Planning commission continues proposal for 15-acre Northeast Oklahoma City cohousing project after extended public comment

The Oklahoma City Planning Commission on May 8 continued a request by Nadja Development Group to rezone about 15 acres near Northeast 60th Street and Sooner Road to allow a cohousing-focused residential development and related housing types.

The case, filed as PUD-20-63, drew prolonged public comment from neighbors concerned about privacy, tree and wildlife loss, wildfire risk and lack of municipal sewer. Several neighbors said the area is intentionally rural and asked the commission to deny the rezoning or require much larger lots. The commission voted to continue the item to the May 22 meeting to allow the applicant to return with additional detail.

Why it matters: The parcel sits at a transition between urban and rural land‑use patterns and raises recurring city questions about when new development should be served by public sewer versus private systems. The commission’s decision will affect lot sizes, infrastructure obligations and whether the site keeps a rural character or moves toward denser housing choices on the northeast side.

What proponents said Marcus Uday, the applicant, told the commission his group has tried to design a project that preserves trees and reflects “middle‑ground” density for the area. Malia Renee, a company representative, said the proposal would add housing types intended for different life stages and that they intend to preserve existing mature trees.

“What we’ve done is take the liberty to say, ‘this is a two‑pound block’ between the baskets,” Uday said, arguing the project is intended as a transition between nearby land uses.

What opponents said Lori Janice Turner and Mae Burge, property owners adjacent to the site, urged the commission to deny the rezoning. Turner said her family bought property in the 1970s to live in a rural area and that utilities stop at Sooner Road; she described wildlife and sensitive habitat on nearby acreage and said the lack of services would bring traffic, noise and loss of solitude.

“I am dead set against it,” Turner said, describing concern for privacy and wildlife on nearby acreage.

Technical and infrastructure concerns City utilities staff, represented at the hearing by Dustin Seagrave, said a 20‑inch water main exists near Northeast 60th and Sooner but that sanitary sewer is not adjacent to the site; sewer could be reached only by a more expensive extension or by a private lift/station to an existing north‑side trunk. The applicant proposed on‑site aerobic (private) sewer systems and noted that state rules permit smaller lot sizes for aerobic systems when municipal water is available. Developers and staff discussed maintenance obligations and the need for easements to protect spray/discharge fields from future encroachment or private improvements.

Commission feedback and next steps Commissioners asked the applicant to bring refined, written commitments if the applicant wishes to proceed without public sewer: examples included increasing minimum lot size (the applicant said it could consider three‑quarter‑acre lots rather than half‑acre lots), recording easements to protect spray fields, and requiring HOA or covenant language for mandatory routine maintenance of private treatment systems. Commissioners also asked for a clearer plan showing how usable common open space would be provided and sited within the development.

The commission made a procedural motion to continue PUD-20-63 to the May 22 meeting to allow the applicant to return with revised lot-size options and the additional protections discussed. The motion to continue was seconded and the item was continued.

Ending: The applicant said it would return with revised materials and possible comp‑plan language if the commission needs it; commissioners said they wanted more concrete protections for neighbors, including easements and HOA maintenance commitments, before taking a final vote.