Planning Commission recommends approval for Heffner Road PUD after trimming sidewalk requirement and adjusting compactor screening

The Oklahoma City Planning Commission on May 8 recommended approval of a PUD application (PUD‑20‑65) to rezone a parcel at 4401 East Heffner Road, an area dominated by large industrial warehouses, after amending technical evaluations to remove a sidewalk requirement and to allow alternative screening for two large compactors.

David Box, representing the applicant, said the area around I‑35 in that stretch contains large industrial buildings and no continuous sidewalks; he argued a required sidewalk would “dead‑end” into the I‑35 service road and be impractical. The commission discussed right‑of‑way and easement options and whether the city could place sidewalks in the future. Planning staff said the question before the commission was whether the developer would be required to install sidewalks now.

Compactor screening compromise Rather than require screening of two large compactors that the applicant said could not be screened with standard enclosure designs, commissioners approved a change that removes the compactor screening requirement if the applicant plants evergreen trees along Hefner Road on 10‑foot centers. The commission also struck the sidewalk technical evaluation (TE#1) for this PUD, while the applicant offered to dedicate an easement if the city later elects to install sidewalks.

Vote and next steps Commissioner Noble moved to recommend approval subject to the amended technical evaluations; Commissioner LaForge seconded the motion. The commission voted to recommend approval as amended.

Ending: Staff will record the amended technical evaluations in the PUD recommendation and the case will move forward to the council review process.