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Planning commission approves 804‑unit PUD with condition to prevent shared drive with Pioneer Library
Summary
After public comments from the Pioneer Library System and neighbors, the commission approved amendments to a PUD, a preliminary plat for Bob Moore Farms North (total 804 units in two phases) and a right‑of‑way vacation, adding a condition that the development not share a driveway with the Pioneer Library System property; the vote was 7‑0.
The Norman Planning Commission approved a large planned unit development and associated preliminary plat for property south of West Main Street and east of 36th Avenue Southwest, subject to a condition that the developer not use a shared driveway with the Pioneer Library System property.
Logan Gray of the Planning Department summarized the package, which included an amended PUD that removes commercial uses from the allowed list, a preliminary plat from Bob Moore Farms North, and a proposed closure of part of Norman Center Court. Gray told commissioners staff received a 3.9% protest within the notification area and reviewed the revised site plan and greenscape exhibits.
Libby Smith, representing the applicant, said the revised plan replaces the prior commercial concept with multifamily residential and redesigns internal streets. The applicant is proposing two phases with a total of 804 units (phase one: 444 units; phase two: 360 units), maximum four‑story buildings, gated vehicular access, and 43% green space. Smith said the applicant removed the previously proposed connection to the adjacent Pioneer Library driveway, and that the library subsequently approved the revised plan.
Library representatives told commissioners they had filed a protest and urged clarity. Rebecca Patton, representing the Pioneer Library System, said the library was initially concerned the project would use the library’s driveway for apartment access and dumpster service; Patton said the revised site plan (dated March 6) removed that connection and asked that ordinance language refer to the correct plan version. Sean Holtman, the library system’s safety and security coordinator, told the commission the library currently has about 26 daily book‑return users, roughly 70 staff members, and an average of about nine delivery vehicles per day; he said those operations rely on the existing entrance and expressed safety concerns about a residential driveway located roughly 30 feet from the library entrance.
Neighbor Brett Bradley urged the commission to reject full apartments and favored the city’s mixed‑use plan, while Cheryl Tatum, a nearby resident, said she was worried about building height, the potential for future increases, and certainty that Willow Bend Road would remain open.
Commissioners focused on access, traffic flow, and utility impacts. Staff and a Public Works colleague confirmed that the site plan no longer shows a shared ingress/egress across the library parcel and that a median/traffic splitter at the library entrance would be removed as part of the redesign. Commissioners also discussed sanitary sewer routing and confirmed that any vacation would include utility and connection conditions. The commission moved to approve with explicit language that the drive would not be a shared drive with the Pioneer Library System property; that motion passed 7‑0.
The approval includes the PUD amendment, preliminary plat, and the right‑of‑way vacation as presented with the added condition; engineering and any vacation paperwork remain subject to standard administrative steps and District Court procedures as applicable.
