In Edmond, a resounding ‘no’ to new development
By: Kathryn McNutt//The Journal Record//October 13, 2021
EDMOND – No specific plans are in place for 22 acres of land voters agreed to buy in a special election Tuesday but plans to develop the property for residential use are finished.
The property east of Bryant Avenue and north of 15th Street just south of E.C. Hafer Park has been considered for a number of developments over the years. Projects in 2008 and 2017 were blocked by referendum petitions.
The most recent plan – to build a gated community of two-story block houses each with two units upstairs and two downstairs – ignited a third petition drive.
Sooner Investment agreed to sell the property to the city for $4 million instead if residents wanted to tax themselves to pay for it.
They did. Voters passed a one-year, ¼-cent sales tax by a margin of 81% Tuesday. Unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board show 8,187 yes votes to 1,880 no votes.
“We are ecstatic. It was absolutely a landslide. I couldn’t have hoped for this,” said Lydia Lee, who helped craft the compromise and was among the group of residents who campaigned for passage.
What was so attractive to people was the idea of buying the last vacant land adjacent to the park, Lee said. She is OK with keeping it as a natural area or using it for park expansion.
“Hafer Park is one of the jewels of Edmond,” she said. “The first hurdle was getting the land. We intend to stay involved.”
Edmond spokesman Casey Moore said it has not been determined what it will cost the city to maintain the 22 acres. The cost to hold the election was $35,000, he said.
Doug Sanderson, Oklahoma County Election Board secretary, said 81% is a “pretty significant margin” for an issue to either pass or fail. Edmond usually has a good turnout for elections, he said.
Nearly 16% of the city’s 63,745 registered voters participated Tuesday, just slightly fewer than voted in the mayoral election in April.
Edmond’s municipal sales tax is 3.75%. It will increase to 4% from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2022. Any collections beyond those needed to purchase the property can be used for improving the land or for other capital improvements in Edmond, according to the ballot.
Todd McKinnis, attorney for the landowner and developer, said his clients would have preferred to go ahead with the development project but agreed to delay their plans and sell the land to the city if the sales tax passed.
McKinnis said the passage brings an end to action pending in Oklahoma County District Court over the land and its development.
Residents who opposed the planned development also sought a vote to roll back the zoning change that allows multifamily residential on the property, which the Edmond City Council approved April 26. They circulated a petition and gathered enough valid signature to hold an election.
The landowner and developer challenged the petition in court. A hearing on the matter set for Dec. 2 is now moot.
However, a second disputed multifamily project remains in district court with a hearing set for Dec. 3.
It involves a planned 300-apartment project at Interstate 35 and Memorial Road just east of the Edmond Oaks addition. Case Development of Tulsa received zoning approval for the project April 12.
A petition to rescind the zoning was signed by enough registered voters to set an election. The developer has challenged the petition’s validity.
In both cases, opponents said the developments would increase traffic problems in the area and overcrowd classrooms. The same issues were raised by opponents of a planned multifamily development near Sorghum Mill Road and N. Broadway.
City Councilmember David Chapman said he is frustrated with the continuing efforts to overturn recommendations of city staff and the Edmond Planning Commission and actions taken by the City Council.
“They’ve taken it to a new level,” Chapman said. “They no longer trust the City Council to make the decisions.”