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McAlester council greenlights consultant to rewrite 1970s land development code
Summary
City staff recommended and council approved a contract with a land‑development consultant to rewrite the city's outdated zoning and development code and (optionally) update the zoning map with GIS support; council emphasized the goal of simplifying obsolete uses and addressing tiny‑home and lot‑size issues.
McAlester — The City Council voted unanimously to hire a consultant to overhaul the city’s land development code, a rewrite officials said is needed to replace patchwork amendments dating to the early 1970s.
Staff told the council an RFP issued in January produced three proposals and a selection committee that included council and planning commissioners recommended the winning firm. The consultant’s scope would produce a comprehensive set of documents aimed at modernizing uses, updating lot‑size rules, and removing obsolete references such as video stores.
Jamie (city staff), who presented the contract, said the proposal includes an optional GIS phase to update the zoning map if the city lacks in‑house capacity; she said that option is already included in the total figure cited in the packet and estimated at about $6,000. Councilors asked whether the mapping phase carries extra cost and were told the option exists to avoid delaying the overall code update if staff later gains GIS capacity.
The council’s approval authorizes the mayor to sign the contract and move the project to the consultant’s timeline and staff review. The city emphasized this contract covers code drafting and that future adoption steps will require ordinance readings and public hearings before final enactment.
Why it matters: The code update aims to consolidate many piecemeal edits and address modern development issues — councilors and staff said that could reduce barriers for housing and make regulations easier to follow for residents and developers alike.
What’s next: Staff will proceed under the consultant’s timeline, complete draft documents for review, and return to council for formal adoption steps and any zoning‑map changes.
