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Council unanimously approves expansion of The Noun Hotel in Campus Corner
Summary
The Norman City Council unanimously amended and approved a CCPUD for an expansion of The Noun Hotel that adds a ballroom and 54 rooms. The approval followed Planning Commission recommendation, a friendly amendment to remove a dumpster graphic and to allow neighborhood meetings at the hotel, and technical Q&A on stormwater and parking.
The Norman City Council on April 14 unanimously approved a Center City Planned Unit Development amendment to expand The Noun Hotel in the Campus Corner area, adding a ground-floor ballroom and three upper stories with 54 additional guest rooms.
The vote followed a presentation by Sean Rieger, legal representative for the applicant, and hotel owner Scott Lambert, who described the expansion as an extension of the award‑winning existing hotel. Rieger said the project maintains the same height as the current building and meets the city’s land‑use designation. He told the council the ground floor would include event space and that the upper three stories would provide 54 new guest rooms.
Supporters noted unanimous Planning Commission approval. Councilmember Grant proposed and the council adopted a friendly amendment to the CCPUD narrative that removed a confusing dumpster graphic and added language allowing the voluntary neighborhood association to meet at the hotel. The council then passed the ordinance as amended on both second and final readings.
Neighbors and observers have raised concerns about building height in prior reviews. Two residents who spoke during the public comment period urged better early engagement and clearer processes for height-related cases. Andrew Ross, a Ward 6 resident, said the city needs to improve how it handles height protests so concerns are raised earlier in the process.
City staff and the applicant also answered technical questions on stormwater and parking. Engineer Mohammed Khan of SMC Consulting described the project’s drainage approach: “We had the underground detention system… the purpose was to collect runoff in a storm event, filter it through the sediment filters, and carry to the detention pond,” and he added the design seeks to ensure post‑development releases are lower than historic flows and include filtration to treat nitrates before entry to the storm system.
Councilmember Kirby asked about parking; project representatives said the existing parking system remains unchanged and that no resident complaints had been raised through pre‑development meetings. The applicant emphasized landscaping and perimeter fencing would match the current hotel and that the expansion would avoid windows looking directly into neighboring properties.
The council approved the amendment and final ordinance unanimously. Council documents and the applicant packet cite anticipated annual revenue from property tax, hotel occupancy tax, sales tax and mixed beverage tax as part of the project’s economic case.
