Oak Ridge Council approves property transfer to Oklo, several zoning changes and multiple infrastructure contracts

Oak Ridge — The Oak Ridge City Council on April 2026 approved a package of development, zoning and procurement measures that included authorizing the city manager to transfer Heritage Center Industrial Park parcels to Oklo to support a proposed advanced nuclear fuel recycling facility, ratifying several zoning-ordinance amendments and awarding contracts for road resurfacing, airport planning and utility equipment.

The most consequential vote authorized staff to move forward with property transfers to Oklo, a private nuclear technology company. The city manager said the proposed project could involve roughly 800 jobs and about $1.68 billion in private investment and described the transaction as complex, involving state approvals and planned clawback and phasing provisions. Council voted 5–1 to approve the resolution after members requested to see clawback language and other transactional details before final property deeds are executed.

Why it matters: Council members and staff framed the Oklo matter as an economic development opportunity tied to Oak Ridge’s growing role in nuclear technology. At the same time several council members pressed for transparency and firm clawback protections to ensure public interests are protected if job or investment commitments change.

Council also spent extended time on zoning changes. The council ratified an ordinance permitting 0 lot-line setbacks in industrial districts — a provision staff and planning commission said was driven in part by a national-security prototyping center that needs closely coordinated building footprints. That ordinance drew sustained questions from members concerned about potential impacts on neighboring manufacturers; the final adoption passed 5–1 with an explicit commitment to revisit the rule and consider a BZA (Board of Zoning Appeals) or planning commission review pathway.

On transportation and infrastructure, the council approved: • A not-to-exceed $277,175 amendment to the Goodwin Mills Cawood contract to continue aeronautical forecasting, site layout updates and imagery collection for an Oak Ridge General Aviation Airport site study (funded by Appalachian Regional Commission); the vote was unanimous. • Contract awards to Rogers Group Inc. for school-zone resurfacing (up to $948,278.10) and for citywide milling and resurfacing (up to $3,068,425) with work prioritized for school breaks and to address prioritized streets including Providence Road and sections of Robertsville and Fairbanks. • Purchase authorization for three 161 kV Siemens circuit breakers ($527,667) and a contract to refurbish two substation transformers (Southwest Electric Co., not to exceed $243,420) to maintain electric reliability and address long lead times for new equipment.

Council authorized application for an EPA community project grant of up to $3 million (20% local match required) to help decommission the legacy water-treatment plant that serves DOE facilities; staff said the city’s reservoir capacity and DOE facility water needs make the work a federal-local priority.

Housing and economic development actions included recommending the Bluffs Apartment Project to the Industrial Development Board for a Payments-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (PILOT) arrangement. The developer said one-bedroom units would be roughly 700–750 sq. ft., two-bedrooms at about 1,100 sq. ft., and three-bedrooms near 1,300 sq. ft.; council recommended the project for pilot consideration to offset high site costs.

What council members asked for next: multiple members asked staff to provide more detailed clawback and agreement language on the Oklo property transfers, to return with clarifications about the 0 lot-line implementation and to present site-study details to permit careful review before deeds are executed. Staff said transfers may be phased and that state approval will be necessary in at least one parcel’s clawback language.

Votes at a glance (selected outcomes): • Resolution authorizing property transfers to Oklo — approved, 5–1. • Final adoption of 0 lot-line industrial setback amendment — approved, 5–1 (council recorded intent to revisit/clarify procedure). • Goodwin Mills Cawood scope increase for airport study — approved, unanimous. • Rogers Group contracts for resurfacing (school zones and citywide) — approved, unanimous. • HVAC replacement at Central Services Complex — approved, unanimous. • Siemens breakers purchase and transformer refurbishment — approved, unanimous. • EPA community project grant application (up to $3M) — approved, unanimous. • Recommendation for Bluffs Apartment PILOT to Industrial Development Board — approved, unanimous.

The meeting also covered routine proclamations, board appointments (Becky Dodson to the housing authority; Tiffany Malone and Ken Reuter to Recreation & Parks), and citizen comments about pursuing DOE school aid and a neighborhood code-enforcement complaint. The council adjourned after announcements about staff promotions, transit ridership gains and a municipal code portal update.

The city manager and staff indicated they will provide council with the state’s agreement language and proposed clawbacks related to the Oklo parcels before further transfers are finalized; council members requested follow-up at future meetings or a planning commission review where appropriate.