By John Dobberstein, Editor
Many probably didn’t know that October is “National Community Planning Month,” but as this month wraps up the city of Broken Arrow has a lot of activity to plan around.
In the last 10 months, the city has issued 60 new commercial building permits worth $63 million, and 726 new single-family resident permits worth $160 million, says Larry Curtis, direct of Community Development for the city of Broken Arrow.
Plenty has occurred of late, especially in south Broken Arrow. Redevelopment of New Orleans Square continues with a major reconstruction of the intersection slated to begin next spring. A new movie theater will be opening soon and the Cypress Place development is fully occupied.
The city broke ground this summer on a $32 million mixed-use development that will include a new Reasors grocery store. And the city just closed on the $5 million purchase of 90 acres of land just west of that development for the proposed Innovation District – a mixed-use development featuring residential, commercial, and educational components while focusing on high-paying career opportunities.
Many residents are thrilled about the developments, although some are concerned about explosive growth and the pressure it puts on the city’s infrastructure.
The Broken Arrow Citizen Survey taken in 2017 asked residents what they thought was the most important issue facing the city in the next few years and 38% said streets and transportation, followed by planning and zoning (14%), schools and education (12%), public safety and crime (12%) and economic growth and development (11%).
There are 35 employees in the department who are responsible for coordinating growth in Broken Arrow, the state’s fourth-largest city with a population of 115,000.
In September, the planning division started the extensive undertaking of updating the city’s suite of zoning ordinances. The Broken Arrow Next Comprehensive Plan, adopted in 2019, is the direction the community chose through its input to go, but the zoning ordinances are used to ensure development proposals meet requirements that are in line with the comprehensive plan.
The zoning update “will direct what development in Broken Arrow looks like over the next 10-20 years,” says Jill Ferenc, planning and development manager for the Community Development Division.
The Planning and Development Division is comprised of planners, project engineers, and commercial and residential plan reviewers. They review applications for land use, zoning, subdivision (plats), comprehensive plan amendments, special uses, variances, and planned unit developments. They also provide information relative to adopted codes and ordinances on urban design, architecture, and landscaping.
Staff handle long-range planning, current planning, placemaking, urbanism and sustainability, and neighborhood engagement and inspections as they work to make the city an even more desirable place to live.
“It is the job of our city planners to take the community goals voiced by the people who live and invest in Broken Arrow and help bring them to fruition over the long term,” says planning and development manager Jill Ferenc. “Whether long-term or short-term, we facilitate the development process, provide guidance for new commercial projects, and arrange residential development in the city.”
Farhad Daroga heads up the Placemaking Division, which works to create a sense of place or belonging to the community. And the the Urbanism and Sustainability Division run by Justin DeBruin develop strategies to ensure a livable, self-sustaining Broken Arrow for generations to come.
City officials say concerns over climate change, clean air and water, renewable energy, and land use continue to draw attention to sustainability, particularly sustainable urban planning.
This includes green buildings, housing, mixed-use developments, walkability, connected greenways, and open spaces, along with appropriate transportation alternatives.
Sustainable planning is about creating solutions and implementing policies to help the community manage their resources, lower consumption of natural resources, and reduce negative impacts on the environment.
City residents can also monitor what happens with proposed development projects by attending Planning Commission meetings held the fourth Thursday every month at City Hall.
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