Owasso planning commission approves master-plan amendment, backs rezoning for 96th Street parcels

The Owasso Planning Commission voted on Jan. 2026 to approve a proposed amendment to the Owasso 2035 Land Use Master Plan and to support a companion rezoning, OZ25-O7, for two parcels along East 96th Street.

Alexa Beamer, planning staff, told the commission the request covers properties at 13601 E. 96th St. and 9610 N. 36th St., approximately five acres including adjacent right-of-way. Staff said the properties are currently zoned agricultural and the master-plan amendment would change their designation from residential to "transitional," a classification intended to buffer higher- and lower-intensity uses and to allow office zoning. Beamer said the technical advisory committee (TAC) reviewed the item Dec. 17 and offered no comments, and that water and sewer service for the parcels is provided by the City of Owasso.

Beamer said staff evaluated the request against plan goals and surrounding development patterns and recommended approval. She also presented a companion rezoning request, OZ25-O7, covering about 3.87 acres (excluding county-owned right-of-way). Beamer noted the parcels were annexed into Owasso in 2006 (citing ordinance 8 43 as read into the record), that the rezoning met applicable bulk and area standards in the zoning code, and that the rezoning recommendation was contingent on the concurrent master-plan amendment.

Staff read an emailed comment from David Gere opposing the change. Gere wrote that he and his wife, residents at 9856 N. 136th E. Ave., opposed the rezoning because it "would sandwich the 6 residential single family homes on our street between the large newly constructed Cypress Crossing apartments and any businesses located on the 2 properties in question." Alan McManus, a nearby resident who spoke at the meeting, said, "Traffic's already horrible through there," and criticized meeting signage as poorly placed.

Rob Haskins, one of the applicants, told the commission he and an adjacent property owner pursued the rezoning jointly to avoid spot-zoning and said the roadway widening project for East 96th Street is underway (right-of-way acquisition largely complete and utilities scheduled for relocation), which he said would mitigate traffic impacts before any development occurs. He said he had investigated prior zoning history and followed the city process to seek a coordinated frontage rezoning.

After questions about neighborhood outreach and the timing of the roadway work, a commissioner moved to approve the master-plan amendment (changing the property designation from residential to transitional); the motion was seconded and recorded 'yes' votes were announced for the commissioners called (Vines, Cook, Smith and Inouye). The commission then moved and seconded approval of rezoning OZ25-O7 from agricultural to office, likewise recording 'yes' votes from the commissioners called. Both motions carried at the Planning Commission meeting.

The actions by the Planning Commission are the commission's approvals recorded at the meeting; staff noted the rezoning is linked to the master-plan amendment and any final city approvals or required council action will follow the municipality's review processes. TAC had no comments, and staff noted required platting must occur before nonresidential building permits would be issued.

The commission also heard a brief building-permit report noting six new single-family permits for the month, a year-to-date total of 134 and one new commercial permit for '7 Brew' coffee, and discussed several preliminary plats that could add residential lots in the next year to 18 months.

The commission adjourned after the final votes.