By John Dobberstein, Editor
Broken Arrow City Manager Michael Spurgeon issued a statement Thursday reiterating that a planned meeting tonight about the Bell’s Amusement Park proposal is not a city event.
Spurgeon said the city was made aware of this meeting a few weeks ago and learned it is a private meeting organized by residents who live near the location of the proposed Bell’s Amusement Park project.
“To clear up any confusion or misinformation, tonight’s Community Meeting is not affiliated with the City of Broken Arrow and is not a Public Meeting of any of its governing bodies, including the City Council and Planning Commission,” Spurgeon said.
“In fact, I reached out and recently spoke to one of the group members organizing the meeting and asked if they would like for City officials to be in attendance to answer questions and discuss concerns about the project. I was advised at this time, the organizers preferred we not attend.
“Therefore, no one affiliated with the city will be at this privately-organized meeting. To that point, I was told the organizers would present a petition of opposition to the Bell’s project to me and the Council sometime in January.”
Spurgeon said the city “fully supports the constitutional rights of citizens to peacefully assemble and express their opinions on any public matter.
“I truly appreciate the passion the organizers have for wanting what’s best for our city. The Councilmembers and I share that same passion. However, I want to be absolutely clear about a few things.”
While the city’s Community Development Department has had a pre-development meeting with the developer’s consulting engineer, Spurgeon says the City of Broken Arrow has not received a development application or any formal plans to consider” regarding the Bell’s project on the land that is zoned Commercial Heavy, which does allow for an amusement park.
“As a result, the City has nothing to review with respect to the project and therefore, is not aware of the timeline.”
Bell’s president Robby Bell announced his plan would be to develop the project in four phases, with the first phase to open in approximately 2 years. The other three phases, he said, would follow in yearly increments.
“If this project moves forward, the developer will have to come forward and secure all applicable city approvals, which will include any Public Meeting of the Planning Commission, and ultimately the City Council. When that time comes, we will alert the public with advance notice,” Spurgeon said.
“Regardless of the status of the project, the City is being proactive in respect to this endeavor. In anticipation of the project, we are researching consulting firms with experience in the development of amusement park projects.
“When the time comes, our plan is to hire a consultant who can help us throughout the process. As with any development project, we will also research the economic impact, infrastructure needs, and public safety concerns. We will also have discussions with state agencies that may require permitting for amusement parks.”
Spurgeon that during his State of the City address earlier this month, he talked about the need to “continue to think big and bold, work together, and find ways that benefit our citizens and businesses.
“I look forward to hearing from the organizers about the Community Meeting in the days ahead so that we can work together in a way that benefits us all as we continue to build on our high quality of life in the greatest city in the greatest country.”
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