Edmond commission approves East Fork preliminary plat over residents' traffic concerns

The Edmond Planning Commission approved a preliminary plat for the East Fork development at the southwest corner of Coffee Creek and Air Depot on Jan. 21, 2025, by a vote of 4 to 1.

The vote allows the single‑family component (referred to in the meeting as Track 3) of a Planned Unit Development (PUD) approved in October 2024 to proceed toward final platting. City staff told the commission the proposed preliminary plat is substantially similar to the approved PUD, that streets in the plat are public, and that the design conforms to standards for access, utilities, drainage, tree preservation and setbacks.

The plat’s residential lots were described during the hearing as generally configured at about 30 feet wide by 120 feet deep; staff and the applicant said public water and sewer lines will be extended to the site and that the city recently upgraded the Coffee Creek interceptor to provide additional sewer capacity. The applicant and city staff said the project will be built in phases and that roadway widening along the project frontage (Coffee Creek and Air Depot) is part of the public‑improvement work tied to development.

Residents who live adjacent to the site urged the commission to consider traffic congestion and safety before allowing new construction. "When I pull out of my neighborhood onto Air Depot in the mornings, it is difficult to get out of my neighborhood because of all of the traffic," said Jennifer Broomfield, who gave her address as 2801 Buckland Road. She said evening backups sometimes extend toward I‑35 and asked the commission to consider additional traffic signals and other improvements.

Stan Long, president of the Hammond Hollow homeowners association and a resident at 2825 Buckland Road, also said his community’s 174 homes already rely on Air Depot and urged the commission and applicant to address road capacity and safety.

City staff and the applicant told the commission that a traffic analysis will be enforced on a phase‑by‑phase basis: the existing road network, as it is today, can support the earliest phases but later phases will require additional widening and intersection improvements. Staff said the development will add right‑of‑way on Coffee Creek (discussed during the hearing as being increased to 90 feet) and that the developer will construct widening and other frontage improvements as the project advances to final plats and building permits. An ODOT representative, Mr. Beatty, told commissioners ODOT currently has no plans to add on‑ or off‑ramps in the segment of I‑35 fronting the site but said the agency could review a request if the city pursues one.

Commissioners debated consistency with surrounding neighborhoods. Commissioner Winter and others asked whether the proposed lot widths are compatible with nearby lots and whether the product planned for East Fork is appropriate at this location; the applicant said the mix of narrower lots and nearby commercial/retail uses is intended to support a mixed‑use campus node described in Edmond’s comprehensive plan. The applicant said the project’s final completion is currently anticipated in 2040 and that the project team reduced commercial and residential density during rezoning and subsequent review to respond to earlier public concerns.

Motion and vote details recorded in the meeting indicate Commissioners Chapman, Winter, Hoose and Blundell voted to approve the preliminary plat; Commissioner Goetzer cast the lone dissenting vote. The commission also handled consent items and continued a separate rezoning application (Z24‑0001a) to the Feb. 4 meeting at the applicant’s request.

Next steps noted in the hearing: the applicant will return with detailed plans and final plats for the phased development; public‑improvement work along the project’s frontage will be required as part of those approvals; and the continued rezoning matter (Z24‑0001a) will be considered on Feb. 4, 2025.