Norman City Council motioned to reject the Oklahoma Turnpike’s ACCESS Oklahoma Project that would allow the OTA to construct turnpike facilities through “critical areas” of Norman, including the Lake Thunderbird watershed, the Canadian River Corridor and the city’s flood hazard areas. The resolution also states the city will “protect and preserve” these areas.
ACCESS Oklahoma is a $5 billion, 15-year plan to develop new turnpikes and expand existing highways state-wide. It was approved by the Oklahoma Supreme Court last August.
Two of the proposed turnpikes – the East-West Connector and the South Extension – would run a combined 47 miles around the Norman area. The staff report notes the East-West Connector would connect I-44 near Newcastle to I-40 at the Kickapoo Turnpike across northern Norman, while the South Extension would connect to I-35 north of Purcell, continuing through east Norman before connecting with the East-West Connector.
Council postponed voting on the resolution at its Aug. 13 regular meeting.
According to the meeting agenda, the OTA recommends the city approve a resolution before Sept. 3 so any Norman-based requests can be included in the initial design plans.
ACCESS Oklahoma Construction in Norman
Council will consider allowing the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority to construct turnpike facilities in Norman as part of its ACCESS Oklahoma plan.
A staff report states the resolution will allow the OTA to construct turnpike facilities through “critical areas” of Norman, including the Lake Thunderbird watershed, the Canadian River Corridor and the city’s flood hazard areas. Additionally, the resolution states the city will “protect and preserve” these areas.
Dozens of members of Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation and Pike Off OTA – a nonprofit organization designed to protest OTA expansion – fill the audience, wearing red in protest of the resolution. Randy Carter, a member of Pike Off OTA, wrote to OU Daily that the organizations would speak out against the resolution.
Public comments on OTA
Michelle Sinclair, a Ward 5 resident, said the green space surrounding Norman is important for its residents. She added council siding with the OTA will result in displacement and environmental destruction.
“I don’t call that 21st century leadership,” Sinclair said. “The citizens of Norman want a vision from you that is big and bold – a vision much friendlier than OTA’s destruction plan … it's not too late for you to take a stand and say ‘no.’”
Sinclair was met with applause by members of the audience as she left the podium.
“We have a huge crowd here tonight and this is just a small portion,” another protestor said. “We could be looking at two, three, four times this many people (who) are going to be affected.”
Rob Norman, a lawyer who was a part of a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority said council should reject the resolution.
“The OTA is trying to fool you, ” Norman said. "There have been forces in this city who have been fighting for these turnpikes since long before the Supreme Court issued a decision on a now-discredited rule of law to defer to the state agencies.”
Norman was met with applause as he exited the podium.
Dave Moore, who fought against a proposed turnpike in 1999 and won against OTA, said the OTA does not work for the people of Norman.
“In the 54 years I’ve lived in this city, I have never, ever seen the citizens of this town come together and say, ‘give us a turnpike,’” Moore said. “(It’s) because they don’t want a turnpike … do your job to support the people of Norman.”
A resident from Ward 5 said council should demand the locations of the turnpike within Norman.
“There are people who don't currently have a line running through their home on today's map, but they may be affected if the south extension moves, and many of them are still oblivious," LeBlanc said. “(The OTA has) a four-mile-wide black hole through the middle of their plans that they are intentionally ignoring … it is completely unreasonable to consider a partnership.”
Tiffany Stevens from Ward 5 said the OTA should have worked with the city from the beginning of their planning.”
“They developed their planning in secret, and they knew they did it in secret because they knew that the city told them ‘no’ in the 90s,” Stevens said. “They have not done the environmental studies, they have not done alternate route studies, and they've not done any studies on the impact on the Norman city residents … this is shocking and unacceptable.”
A resident from Ward 2 said she owns 240 acres at the corner of 60th and highway 9. According to Bergen recent rain flooded her pasture, urging the city city to address its water retention issues.
Another Ward 5 resident said she doesn’t want Norman to become overly influenced by the OTA’s plans.
“I don't want to live in a place that believes it's okay to destroy our green spaces only to fill in with hot concrete,” She said. “I certainly don't want to live in a community filled with dollar signs and greed.”
OU economics professor Cynthia Rogers from Ward 4 asked the audience to raise their hands if the turnpike plans run through their homes. Over half raised their hands.
“We're talking about people's homes, they've invested in their lives, they've made you talk about investing in the community,” Rogers said. “These are people who have invested in the community.”
State Rep. Annie Menz (D-Norman) said she is standing with Norman residents after learning about Mayor Heikkila’s emails.
“I and these constituents sitting behind me, will not be intimidated or silenced by political games, childish name-calling, or slanderous comments,” Menz said. “I hope you'll see that the opposition to this turnpike is not partisan. We Pike people here are conservative, liberal, independent, and everything in-between. For us, it's about saving our homes, our environment, our livelihoods, our way of life, and our family legacies.”
Menz brought attention to an email that surfaced online on Monday sent from Mayor Larry Heikkila where he called people against the turnpike “pike people” and wrote that the OTA has “won.” Heikkila wrote in the email that council would protect Norman’s watershed, and that the OTA would provide wetlands for purification of the water in Little River.
Former Ward 6 Councilmember and Democratic State Senate candidate Elizabeth Foreman said council was deceived by the OTA during her tenure in council.
“We were not given any information … we had to turn to the people in this audience to get factual information about state laws and things that we can do to try to protect our people,” Foreman said. “You cannot deceive me, I know what this resolution is. It is handing over these people and all the residents in our community and our neighboring communities on the altar of the OTA.”
