Council adopts SPUD amendment at 765 Jenkins Avenue, allowing ground-floor residential

The Norman City Council voted Jan. 13 to adopt an amendment to the city's zoning code that removes a ground-floor commercial requirement for two lots at 765 Jenkins Avenue, allowing a six-unit residential project to proceed without retail space on the first floor.

Gunner Joy, the applicant's representative, told the council the change reflects market conditions: developers could not secure commercial tenants for the ground floor when the project was first approved. Joy said the revised plan keeps the previously approved impervious percentage (about 65.7 percent), reworks parking and adds a paved north bike access lane and bike racks, and would create six two-bedroom units plus a shared third-floor community space. "We want to encourage pedestrian, multimodal access," Joy said, arguing the site's proximity to campus supports reduced parking and a "park-once" model.

The presentation noted 12 parking spaces in a tandem layout and that the units are expected to be market-rate. Joy said construction likely remains "a year or two" away and that final construction costs per unit are not yet known.

Neighbors who spoke at the meeting raised practical concerns about sanitation and parking. Sheryl Ann Denso of Ward 4 urged the council to require a dumpster rather than rely on multiple polycarts, saying polycarts could create service and cost questions for residents. "I would propose that there be a dumpster," Denso said. Utilities director Chris Mattingly responded that while the city prefers dumpsters, dense downtown sites without room for enclosures often use polycarts and that collection works when alleys provide access.

Other residents and council members pressed for clarity on ADA access, sidewalk restoration and trash placement; the applicant said ADA parking spaces are included, the existing Jenkins driveway would be removed and sidewalks would be restored. Joy said trash would likely be handled with movable polycarts in the north paved area rather than a fixed dumpster.

After discussion, the council recorded a motion to allow Council member Peacock to abstain from the vote; the clerk announced the abstention was permitted. The ordinance passed on second reading and was adopted on final reading with votes announced as 7 in favor, 2 opposed and Council member Peacock recorded as abstaining; the record noted Council member Bruce voted no.

The change lifts the earlier requirement that a commercial use occupy the entire ground floor, a condition the developer said made financing difficult for small multifamily projects in Norman. Supporters of the rewrite argued it would add housing options near the university and improve walkability; critics warned the loss of potential retail would change the area's mixed-use character.

The council's action now allows the developer to proceed with building-permit steps subject to normal permitting and infrastructure reviews.