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Council approves Bellago comprehensive-plan change to permit multifamily proposal; developer, neighbors and floodplain discussed
Summary
Broken Arrow’s council approved a comprehensive‑plan amendment to change about 17.2 acres in the Bellago area from Level 2 to Level 3 to enable a proposed multifamily development; the planning commission previously recommended approval 5‑0.
Broken Arrow’s City Council approved a comprehensive plan amendment to change approximately 17.2 acres in the Bellago area from Level 2 to Level 3, a change the applicant says is needed to pursue a multifamily project.
Amanda Yamaguchi, planning and development manager, told the council the request would make the 17.2‑acre parcel contiguous with an already Level 3 area and allow the applicant to later submit a rezoning application to RS‑4 and a PUD. The planning commission recommended approval by a 5‑0 vote.
Tom Boat, an attorney representing the landowner, said the proposed development would be composed of detached units—two‑ and three‑bedroom homes around 1,100–1,300 square feet—designed to reduce density compared with a typical apartment complex and that the southern portion of the combined property already carries Level 3 designation. Boat said the development team met with homeowners and planned screening and a gated secondary access for emergency use only.
Neighbors and council concerns Staff reported that neighbors attending planning commission hearings expressed concerns about privacy, property values, traffic and loss of green space; one neighbor asked whether multifamily traffic would cut through the existing single‑family neighborhood. Staff and the applicant said the secondary access would be gated for emergency access only. Yamaguchi noted a significant floodplain between the proposed multifamily area and the existing residential neighborhood that would remain a green reserve and not be developed.
Council and next steps Council members discussed traffic-study timing and the planning process. Staff said traffic studies are not required until the engineering and planning phase but that the council could request one as part of its recommendation. If the comp‑plan amendment is approved, the applicant must return with a rezoning and PUD; staff said those applications will include more detailed plans and a public notification radius of a quarter mile for the rezoning.
The council approved the comp‑plan amendment, with proponents saying the approach will reduce through‑traffic and impose buffers; opponents cited concerns about density and neighborhood impacts. The rezoning and PUD will return to the council for additional hearings and public comments.
