Council approves 69-acre Porter/Rock Creek PUD and preliminary plat; residents raise process and environment concerns

The Norman City Council unanimously approved a rezoning to Planned Unit Development (PUD) and the accompanying preliminary plat Oct. 29 for a roughly 69-acre site at the southwest corner of Rock Creek Road and Porter Avenue.

Applicant representatives described the project as a mixed-use development with about 16.8 units per acre, a multi-lot commercial area fronting Porter Avenue, residential blocks to the south and a preserved water feature in the center of the site. The applicant's presentation said the plan includes new on-site stormwater detention ponds, a proposed trail around the pond (subject to coordination with adjacent property owners) and preservation of the buffer around the pond's WQBZ (water-quality buffer zone).

City staff recommended approval, citing consistency with the AIM Norman land-use plan, a commitment to protect sensitive areas around the pond, pedestrian infrastructure and a mix of housing types. The project received unanimous approval from the Parks Board for a private parkland solution and was unanimously recommended by the Planning Commission.

Council members asked technical questions about stormwater, tree preservation, sidewalks and parking. The project engineer, Derek of Cedar Creek Engineering, told the council that the new detention ponds will hold and release runoff at a rate equal to or less than the predevelopment discharge and that the site will connect naturally to the existing pond but will not use the pond as the primary engineered detention. The applicant said trees along the water's edge are planned to be retained but acknowledged much of the interior tree cover will be removed for development; the project will add street- and parking-lot landscaping per city requirements.

Public commenters included planning critic Steven Ellis, who urged the city to make the terms negotiated in PUDs explicit in staff reports so the public can see "the deal" being offered in return for zoning flexibility. Marguerite Larson raised environmental and school-expansion questions. The applicant responded that PUD zoning permits the mixed uses sought and provides greater clarity and enforceable standards for the project plan than straight zoning would.

Council adopted the ordinance on second and then final reading by unanimous votes and approved the preliminary plat, allowing the applicant to move forward with engineering and site-plan work.

Actions - Motion: adopt rezoning ordinance to PUD (second reading) and (final reading) - Outcome: adopted unanimously on second and final readings - Motion: approve preliminary plat for 2020 North Porter Avenue PUD - Outcome: approved unanimously

Speakers quoted in this story are identified by name and role as they appeared in the meeting transcript.