Pryor Creek P&Z committee forms volunteer working group to review Unified Development Ordinance

Presiding member called for a volunteer working group to review Pryor Creek’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), saying the town has not updated the UDO since 2019 and that recent changes in land use and new business types warrant a review. "We have not updated our UDO since...2019," the Presiding member said, asking for volunteers to examine definitions, use categories and siting rules.

The discussion focused on topics the working group might examine, including whether the town needs to be more restrictive than state law on newly legal businesses such as cannabis cultivators and dispensaries; clearer distinctions between commercial and light-industrial uses; residential lot and house-size standards; and buffering between industrial and residential areas. The Presiding member said benchmarking other nearby municipalities (for example, Claremore and Tahlequah) could inform recommendations to city council.

Volunteers and logistics: Travis volunteered to take the lead on the review, with Mayor Cheryl offering to provide the online UDO link and assist. The committee agreed the working group would operate as a volunteer advisory team that would compile suggested edits and present recommendations to the full Planning & Zoning committee; any formal changes would require legal review and referral to the city council. The Presiding member emphasized there is no fixed timeline for the review and that the group should check proposed changes with the city attorney before forwarding them to council.

No ordinance amendments were adopted at the meeting. The working group is expected to provide updates to the Planning & Zoning committee as it develops suggested changes.