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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Joint Meeting of City Council and Authorities - August 26, 2025

Public Meetings & Live-Streams — Tuesday, August 26, 2025

BodyNorman, Oklahoma

SessionPublic Meetings & Live-Streams

DateTuesday, August 26, 2025

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 57:52

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

4:26

Good evening and welcome to the City Council, Norman Utilities Authority, Norman Municipal Authority and Norman Tax Increment Finance Authority meeting of August 26th, 2025.

4:42

Councilmember Gandis Ferry.

4:44

Here.

4:53

Councilmember Bogot.

4:55

Here.

4:55

Councilmember Dixon.

4:57

Present.

5:00

All right.

5:00

Please join me for the pledge of allegiance.

5:06

I pledge a legal allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

5:11

And to the Republic for which it stands.

5:14

One nation under God.

5:16

Indivisible.

5:18

Liberty and Justice for All.

5:23

All right.

5:26

Council announcements.

5:27

We'll start at Ward 1.

5:30

I don't have very many announcements other than hello, especially Ward 1.

5:37

I did get the pleasure of going and joining the Kennedy PTA, even though I don't have a child going there.

5:44

They're really struggling to keep their PTA up and going.

5:47

I encourage all citizens, even if you have a kid in school or not, please reach out to your local schools and maybe join their PTA as well.

5:55

Very minimal cost for a great job that they do to help all of our children.

6:00

Okay, ward two.

6:02

No announcements for Ward Two.

6:04

Ward three.

6:05

Thank you, Mayor Holman.

6:06

Well, good evening, Ward 3 in Norman, Oklahoma.

6:09

I hope this evening finds you well.

6:11

I just have one announcement, and that's related to the fall residential cleanup.

6:15

If your polycart service is on Monday, then your fall residential cleanup will be October 4th.

6:22

And if it's on Tuesday, it'll be the following Saturday, October 11th.

6:26

That's all.

6:27

And so for everyone here and watching online, thank you for being here.

6:32

All right, Ward 4.

6:33

Yes.

6:33

Good evening, Ward 4 and City of Norman.

6:36

First, I would like to thank Jessica Schwager for stepping up to serve on the Human Rights Commission.

6:41

Next, I have just a few community events I want to highlight.

6:45

At Midway Delhi, Friday, August 29th, there will be another summit featuring Caleb McGee at 6 30.

6:52

McGee uses his power, uh powerful voice and gift of song to lift up important causes into open hearts.

7:00

The nonprofit being uplifted this month is Thunderbird Clubhouse.

7:03

Thunderbird's mission statement is our mission is creating a new future for adults recovering from mental illness through the positive power of meaningful work, community choice, and hope.

7:13

Our vision is that all people with mental illness experience a community of recovery.

7:17

And I'll just say before I was on council, Resonator actually did an art um auction and show one of the second Fridays for Thunderbird, and there's an artist that came out who had used those services who is doing really well in her art practice, Ashley Show Walter, if anybody's familiar with her.

7:35

So can't speak highly enough of the work that Thunderbird does.

7:40

This highlight is for printmakers, muralists, and musicians, artists, vendors, and community sponsors.

7:46

We have the Ink the Block Party on Sat Saturday, September 20th.

7:50

Inc.

7:51

the Block Party brings music, art, and steamroller printmaking to downtown Norman's Walker Arts District.

7:58

It will be located in the alley stage behind Opus, the Garage, Oscillator Press.

8:03

Applications for Woodbook artists, muralists, vendors, and community sponsors can be found at Oscillator-Art.com.

8:10

Last, I would like to thank the Norman Transcript for picking up the downtown Norman and Campus Area Public Resources list, which covers day and night shelters, transportation, food pantries, and public bathrooms in core Norman.

8:24

I'd also like to thank our Norman community who helped provide a feedback about what services are available when and how to get into those shelters with a greater chance of success.

8:35

You can find the document at BIT.ly forward slash 40 PF0 JK.

8:43

Thank you.

8:45

Thank you.

8:48

Uh good evening, Norman.

8:49

I want to first thank Holly Pepler from Ward 6 for uh agreeing to serve on the bicycle advisory committee.

8:56

There are a lot of really great ideas for uh multimodal transportation and just bicycle routes in Norman.

