Norman Planning Commission Meeting - July 9, 2026

The Norman Planning Commission met on July 9, 2026, to consider several zoning changes, special use permits, a preliminary plat, and an ordinance to correct sign code language. All votes were unanimous (5-0) on items that were not withdrawn. The meeting lasted approximately two and a half hours and included detailed public testimony from applicants and neighbors.

Consent Calendar

• Item 1: Approval of the Planning Commission meeting minutes from June 11, 2026, was moved as part of the consent docket. No items were removed. Motion passed 5-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 3 (Jeffrey R. C. – Rezoning from PUD to A2): Jeffrey R. C., the applicant, detailed a five-year struggle to develop his property at 3766 East Robinson Street. He described issues with the PUD site plan, denied permits, and safety concerns about proposed driveways. He expressed that the PUD had devalued the property and that he wanted it revoked to sell or start anew. Two audience members spoke in support: Paula Wolf (positive character reference) and Trey Kirby (Ward 5, asked clarifying questions about future use). Greg Orcy (father) asked about alternative paths forward.
• Item 9 (Shannon King / Linmark Billboards – Rezoning from C1 to SPUD): Multiple Fiddler’s Green residents spoke against the proposed billboard and manufacturing use. M. Ellen Fever (905 Heather Glenn Terrace) objected to moving a manufacturing company into a residential neighborhood and questioned the billboard’s safety. Jim Jenkins (3328 Heather Glenn Drive) asked for transparency on light, noise, and chemical emissions, specifically requesting a visibility analysis, relocation of the trash compactor, and restrictions on hours. Julie Reyes (928 Heather Glen Drive) opposed the billboard and requested more information on environmental hazards. AC Rains (3320 Heather Glenn) expressed concerns about light pollution from the billboard affecting multiple homes, not just one as the applicant suggested. Richard Squirrel (921 Heather Glenn Terrace) compared the proposed billboard to large structures on I-35 and argued it would be an eyesore and source of light pollution.
• Item 10 (Ordinance O-2526-72 – Off-Premises Sign Code Cleanup): AC Rains questioned why the code cleanup appeared after the Linmark billboard discussion, and expressed relief that off-premises signs should be restricted to I-35. Stephen Long (3313 Heather Glenn Terrace) urged the commission to keep digital signs limited to I-35 and not allow them near residential areas.

