Representatives from Team Norman and University North Park LLC asked the Norman Planning Commission to postpone its discussion of the proposed University North Park entertainment district for the fifth time, according to the Planning Commission meeting agenda. requested.
Sean Rieger of Rieger Law Group, on behalf of the applicant, University North Park LLC, requested that consideration of the proposal be deferred until the June Planning Commission meeting.
In an email to city staff, Rieger said the postponement is due to the city working to “adjust zoning and subdivisions to the (tax increment funding) project plan currently going through the statutory TIF committee.” wrote that it is important.
This is the fifth time that proposals for the red-light district have been postponed since plans were made public in September.
“We were excited and hopeful that this would be brought before council in October. So this is something that we are excited about and Norman is excited about and for the community. We think this is necessary,” said Dan Shem, executive director of Visit Norman.
Lawrence McKinney, president and CEO of the Norman Economic Development Coalition, said in a text message to OU Daily that discussion of the proposal may have been delayed “for the TIF Statutory Review Committee to make its recommendations.” I wrote that it is expensive.
The TIF Committee investigates and considers the financial impacts of potential TIF districts and reports its findings to the Norman City Council.
TIF diverts business and consumer-based tax dollars to support redevelopment, infrastructure, and community improvement projects within a specific area, with the purpose of stimulating private investment.
In a statement to OU Daily, OU's marketing and communications department said support for the red-light district continues to grow and the approval process continues in an orderly manner.
“The developer team has shown flexibility in adjusting the Planning Commission's schedule during this fluid process, and we remain committed to our shared vision for growth and opportunity in Norman. We are confident that this process will be completed soon, and we continue to appreciate the support of our community as we work to create new jobs, housing, and economic growth,” a university spokesperson wrote. Ta.
Shem said he did not know the meeting had been postponed until contacted by OU Daily, but speculated that it was because the TIF Statutory Board intended to submit both zoning and planning documents at the same time. There is.
“At this point, I don't know what the plan is because I just heard about it,” Shem said. “We have a board meeting next week and we plan to discuss this at that meeting to see if the next steps are ultimately taken.”
This story was edited by Peggy Dodd and Anusha Fathepure. Nikki Aisha edited this article.
Ismael Lele covers developments in Norman with the goal of increasing transparency for organizations, city government and underrepresented voices. Ismael believes the more informed Norman is, the more likely the community will achieve its goals. He can be reached at ismael.m.lele-1@ou.edu and is from Norman.