9:02

So I'm glad to have a Ward 6 representative on that committee.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Zoning And Land Use█████████████████████████████████████████████49%

Procedural████████████████████22%

Community Engagement███████████12%

Economic Development█████5%

Public Safety█████5%

Emergency Management████4%

Transportation Safety██2%

Active Transportation█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Joint Meeting of City Council, Norman Utilities Authority, Norman Municipal Authority, and Norman Tax Increment Finance Authority - August 26, 2025

The meeting began with roll call, the Pledge of Allegiance, and council announcements. The council approved a consent docket of routine items, recognized the Emergency Management Volunteer Program, and considered two rezoning ordinances (SPUDs) for signage and mixed-use development. Public comments addressed SPUD procedures, traffic management, zoning diversity, and the status of advisory boards. All agenda items were approved unanimously.

Council Announcements

Ward 1: Encouraged joining the Kennedy PTA to support struggling parent-teacher organization.
Ward 3: Announced fall residential cleanup dates: October 4 for Monday polycart service, October 11 for Tuesday service.
Ward 4: Thanked Jessica Schwager for serving on the Human Rights Commission; promoted community events (Midway Delhi concert on August 29 benefiting Thunderbird Clubhouse, Ink the Block Party on September 20, and a downtown resource list for shelters and food pantries, available at bit.ly/40PF0JK).
Ward 6: Thanked Holly Pepler for serving on the Bicycle Advisory Committee; highlighted Norman Arts Council exhibition through September 12, Porch Fest on September 13, and OU football.
Ward 7: Thanked Council Member Grant for the resource list and Kayla Molina for serving on the Historic District Commission.
Ward 8: Rescheduled a town hall from August 27 to August 28 at 6:30 PM at the WIFAC tournament room.
Mayor Holman: Recognized the start of school, encouraged patience with traffic; noted the grand opening of Norman North stadium, Bell Helicopter training school, Simper Fly Helicopters expansion, new control tower at the airport, Main Event opening, Love Works ribbon cutting, and Stevenson Cancer Center; reminded of the Community Planning and Transportation Committee meeting on August 28 at 4 PM.

Consent Calendar

Items 1 through 21 were placed on the consent docket and approved unanimously.

Recognition of Emergency Management Volunteer Program

Fire Chief Travis King and Emergency Management Coordinator David Grizzle recognized the volunteer program, formalized in 2005. Grizzle noted the program averages 4.3 events per year under the Medical Reserve Corps, and highlighted groups: Norman Emergency Response Volunteer Team, Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps, South Canadian Amateur Radio Society, La Leche League, Envisioned Success for Veterans, and Oklahoma Small Animal Response Team. Volunteers provide rehab at fires, community event support, cooling tents at OU games, and disaster response.

Discussion Items

Item 22 – Rezoning for Off-Premise Sign (Stony Brook Drive and North Interstate Drive)

Applicant Presentation: Caitlin Turner explained the SPUD allows a single off-premise sign on a 0.1-acre portion of the property near I-35, restricted to sign use only to mitigate neighbor concerns. The Planning Commission recommended approval unanimously.
Public Comment: Steve Ellis (Ward 4) criticized the SPUD process, arguing that the application does not meet the “special deal” intent of SPUDs and that the city should require a clear community benefit. He did not oppose the sign itself.
Council Discussion: Council Member Grant asked about the AIM Norman Comprehensive Plan and signage; staff clarified that the SPUD allowed a reduced area and reduced uses compared to straight C2 zoning, which would have required platting. The council voted to adopt the ordinance on second and final reading, both unanimously.