State Senator Mary Boren (D-Norman) said she has spent two years trying to hold the OTA accountable. She asked council to consider the public comments and vote against the OTA.
“I ask that you dignify the passion and the dignity and the preparation, the evidence and the facts that you've heard here today. These people in Norman deserve the dignity of a well deliberated decision,” Boren said.
Ward 5 Resident Jesse Matlock said the OTA’s turnpike plans would go through his home. He added his family has provided food for Norman on their farm for 130 years.
“I want my children to have the same sunsets and sunrises that I had when I grew up on my grandparents farm,” Matlock said. “Stand up to the OTA and do what's right, we just need all of you to be our voice.”
OU philosophy professor Steve Ellis said the OTA should not be allowed to develop in Norman and instead should focus on constructing ACCESS Oklahoma where it is legally allowed.
“(The OTA is) literally eminent domain people's housing. That's why I think it's important that you are very, very clear with OTA Norman: Norman does not want this turnpike,” Ellis said.
Amy Cerato, president of Pike Off OTA and Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation was the last to speak after nearly 40 people spoke before council, all advocating against the turnpike.
“When they come back and slaughter another city 10 years after the last one, no one remembers,” Cerato said. “Now, people are going to remember because Pike Off OTA (and) the Oklahomans for Responsible Transportation are making it our mission to write down everything about the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority so that municipalities from here on out know exactly what's going on.”
Council comments on OTA
Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash said council can not overlook the importance of Lake Thunderbird and the OTA protestors. He added the OTA is threatening Norman by potentially excluding the city from its plans.
“There’s no way we can overlook this number of people, this seismic net,” Nash said. “Lake Thunderbird is not just a body of water, it's the source of our drinking water, the sustenance for our crops … we value progress, but not at the cost of our water, our health or our land.”
“I’m excited we get to reject this today.” Nash said.
Ward 1 Councilmember Austin Ball asked Interim City Attorney Rick Knighton to explain council’s 2022 resolution to have the OTA conduct an environmental study. Knighton said he does not believe the OTA has conducted its environmental studies since council’s 2022 resolution.
Ball said that because the OTA ignored the 2022 resolution, the current resolution would be pointless.
“The only thing on this resolution that makes any sense to me is the city of Norman does not welcome or endorse the intrusion of the turnpike bill by the OTA to our community,” Ball said.
Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant said some members of council were originally undecided, including themselves, but the decision to reject the resolution is currently easy.
“I really appreciate the people that got the open records that concerned me and that I did not know about, and I will be curious to dig into that more,” Grant said.
Ward 3 Councilmember Bree Montoya said she was elected to represent the people of Norman and Ward 3 oppose the turnpike, and opposes the resolution as a result.
“I stand with my Ward and I stand with the citizens of Norman,” Montoya said.
Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman said he empathizes with constituents who have seen their homes demolished, adding the home he lived in for eleven years was demolished.
“Now, where it was is just an empty dirt lot,” Holman said. “What's going to happen to all these people that would be in the path? Where would they go? Where in Norman could they move to?”
Holman said the contrast between rural and urban Norman makes the Norman community better than others.
“I can be out in the country, away from the whole city, surrounded by nature, and can forget about what's going on here for a few minutes,” Holman said.
Holman said while Ward 7 is not impacted by ACCESS Oklahoma, people he cares about would be. He added no one from Ward 7 has reached out in support of the turnpike plans.
Ward 6 Councilmember Ward 6 Joshua Hinkle said he will move to reject the resolution, adding he does not know how he could vote for a resolution that would displace residents.
“I also want to enter development partnerships as truly a partnership, to where I'm not feeling mobbed into doing something that our citizens don't want, that could potentially displace so many people and have such a magnificent negative impact on so many lives in our town,” Hinkle said.
Ward 2 Councilmember Matthew Peacock said he will reject the resolution.
Council unanimously rejected the ACCESS Oklahoma resolution.
Temporary Moratorium for Large Projects
Council is considering a resolution for a temporary moratorium on the issuance of permits for large projects until July 1, 2025 or until the city enacts new ordinance on such projects.
According to a staff report, council sees a need to review the city’s ordinances regarding environmental quality and the protection of public resources. According to the resolution, council is considering a new ordinance to impose additional requirements on large projects.
The moratorium would include any project covering at least 161 acres within city limits or 100 acres within the Lake Thunderbird watershed, any project that takes at least 10 primary homes, or any project exceeding $500 million. The moratorium would also prevent the construction, modification or expansion of major transportation systems, which would include both the South Extension and East-West Connector.
Nash said the resolution would define a new classification of large projects within Norman, which would be larger than any city project before.
Nash added his future ordinance would require large developers to conduct studies that include environmental impact assessments, public involvement, alternate route analyses, mitigation measures and documentation.
Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash, Ward 3 Councilmember Bree Montoya and Ward 6 Councilmember Joshua Hinkle requested the resolution, according to the staff report.
In an email sent to OU Daily, Randy Carter said Pike Off OTA supports the moratorium.
Cerato said the moratorium and its future ordinance are necessary to protect Norman against mega projects, pollution and flooding.
“I hope that your committee can move it through the process and we can get some more robust protections in place because developers and Oklahoma Turnpike Authority are going to keep coming back at us, because, again, we are the only city or municipality in 77 years that had the guts to say ‘no,’” Cerato said.
Ball said the resolution could potentially limit future development, adding the resolution’s language is broad. He added council should move toward an ordinance instead of a resolution.
Nash said the resolution applies to large projects.
Council voted to postpone the resolution and its moratorium.
This article was originally published by OU Daily.