Discussion Items

• Item 3 – Rezoning from PUD to A2 at 3766 East Robinson Street: The applicant requested a repeal of the current PUD and reinstatement of A2 zoning, citing years of frustration with the PUD process and inability to expand his powersports business. Staff recommended a repeal of ordinance O-212210 and reinstatement of A2. The commission clarified that the PUD was approved but deviations caused permitting issues. The applicant confirmed he wanted the PUD revoked. Motion to adopt the repeal and reinstatement passed 5-0.
• Items 4 & 5 – Special Use for Mini Warehouse and Preliminary Plat at 1 Van Buren Street (Van Buren Self-Storage): Brian McDonald (Barefoot Lanco) presented plans for a climate-controlled self-storage facility (80,002 square feet, 610 units) on 3.5 acres. The facility would be masonry-clad with no drive-up doors, hours 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., staffed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Commission questioned market demand and pricing. No audience comments. Motion to approve both items passed 5-0.
• Item 6 – Rezoning from I-1 to SPUD at 3201 Desk and Drive (Multipurpose Event Center): Shannon King presented a request to rezone to allow an event center in an industrial park, citing that operations occur evenings and weekends when surrounding businesses are closed. She emphasized the community need for safe event spaces. Her husband, John Proctor, added that the building was 5,000 sq ft (1,500 office, 3,500 event area) and that no structural changes were planned. No audience comments. Motion to approve passed 5-0.
• Item 7 – Rezoning from R3 to SPUD at 314 East Hayes Street (Salvation Army Dining Facility): Kelly Abel (staff) noted the site is in the Silk Stocking Neighborhood Plan and the Porter O corridor overlay district. The applicant, Shannon King, proposed a new dining facility for the Salvation Army to serve the homeless. One letter of support was received; one protest letter could not be verified. Commissioner Byrd noted that the commercial creep should be limited and that the project respects the overlay boundary. No audience comments. Motion to approve passed 5-0.
• Item 8 – Rezoning from RM6, R1, A1 to A2 at 36th Avenue SW near Lindsey Street (Bob Moore Farms): Armando Rosel (landowner’s attorney) explained the rezoning to A2 to allow agricultural use and barbed wire fencing, citing floodplain constraints that prevent development. He noted that livestock (initially cattle) would help manage vegetation. They are still negotiating fence placement along Lindsey Street with the city. No audience comments. Motion to approve passed 5-0.
• Item 9 – Rezoning from C1 to SPUD at 801 Canadian Trails Drive (Linmark Billboards Corporate Headquarters): Sean Rieger (applicant’s representative) presented plans to retrofit the vacant former Foodline/AT&T building into a corporate headquarters for Linmark Billboards, including a two-story office addition, light manufacturing (large-format printing), and a 400-square-foot digital billboard (maximum 35 feet tall). He detailed site improvements: removing 43–46% of parking, adding a 55-foot building setback from the adjacent neighborhood, relocating dumpsters, and creating a truck turnaround away from residences. A pre-development meeting with neighbors was positive, but a last-minute protest letter raised concerns about the billboard’s visibility, trash compactor noise, and manufacturing emissions. In response, the applicant offered to restrict compactor use to 8 a.m.–6 p.m., plant mature evergreens on the northwest corner to block billboard light, and limit west-facing windows in the office addition to clerestory windows only. Several neighbors (Fiddler’s Green residents) spoke in opposition, arguing the billboard would be visible from more than one home, the trash compactor should be moved, and the manufacturing process needed full environmental disclosure. Commissioner Byrd and others noted that the PUD locks the site plan, and that the proposed use is less intense than other C1 uses (e.g., hotel, grocery store, marijuana processing). The commission discussed the applicant’s offered compromises. Motion to approve with conditions: (1) west-facing windows on the office addition shall be clerestory only; (2) landscaping (evergreens) shall be planted on the northwest corner to screen the billboard from neighborhood view; (3) trash compactor use shall be restricted to 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Motion passed 5-0.
• Item 10 – Ordinance O-2526-72 (Correction of Off-Premises Sign Code): Beth Makala (Assistant City Attorney) explained that the sign code inadvertently retained language from before 2002 that allowed off-premises signs in certain corridors, when the council had actually restricted them to I-35 in 2002. A full repeal and replacement in 2023 codified the incorrect language. The ordinance corrects that error. Audience speakers expressed concern that the timing seemed connected to the Linmark project, but staff clarified the ordinance was a long-planned cleanup. No discussion or opposition on the merits. Motion to approve passed 5-0.
• Items 11 & 12 – Withdrawn: Item 11 (rezoning at 36th Avenue NE and Alameda) and Item 12 (preliminary plat for Alameda Trails) were withdrawn by the applicant before the meeting.

Key Outcomes

• All items that came to a vote passed unanimously (5-0).
• Item 3: Rezoned from PUD to A2 via repeal of O-212210 and reinstatement of previous A2 zoning.
• Items 4 & 5: Approved special use permit for a mini warehouse (Van Buren Self-Storage) and associated preliminary plat.
• Item 6: Rezoned from I-1 to SPUD for a multipurpose event center.
• Item 7: Rezoned from R3 to SPUD for a Salvation Army dining facility.
• Item 8: Rezoned from RM6, R1, A1 to A2 for agricultural use (Bob Moore Farms).
• Item 9: Rezoned from C1 to SPUD with three conditions: clerestory-only west-facing windows, evergreen screening on the northwest corner, and trash compactor hours 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Item 10: Approved ordinance correction restoring off-premises sign restrictions to parcels abutting I-35.
• Items 11 and 12 were withdrawn by the applicant.
• Staff announced an upcoming comprehensive zoning code rewrite with opportunities for Planning Commission input before adoption.