Item 23 – Rezoning for Mixed-Use Development (2880 and 2886 Classen Boulevard)

Applicant Presentation: Sean Regular presented a SPUD for 2.75 acres: 13,000 sq ft of commercial (two buildings, 10 units) and 18 residential units in the rear. The site has existing sidewalks, no floodplain, and is infill. Staff noted consistency with the AIM Norman Comprehensive Plan. No neighbors attended the pre-development meeting or planning commission, and the commission approved unanimously.
Council Questions: Council Member Peacock asked about detention; Engineer confirmed water is piped to stormwater. Council Member Grant asked about home occupations; Regular explained the SPUD allows a slight uptick from standard R1 allowances (one customer by appointment, modest signage). Mayor Holman asked about parking (below recommended but speculative), pedestrian connectivity (striped crosswalks between buildings), tree preservation (some trees to be saved, Bradford pear and cottonwood removed), and consolidation of two driveways into one aligning with the opposite curb cut. A sidewalk connection from the street to the commercial buildings was confirmed.
Public Comment: Steve Ellis (Ward 4) commended this SPUD as a good example of a deal where the applicant provides something special (mixed-use) in exchange for zoning flexibility, contrasting with Item 22.
The council voted to adopt the ordinance on second and final reading, both unanimously.

Item 24 – Preliminary Plat for 2880 Classen Boulevard Addition

This companion item to Item 23 was approved unanimously without further discussion.

Miscellaneous Comments from the Public

Ben Plummer: Complained about Norman Police directing game-day traffic down Flood Street, causing congestion near homes. Suggested using James Garner Avenue instead of the recommended routes.
Steve Ellis: Thanked the council and city manager for the presentation on Item 15 (Norman Citizens Corps) and the volunteer recognition.
Mayumi Windler (Ward 2): Expressed interest in more diverse zoning (e.g., allowing duplexes in R1 areas) and mixed-use developments like the Classen Boulevard SPUD. Asked about the status of the Economic Development Advisory Board, which has not met in a long time.

Key Outcomes

Consent docket (Items 1–21) approved unanimously.
Item 22 (rezoning for sign SPUD) adopted on second and final reading: both votes unanimous.
Item 23 (rezoning for mixed-use SPUD) adopted on second and final reading: both votes unanimous.
Item 24 (preliminary plat) approved unanimously.
No other motions or votes were taken.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the City Council, Norman Utilities Authority, Norman Municipal Authority and Norman Tax Increment Finance Authority meeting of August 26th, 2025. Councilmember Gandis Ferry. Here. Councilmember Bogot. Here. Councilmember Dixon. Present. All right. Please join me for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge a legal allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Indivisible. Liberty and Justice for All. All right. Council announcements. We'll start at Ward 1. I don't have very many announcements other than hello, especially Ward 1. I did get the pleasure of going and joining the Kennedy PTA, even though I don't have a child going there. They're really struggling to keep their PTA up and going. I encourage all citizens, even if you have a kid in school or not, please reach out to your local schools and maybe join their PTA as well. Very minimal cost for a great job that they do to help all of our children. Okay, ward two. No announcements for Ward Two. Ward three. Thank you, Mayor Holman. Well, good evening, Ward 3 in Norman, Oklahoma. I hope this evening finds you well. I just have one announcement, and that's related to the fall residential cleanup. If your polycart service is on Monday, then your fall residential cleanup will be October 4th. And if it's on Tuesday, it'll be the following Saturday, October 11th. That's all. And so for everyone here and watching online, thank you for being here. All right, Ward 4. Yes. Good evening, Ward 4 and City of Norman. First, I would like to thank Jessica Schwager for stepping up to serve on the Human Rights Commission. Next, I have just a few community events I want to highlight. At Midway Delhi, Friday, August 29th, there will be another summit featuring Caleb McGee at 6 30. McGee uses his power, uh powerful voice and gift of song to lift up important causes into open hearts. The nonprofit being uplifted this month is Thunderbird Clubhouse. Thunderbird's mission statement is our mission is creating a new future for adults recovering from mental illness through the positive power of meaningful work, community choice, and hope. Our vision is that all people with mental illness experience a community of recovery. And I'll just say before I was on council, Resonator actually did an art um auction and show one of the second Fridays for Thunderbird, and there's an artist that came out who had used those services who is doing really well in her art practice, Ashley Show Walter, if anybody's familiar with her. So can't speak highly enough of the work that Thunderbird does. This highlight is for printmakers, muralists, and musicians, artists, vendors, and community sponsors. We have the Ink the Block Party on Sat Saturday, September 20th. Inc. the Block Party brings music, art, and steamroller printmaking to downtown Norman's Walker Arts District. It will be located in the alley stage behind Opus, the Garage, Oscillator Press.

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