Norman residents have submitted a referendum petition to the city to put the Rock Creek Entertainment District in University North Park on the ballot.
According to the petition, the ordinance authorizing the establishment of the entertainment district will be put to voters on the day of the first regular election for city council members on February 11, 2025. Residents have 30 days to collect signatures from voters.
The Rock Creek Entertainment District is a $1.1 billion development planned for University North Park that will be implemented in September 2023. The development relies on funding from a tax increment financing district (TIF). The district includes plans for an arena with OU basketball and gymnastics as anchor tenants, retail areas and 500 residential and office space.
The group that filed the petition operates under the name Oklahomans for Responsible Economic Development (ORED), and its website features writings and presentations by OU economics professor Cynthia Rogers.
Rogers told the OU Daily that one of the main issues for those opposed to approving the entertainment district is the funding model. Rogers said diverting tax dollars to support the entertainment district through TIF would take money away from public education and other areas.
“It’s 100% clear that when you use property taxes and school taxes for purposes other than schools, it takes money away from public education,” Rogers said.
Rogers noted that developers have said the entertainment district is a “risk-free” investment for the city and said Norman residents have been misled about the project.
“There’s a big risk because we’re spending hundreds of millions of dollars, misappropriating hundreds of millions of dollars and potentially putting them into a sector that’s going to be insolvent for the authorities that own it,” Rogers said. “We’re still owed that debt.”
At the Sept. 18 Norman City Council meeting, supporters of the project, including Interim Dean of Professional and Continuing Education Greg Garn, told the OU Daily they believe the entertainment district will move the city forward.
“I think this is a strong step forward for the university and the city to work together,” Garn said. “I don’t think it will have a negative impact on the public schools.”
Since the petition was submitted, some Norman residents have received text messages as part of a campaign urging them not to sign the petition.
“Please support Norman’s growth and the new sports arena being built in the Rock Creek Entertainment District as approved by City Council. Please do not sign the petition that could further delay this important project,” the message read.
The text message directed residents to a website titled “Elevate Norman.” The OU Daily asked Norman Economic Development Coalition President and CEO Lawrence McKinney, Norman Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Scott Martin and Visit Norman Executive Director Dan Scheme if their organizations were involved in the campaign. All three said their organizations support an entertainment district but are not involved with the website.
The OU Daily also reached out to the OU Marketing and Communications department, which said neither the university nor the OU Foundation were involved.
Residents Pamela McCoy Post, Paul Alkaroli and Richard Sondag filed the petition on Sept. 20. Attorney Robert Norman is the petition’s legal representative, according to the ballot paper submitted to the city. All four addressed the Norman City Council last week, which voted 5-4 to approve the entertainment district.
More than 70 residents attended an eight-hour city council meeting on Sept. 18 to voice their concerns and support for the entertainment district to the city council. During the meeting, Norman told OU Daily that he wanted to hold an open forum for residents, since residents only have three minutes to speak to the city council.
“We have to make our case somewhere else,” Norman said. “We can and we will.”
News reporter Natalie Armour contributed to this report. Ana Barbosa, Ismael Lele and Anusha Fatepure edited this article. Josh McDaniel and Sophie Hemker proofread this article.
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Peggy Dodd is Editor in Chief and covers the City of Norman, including City Council and local elections. Peggy writes to keep residents informed about city affairs, provide a forum for Norman residents to have a dialogue with city leaders, and ensure Norman voters are well-informed. Peggy is originally from Jones and can be reached at pdodd@ou.edu.