Council approves 200‑acre PUD to allow walkable mixed‑use neighborhood at Anderson and SE 29th

The Midwest City Council unanimously approved a rezoning ordinance that allows a roughly 200‑acre tract at the southeast corner of Anderson Road and Southeast 29th Street to be developed as a Planned Unit Development (PUD). The proposal, presented by planning staff and the project team, envisions a new‑urbanist neighborhood with mostly single‑family detached homes, multiple housing types, and significant usable open space.

Planning staff told the council the proposal complies with local long‑range plans and that the planning commission unanimously recommended approval. “We are proposing something very similar to a pre‑World War II neighborhood,” developer Mark Sitzal said, describing an array of housing types, pocket green spaces and pedestrian‑prioritized streets. Designer Jessica Bloy added the PUD includes an architectural review board and design guidelines that will be attached to the ordinance.

The developer and staff said the PUD would provide about 49 acres of open space, preserve floodplain as usable parkland, and bury utilities where feasible. The master plan submitted with the application shows two development tracts: larger lots around the perimeter and smaller, denser housing types in the interior. The applicant said parking minimums will not be strictly applied within the PUD, but the layout provides on‑site parking sufficient for the proposed uses.

Council members pressed the applicant on several details. A council member who had received neighbor complaints asked whether modular or manufactured homes would be allowed; staff said an earlier, erroneous allowance for modular homes was removed from the design statement. City staff and the developer said accessory dwelling units (ADUs) would be permitted in the PUD but must meet the same architectural standards as the primary homes.

Assistant Public Works Director Carrie Evenson briefed council on infrastructure readiness: the Edgewood lift station is in a 30‑day performance period, Hiwassee lift station improvements have been contracted and should begin construction soon, and design work is under way on a north sewer line (referred to as Lakeside/Dorchester) to increase capacity for the area. Evenson said the Hiwassee pump improvements are scheduled to begin construction after the July 4th holiday.

Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing raised traffic and drainage concerns. Pamela Winders, who said she owns property in Midwest City, urged the council to ensure 29th Street and Anderson can handle peak flows around school and base traffic; staff noted resurfacing and improvement projects are budgeted and underway but that full widening may require coordination with other jurisdictions.

After public comment, council members moved and the ordinance passed unanimously. The council directed staff that future preliminary plat and infrastructure submissions should address tree preservation, driveway locations on Anderson, and drainage calculations before final approvals.

The developer said the PUD design and handbooks—exhibits to the ordinance—will govern future building designs and that an HOA will maintain private streetscapes and common areas. The project team said prices are expected to vary by housing type and size, and the applicant confirmed the homes are intended to be sold fee‑simple to individual owners, not retained as city‑owned housing.

Next steps: staff will require submission of preliminary plat materials, construction drawings for utilities and streets, and final engineering documentation before building permits and home construction proceed.