Broken Arrow Planning Commission Meeting Summary - July 9, 2026
Broken Arrow Planning Commission - July 9, 2026 Summary
The Broken Arrow Planning Commission met on July 9, 2026, at 5:30 PM. The commission considered a consent agenda, a major PUD amendment to modernize a 2003 development plan, a rezoning request for a residential lot split, and a specific use permit for a critical public safety telecommunications tower. Commissioners present were Mindy Payne, Robert Gorenson, Jay Lee Clempa, Jonathan Townsend, and Jason Cohen.
Consent Calendar
The commission unanimously approved the consent agenda per staff recommendations.
Public Comments & Testimony
Villa Square Minor Amendment (PUD-002916-2026)
- Brenda Christie, President of the Stonewood Hills HOA, spoke on behalf of the neighboring community of 282 homes. She expressed strong concerns about the reduction of the landscape buffer and the request for only seven flexibly placed trees, lighting spillover into homes, noise from dumpster pickup and parking lot activity, and the potential for vehicle stacking to back up into the street. She cited negative personal experiences with a nearby commercial development.
- Three written comments from residents Rebecca Phillips (2209 N 7th St), Cindy Fortney (812 E Vancouver St), and Thomas Johnson (2217 N 7th St) were read into the record. All stated they were not opposed to commercial development on the already-zoned site but requested specific enforceable conditions. These conditions included preserved tree and landscape screening along the residential boundary, full-cutoff downward directed lighting away from homes, screened and appropriately located trash enclosures, limited pickup window use with adequate stacking, and drainage measures to prevent increased runoff onto their properties.
Public Safety Telecommunications Tower (SP-002762-2026)
- Cheryl Lynn Murphy and Pat Murfrey, residents living behind the proposed site, spoke in opposition. They raised concerns about potential health effects from radio frequency radiation, environmental damage from erosion to the nearby creek, the stability of the foundation, and negative impacts on property values and the quiet character of their residential neighborhood.
Discussion Items
Item 6A: Villa Square Minor Amendment (PUD-002916-2026) Staff reviewed a request from the Wilkins Group to amend a restrictive 2003 PUD (PUD-132A) for a 1.37-acre commercial heavy parcel located just south of East Albany Street (61st St) and a quarter mile west of North 9th Street (177th East Ave). The applicant sought to align the development with current ordinances, which were less stringent than the 2003 PUD on parking ratios and other specifics. The proposed plan is a multi-tenant building with two drive-through pickup windows. Commissioners questioned the adequacy of a single-vehicle stacking space, the potential for traffic queue spillover onto public streets, and enforcement mechanisms. Staff initially stated a landscape requirement of one tree per 35 linear feet, which was corrected during the meeting to 30 linear feet. The 75-foot parking lot landscape distance was also a key modification. The applicant (Gazmond Ginosmone, Kurt Wilkins, and Anthony Wilkins) explained the proposed business model relies on pre-orders and call-ahead pickup (a pizza place and a family-owned coffee shop) with no menu boards, which they argued reduces stacking needs. Staff clarified that many citizen concerns regarding lighting, noise, and stormwater drainage are already addressed by the city's current zoning ordinances and standard engineering review.
Item 6B: Spicer Rezoning (BAZ-002903-2026) Staff presented a request from Todd Spicer to rezone 6.2 acres from Agricultural (AG) to Single Family Residential (RS) near East Kenosha Street (71st St) and Oneta Road (41st East Ave). The applicant intends to split the property into two lots to allow for the development of a single-family home. The rezoning is necessary because the current AG zoning requires a minimum lot size of five acres and 330 feet of frontage. The applicant noted the proposed lot split configuration had been revised since the application was filed.
Item 6C: Public Safety Telecommunications Tower (SP-002762-2026) Staff and applicants (Andrew Ocuzo, Jennifer Tilson) presented a Specific Use Permit for a 180-foot lattice tower on a 10.58-acre city-owned tract at West Jasper Street (131st St) and South Aspen Avenue (141st East Ave). The tower is one of the final projects from the 2014 GO Bond, intended to fill significant radio communication coverage gaps for first responders in South Broken Arrow. The application requested allowances for height (180 feet, exceeding the 120-foot maximum for Neighborhood Commercial zoning) and co-location capability. The commission discussed the necessity of the height for signal propagation over low-line topography, the safety of the 800 MHz frequency (described by staff as non-ionizing and well within FCC limits), and the mutual aid network with surrounding communities.
Key Outcomes
Item 6A – Villa Square Minor Amendment (PUD-002916-2026)
- Decision: Approved 4-1. (Payne, Gorenson, Clempa, Townsend voted yes; Cohen voted no).
- Next Steps: As a minor amendment, the decision is final and does not require City Council approval.
Item 6B – Spicer Rezoning (BAZ-002903-2026)
- Decision: Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Next Steps: The rezoning will be considered by the City Council on July 14, 2026, at 6:30 PM.
Item 6C – Public Safety Tower (SP-002762-2026)
- Decision: Approved unanimously (5-0).
- Next Steps: The Specific Use Permit will be considered by the City Council on August 3, 2026, at 6:30 PM.
Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned.
Meeting Transcript
All right, it's 5 30. We're gonna go ahead and get started just as a reminder. If anybody did want to speak, they need to fill out one of these forms and give it to staff. All right, if we can get uh roll call, please. Mindy Payne, here. Robert Gorenson? Jay Lee Clempa here. Jonathan Townsend? Here. Jason Cohen. Here. Old business, we have none. Moving on to item four consideration of consent agenda. Is there anything uh commission would like poll or staff? No? No. Okay, sorry. Do we have a motion? I'll make a motion to approve the consent agenda per staff recommendations. Second. Oh, sorry. No, no. All right. We have a motion in two seconds. There you go. One and a half. If we can get a roll call vote, please. Mindy Payne, yes. Robert Gorenson. Yes. Jaley Clempa. Yes. Jonathan Townsend. Yes. Jason Cohen. Yes. Item five, consideration of items removed from the consent agenda. We have none. Uh item six six A, if staff could review that, please. Yes, this is a public hearing consideration and possible action regarding PUD-002916-2025, Villa Square Minor Amendment 1.37 acres, commercial heavy, located just south of East Albany Street, also known as 61st, and one quarter mile west of North Ninth Street, also known as 177 East Avenue. The applicant Wilkins Group LLC is working with city staff on site plan approval for a commercial development on the subject property. The development is proposed as a multi-tenant commercial space with differing uses. The current PUD, PUD-132A was approved by the Broken Air Planning Commission on July 21st, 2003. Current development practices conflict with those requirements which were in place in 2003. So the west, and that is um it it shows vacant, and that's because the parcel directly to the west of the development is vacant. There is of course west of that parcel itself, some homes and um in a neighborhood. But the parcel directly west of the property uh is vacant. Um and the zoning is commercial heavy, um, and the complaint shows it's level six. According to FEMA maps, no portion of the property is located in the 100 year floodplain. Uh water and sanitary sewer are available from the city of Broken Arrow.
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