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Norman housing strategy sets five goals to address projected need of about 23,000 units
Summary
Consultant Charlie Powell presented a five-goal housing strategy that focuses on rewriting zoning, expanding housing types, improving attainability, prioritizing infill/rehab, and simplifying access to programs. The plan includes examples and incentives but no formal funding decisions were made.
At the March 11, 2025 city council conference, consultant Charlie Powell of RDG presented the housing strategy portion of the AIM Norman comprehensive plan update, describing five prioritized goals intended to close the city’s projected housing gap.
Powell told councilors the housing strategy is focused on policy and implementation rather than prescriptive location decisions. "We limited it to five goals because there was a ton of ideas on the table," he said, explaining the approach narrows priorities so limited staff and financial resources can be targeted.
The five goals Powell outlined are: 1) modernize development regulations (rewrite zoning and subdivision ordinances to improve consistency and streamline approvals); 2) increase housing variety (encourage a range of ownership and rental types, including mixed-use and prototype building plans to reduce first-mover risk); 3) improve attainability and accessibility for priority groups (lower-income households, mobility-limited residents, people needing supportive services); 4) enhance infill and rehabilitation of existing housing stock through targeted public–private partnerships; and 5) make programs clear and accessible (a centralized resource center, education, and streamlined processes).
Powell noted the plan quantifies a need to add roughly 23,000 housing units to meet projected demand to 2045 and recommends a mix of rental and ownership products, targeted price points, and rehabilitation strategies. He cited an example from Lawrence, Kansas, where an incentive program reduced landlords’ perceived risk when accepting vouchers and reportedly required few or no payouts for claims.
Council members asked about cost versus policy actions; Powell said the plan’s tables identify which strategies require funding and which are primarily policy changes. He also flagged partnership needs—builders, realtors, university partners, nonprofit housing providers and the housing authority were all named as potential partners for implementation.
Next steps: the housing strategy will accompany the comprehensive land-use update through the steering committee, planning commission and eventual council readings. The session did not include any budget or funding decisions; specific funding sources and program budgets were not specified at this meeting.
