Commission backs map amendment and Rother Farms PUD, removing employment overlay and adding acreage

The commission voted April 9 to remove an employment‑land overlay and recommend approval of a linked rezoning and preliminary plat for the Rother Farms area northwest of West Hefner Road.

Planning staff described CPA 20260000002 as a request to remove the employment layer from an area that has been trending residential and mixed‑use; staff initially recommended denial because the change reduces development‑ready employment acreage. Commissioners discussed market realities that have brought residential growth into the northwest quadrant and agreed to remove the employment layer while expanding the amendment by 9.9 acres to create a more orderly 106.87‑acre urban‑low area.

Caitlyn Turner presented PUD 2130 / C7788 for Rother Farms (9525 W Hefner Rd) and explained the application would create an R1‑based PUD with 4,400‑square‑foot lots and 40‑foot widths, with a cap of 200 40‑foot lots and 35 duplex lots (the applicant revised exhibits to lower density). Commissioners negotiated landscape and tree‑placement edits similar to adjacent PUD actions and added a TE clarifying front‑yard tree placement and other minor text changes. The commission recommended approval of the CPA, PUD and preliminary plat by voice vote.

What changed: Staff’s recommended expansion (9.9 acres) was accepted to preserve a contiguous planning area while allowing a change in land‑use layer to urban‑low. The applicant agreed to strengthen landscape-text edits (front‑yard tree placement and planting standards), and to cap the number of 40‑foot lots and duplexes that will be permitted.

Votes and next steps: The commission’s recommendation goes to city council for final action. If council approves, subsequent plat and permit work will implement the PUD design and landscaping requirements.

Why it matters: The commission’s decision removes an employment designation that planners said was increasingly out of step with local market development and adds acreage to create a coherent urban‑low area; it also narrows density through a lot cap in the PUD to respond to neighborhood concerns.