Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Developer adds multifamily options to Rivergate zoning application; neighbors file possible protest petition
Summary
An applicant seeking office-light (OL) zoning with an optional development plan for property at East 101st and South Florence added multifamily uses to the plan, prompting a neighborhood protest petition that may require a supermajority vote by City Council.
City planning staff and councilors discussed a rezoning application (Z7824) that would convert RS-3 residential land to office-light (OL) with an optional development plan (ODP) for the southeast corner of East 101st Street and South Florence Avenue.
The applicant initially sought OL zoning without multifamily; the updated ODP submitted before the committee now includes apartments and vertical mixed-use buildings. Planning staff said the version that originally came before the council excluded multifamily but the new optional development plan "basically [adds] apartments." The Tulsa Metropolitan Area Planning Commission recommended approval 6–2.
Staff reported receipt of a protest petition from a neighborhood representative and said planning staff must confirm whether more than 50% of property owners within 300 feet signed the petition. If the petition meets the statutory threshold, City Council would need a supermajority of seven of nine votes to approve the rezoning, staff said.
Councilors said they welcome additional housing but also must weigh prior agreements with residents. Councilor Laken and others asked staff to provide a density estimate for the originally proposed plan (which limited development to duplexes or townhomes) and the potential density under the new OL rules with multifamily allowed. Staff said density calculations are complex because OL uses a floor-area-ratio (FAR) rather than a per-unit formula, and floodplain on parts of the site further constrains development.
Council members discussed procedural options if the petition meets the threshold, including whether the council could attach an amended ODP to recreate the limits originally agreed by the developer and neighborhood. Planning staff said council could amend an ODP as part of its motion. The matter will return to council after staff verifies the protest petition.
