Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Neighborhood Resistance Rezone topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Neighbor urges commission to deny rezoning at 1422 NW 17, says investment and quality of life at stake
Summary
A Gatewood neighbor, Christina Griffith, urged the Planning Commission to deny a rezoning request that would allow two‑story multiunit buildings at 1422 NW 17, saying the proposal would encroach on single‑family lots and harm a historic district.
Christina Griffith, a nearby homeowner in the Gatewood historic district, told the Oklahoma City Planning Commission on Sept. 11 she strongly opposes a rezoning application for 1422 Northwest 17th Street that would allow multiple two‑story apartment buildings on a lot currently surrounded by single‑family homes.
Griffith said she invested in a historic home in 2009 and paid $600,000 for her property last year to be part of the neighborhood. She told commissioners the proposed rezoning would allow a developer to “build multiple two‑story apartments effectively creating a multiple‑building lot on a block of single‑family homes.”
“Nobody is forcing the Stroopals to build. They are creating this issue on their own and the solution should not be to infringe and encroach upon the community to further pad their pockets,” Griffith said. “I respectfully implore you to deny this request.”
Griffith said she asked the developer to consider building an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) as staff had suggested; she said the developer replied that an ADU would not be as profitable. She said neighborhood leaders tried to meet with the developer but left the meeting feeling unheard, and that residents had spent much time researching and organizing to oppose the rezoning.
The speaker asked commissioners to “uphold city legislature on 80 Use” (reference to ADU code in the transcript) and to preserve the character and infrastructure of the historic district. She said the rezoning would reduce privacy — “0 to 2 feet of clearance to my yard with a window looking right into my backyard where my kids play” — and argued that the neighborhood collectively opposed the proposal.
Commissioners recorded the public comment. The agenda item related to this property was deferred during the early part of the meeting; staff told the audience the continuance request had been filed that morning and that future continuances would be publicized earlier in the day when possible. A member of staff reiterated that commenters would have another opportunity to speak when the applicant presents the case.
Ending: The rezoning request for 1422 NW 17 was deferred at the Sept. 11 meeting; the commission advised neighbors to monitor posted agendas for the date when the applicant appears and to be present when the applicant presents the case.
