City of Norman kicks off public hearings for entertainment district

NORMAN, Okla. (KFOR) — The City of Norman held the first of two public hearings before considering a vote on the Rock Creek entertainment district.

The hearings are required as part of the Local Development Act which ensures governing bodies hold two hearings of its nature before they can officially adopt the project plans for a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district.

The entertainment district would create two TIFs to support the development efforts and would include a new arena for the University of Oklahoma as well as retail, housing and office spaces.

RELATED COVERAGE: ‘Put it to a vote’: District judge decides special election on entertainment district won’t happen for now

Supporters have touted the project as a means to bolster jobs in the community, attract more university students and invest in Norman’s economic growth.

Opponents have raised concerns about how the project would be funded. The total cost when calculating financing from OU, private investors and partners could still cost the city near $600 million when calculating debt financing.

Some opponents even showed up wearing green pins on their shirts advocating against the entertainment district.

Tuesday’s hearing served as an opportunity for residents to ask questions surrounding the project, with their urges of support or opposition expected to follow at the second hearing.

“Is anyone calculating the reduced demands of retail space in Norman?” Norman resident Dan Munson asked.

City of Norman Finance Director Anthony Francisco said that had been considered, and was being considered citywide.

Others raised concerns about an election a district court judge shot down, that would’ve given residents a chance to weigh in on whether they wanted the project to move forward.

City attorneys say that election wouldn’t have been legally binding and that city councilors decided moving forward with what was required in the Local Development Act was the better option with the opportunity for opponents to call for a referendum if councilors don’t vote their way.

“I know that an election may not be binding but neither are your campaign promises,” said Norman resident Greg Youngman.

Not everyone in attendance of the hearing was against the district. Sean Burrage, vice president of executive affairs and chief of staff at OU said the move would be in line with fostering development for the university’s growing class sizes.

“Did you know the University of Oklahoma is counting on all of you to do the right thing so they can continue to grow and compete with other universities?” Burrage asked.

OU Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione also attended, asking if approving the TIF districts would require residents’ taxes to go up, in which city leaders said it would not.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Norman city leaders unveil plans for new $1 billion entertainment district

Some in attendance made a case for existing small businesses, adding that an entertainment district in “corporate America” could do them more harm than good.

“I’ve watched as the City of Norman continues to cannibalize our areas of business,” said Julie Sondag.

The City of Norman was asked directly if other alternatives of funding had been considered or other efforts like bond proposals or a vote to raise the city’s hotel tax. Francisco confirmed a bond proposal had been considered but that what was in front of the council at the moment was the TIF proposal.

Opponents also took aim at the University of Oklahoma. The OU foundation owns the land the new arena would potentially be built on. Many wondering why OU isn’t moving forward with development without asking taxpayers for money or selling off the land if they don’t have the means to accomplish the project themselves.

“Why isn’t OU paying for their arena?” asked resident Andrew Rosenow. “Did the city and staff meet with OSU, Texas, Baton Rouge some other SEC schools to ask how they got it done without taxpayer dollars?”

That question was not answered by city leaders among with various others from opponents, a lot of those against the district verbally making note of the lack of answers between speakers.

The second public hearing is set for September 17 and is set to also including a finalized economic development agreement the city is still working to finalize with partners.

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