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Owasso staff unveils comprehensive zoning‑code rewrite aimed at streamlining housing and modernizing rules
Summary
City planning staff presented a 210‑page draft rewrite of Owasso’s zoning code that would clarify uses, encourage missing‑middle housing by reducing some PUD requirements, raise allowed accessory‑structure size to 1,000 sq ft, add rules for solar, battery storage and EV chargers, and require simple bike‑rack minimums; staff will return to a work session before formal votes.
Planning staff presented a citywide zoning‑code audit and a proposed comprehensive rewrite that touches every chapter of the 210‑page code.
Lexi Bieber, who led the in‑house audit that began in mid‑2024, told the council staff examined state law, peer communities and planning best practice and then drafted amendments covering 21 chapters and appendices. Among the headline proposals: codify the city’s cumulative approach to allowed uses; label several older districts as legacy so no new rezonings will create those districts; align the city’s single‑family definition with the International Residential Code (IRC); remove some PUD triggers so smaller multifamily or “missing‑middle” housing can be allowed by‑right when it stays below density limits; increase the accessory structure threshold from 500 square feet to 1,000 square feet (still subject to setback and height rules); allow EV‑charging spaces to count toward parking minimums; require at least one bike rack for most non‑single‑family developments; and add regulations for solar panels and residential battery energy storage systems.
Bieber said the draft also cleans up inconsistent language, misnumbered references and redundant entries, and reorganizes strikeouts that were relocated rather than removed. Staff noted public outreach included two published meetings (each attended by one planning commissioner) and an online posted draft with a chapter‑by‑chapter feedback survey; staff reported little public response so far but said the feedback link will remain open as revisions continue.
Council members asked about impacts on lot sizes, duplex allowances and whether the code elevates the land‑use plan’s guidance. Staff clarified the land‑use master plan remains a policy document but the zoning code, once adopted, will be regulatory. Several councilors expressed interest in preserving neighborhood protections while making smaller‑scale housing easier to build; staff said they expect to return to a May work session for more review and will then proceed through the planning commission and back to council for ordinance action.
The rewrite is scheduled to return to the council at a work session next month, with formal notices and additional review before any ordinance vote.
