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Council approves Bob Moore Farms PUD amendments and right‑of‑way closure after library secures access protections

City of Norman City Council · April 29, 2026

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Summary

Council amended a Bob Moore Farms PUD to convert planned commercial uses to roughly 804 multifamily units, added language preserving pedestrian access to Ed Noble Parkway and accepted a corrected legal description to ensure the Pioneer Library System’s driveway is not used for development access; the ROW amendment and PUD actions passed after public comment and a brief recess to resolve language.

Libby Smith, representing the applicant, told the council the revised Bob Moore Farms PUD replaces prior commercial components with an all‑multifamily plan totaling about 804 dwelling units with a four‑story maximum, expanded green space (about 43%), gated vehicular access and on‑site amenities. She said the proposal received unanimous planning commission approval with an amended site plan.

Rebecca Patton, representing the Pioneer Library System, urged the council to expressly state in the PUD ordinance that the development would not share the library driveway and asked that the right‑of‑way closure exclude the sliver of Norman Center Court that currently provides library access. Patton emphasized the site’s complicated easement and title history and warned that an ambiguous legal description could create long‑term title problems for the library and nearby owners.

Applicant counsel Sean Reager and the project team said the initial plan mistakenly depicted a shared driveway; they corrected the site plan prior to the planning commission and, after a 10‑minute recess during the council meeting, presented a corrected legal description and drafted ordinance language to clarify access and pedestrian commitments. The council adopted a friendly amendment (sponsored by Council Member Dixon) to add a pedestrian‑access sentence requiring “pedestrian access shall be provided to the eastern edge of the property for future pedestrian access to Ed Noble Parkway.” That amendment passed 7–1; the PUD ordinance and the companion right‑of‑way closure ordinance were then amended on the floor to incorporate the corrected legal description and the planning commission caveat, and both measures passed (the ROW amendment passed unanimously after the correction).

Traffic engineering consultant BJ Hawkins and civil engineer Mohammed Khan described traffic and pedestrian circulation analyses: Hawkins said a signal warrant was not met under projected traffic counts and that a road diet or other future improvements could be considered, while Khan committed to pedestrian circulation throughout the site and to provide sidewalks where none now exist.

Why it matters: The council’s actions allow a large two‑phase multifamily development to move forward while requiring specific pedestrian connections and clarifying that the library’s access will not be consumed by the development. The amendment to the PUD and the corrected ROW legal description resolve neighborhood and institutional concerns raised during public comment and by the Pioneer Library System.

Votes and next steps: The motion to adopt the PUD amendment on second and final reading (item 24) passed as amended (vote recorded as 6–2 on second reading and 6–2 on final reading with Council Member Kirby and Council Member Gandyisbury voting against on one count; subsequent amendments to the ROW description passed unanimously; the revised preliminary plat (item 26) passed 7–1 with Council Member Kirby opposed). The applicant must return with final plats and any ministerial site‑plan details required by staff.