Board renews parkland decision for Saint James addition, raises required acreage

The City of Norman Board of Parks Commissioners voted Aug. 7 to renew its public parkland decision for the Saint James Park Addition, increasing the amount of land required of the developer and continuing work toward a contiguous park along South Lake Boulevard.

Staff told the commission the revised preliminary plat for Saint James increases total build-out to 692 lots from the 601 lots shown in the original 2003 plat, and that the developer now must provide 4.5326 acres of parkland rather than the prior 3.966 acres. City records show the city already has acquired 3.309 acres; staff said they expect to add roughly 1.2 acres more through deed transfers so the city can build a larger neighborhood park.

The renewed decision allows the city and developer to complete deed work and aim to construct a single, contiguous park rather than phased, disconnected parcels, and staff signaled funds collected from the 2015 Norman Forward program and neighborhood park fees will be available to buy additional land if it becomes available.

Commissioners and staff discussed where the additional acreage would come from on the plat and noted some areas adjacent to the existing colored park strips are likely candidates for deed conveyance. Staff emphasized that portions of the plat containing the detention pond and other land that are still being engineered are not being conveyed now, but could provide additional park acreage in the future once developers complete grading and pond design.

After the presentation, a commissioner moved to accept staff’s recommendation to renew the parkland decision with the increased land requirement; the motion carried on a voice vote.

The renewed parkland decision advances a site identified in Norman Forward to become a roughly five- to six-acre park when fully assembled and built. Staff said deed work will be completed “as soon as possible” so the city can proceed with design and construction.