half & Associates to return with an alternatives report by early fall (staff gave an approximate target of September). Council members and speakers discussed whether the council should defer during introduction-stage discussion; the city clerk and legal staff noted the council can defer but that doing so at the introduction stage is uncommon and could invite repeated early appearances by interested residents.

What residents asked the council to do: several residents and advocacy groups asked the council to (1) retain the trail language the public originally expected, (2) defer final action until staff’s alternatives analysis and negotiations with Kirkpatrick are complete, and (3) prioritize obtaining the permanent easement required to build the trail along the originally planned alignment.

Council reaction and context: Councilman Cooper (Ward 7, sitting in this meeting) said he wants a “mutually beneficial solution” but emphasized that the PUD itself is not the only route to securing an easement and that easement acquisition is a separate process. Parks Director McMillan Miller said staff would continue working with the foundation and the consultant and bring reports back to the council. Mayor Holt and several council members recognized the public turnout and emphasized the importance of the trail for connectivity, transit access and safety.

Ending: The item will return to the council for final hearing on April 22. Staff expects to present alternative alignments from Half & Associates in early fall; until an easement or formal agreement is secured, the city says it lacks the legal authority to construct the segment across private property.