Last Updated on September 27, 2022, 8:59 PM | Published: September 27, 2022
OKLAHOMA CITY (Free Press) — Key developments in the City Council for The City of Oklahoma City Tuesday were:
- Several OKC City Council members expressed dismay and great disappointment in this week’s surprising blink-and-you-missed-it demolition of local landmark First Christian Church’s distinctive half-an-egg-like sanctuary.
- The Council appointed members to the newly authorized Human Rights Commission (HRC). Those appointments included the surprising self-appointment of Councilwoman Barbara Young instead of appointing an active constituent from her ward. It was concerning since Young has adamantly voiced her opposition to the establishment of the HRC. In protest, two other councilors voted against the slate.
- The Council also formally approved allocations for several projects through the Economic Development Trust, among other City business.
Marty Peercy reports Local government
Church Demolition
On Monday morning shortly after the start of the business day, a demolition crew was in position at the location of the First Christian Church at 36th and Walker to tear down the historic domed building once labeled “The Church of the Future.”
Within minutes of the City of OKC approving a demolition permit, the crew quickly went to work.
Residents of the neighborhood and across the city were shocked to see the demolition taking place since no word of it had escaped City Hall by that time. Many residents thought the building was protected by arrangement with the City.
At Tuesday’s meeting, Ward 2 Councilman James Cooper used his time for comments to discuss the grief and disappointment he and many other people across the city are experiencing after seeing this beloved historic landmark destroyed in mere minutes without ceremony.
It seems that Midwest Wrecking applied for a demolition permit on Friday. Development Services had the site flagged for any permitting, so they pulled the application and worked with the Municipal Counselor’s to find if there was any reason to deny the application apart from popular opinion. The legal department found that there was no legal impediment to issuing the permit, which was issued on Monday morning.
Cooper said that he wasn’t informed of the permit until the weekend when City Manager Craig Freeman called him to inform him. He said that he worked through the weekend with the City Manager and other city staff to try to find a way to prevent the demolition but to no avail.
City Attorney Kenneth Jordan explained that the City, First Christian Church, and Crossings Community Church had entered into a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the building.
There was some hope for a time that Crossings would purchase the building for an expansion into the core of the city, and that they would rehabilitate the unique structure and character of the building.
Jordan added that Crossings chose to back out of that MOU. When that happened, the City Clerk was to receive notice. There was a time period following that for intervention, but no intervention actions were taken.
This was our report from August 2019 about that development:
Even if the building had been designated by the Historic Preservation Committee as a landmark, that would not have prevented the building’s demolition, it would have simply slowed the process and ultimately yielded the same result.
In addition to Cooper’s impassioned comments on the issue, Ward 7 Councilwoman Nikki Nice weighed in with her disappointment.
“I am deeply, deeply disappointed and sad about the demolition [of the church],” she told the room. Nice added that she believes the Council and the City could have done better, while accepting that it may simply be her opinion, but that she believed it.
Ward 6 Councilor JoBeth Hamon* posed a technical question to City Staff on the issue. A number of people on social media mentioned to her and the City that the demolition caused debris to fall into the roadway along NW 36th. Hamon asked what policies are in place to prevent that sort of thing.
David Adcock, Development Center Manager, explained that demolition permits, as with construction permits, require the permit holder to “secure the site.” Securing a site properly would prevent such things from happening. Adcock said that his department also fielded calls and complaints about debris in the roadway, but when inspectors arrived there was no debris to be seen, indicating that it had likely been cleaned up before their arrival, so no action could be taken.
Cooper wrapped up the discussion by talking about the Gold Dome and his goal, as well as owner Jonathan Russell’s, to see that historic building saved and restored.
Human Rights Commission
The first order of business at Tuesday’s meeting was the appointment of the members of the newly minted Human Rights Commission. After two years of work by a task force of community members, City staff, and other stakeholders, the Council narrowly passed an ordinance creating the Commission.
Among those in opposition to the establishment of the Commission was Ward 3 Councilwoman Barbara Young, who voted against the introduction of the ordinance and voted against its adoption in a 5-4 vote.
Many were surprised to learn that Young’s appointment to the Human Rights Commission was Human Rights Commission opponent, Ward 3 Councilwoman Barbara Young. Every other councilor had appointed an active, engaged constituent from their ward.
Before a vote to accept the slate of appointees, Ward 7’s Nice spoke up about the appointment, while not mentioning Young’s name.
Nice said that she was deeply concerned with the appointment to the HRC of somebody who adamantly opposed the very existence of the Commission. Nice said that she was proud of the two years of good work people poured into this effort and didn’t want to see it intentionally undermined by a bad faith participant in the process. She pointedly asked the Mayor how this could happen, especially since she has asked for appointments to several commissions and trusts of the City of Oklahoma City with no result.
Mayor Holt responded that in his tenure as mayor he has never denied a Councilor’s requested appointee to a commission or board.
Nice went on to say with the inclusion of the naysayer, she could not support the slate of appointments. The vote to accept the appointments passed 7-2 with Hamon joining Nice in voting nay.
The appointments are as follows:
- Valerie Couch (At-Large)
- Ralph Crawford (Ward 1)
- Cindy Nguyen (Ward 2)
- Councilmember Barbara Young (Ward 3)
- Leslie Shaw VanBurskirk (Ward 4)
- Brian Wall (Ward 5)
- Ana “Deisy” Escalera (Ward 6)
- Marsha Herron (Ward 7)
- Rhonda Hooper (Ward 8)
Other business
As reported previously by Free Press, the Council recently introduced a list of capital projects that it might invest in through the Economic Development Trust.
On Tuesday, the Council held a public hearing on all but one of the projects, though not a single person spoke on any of them. The Council then approved each one by one.
- $765,000 for the Nova project
- $2,010,000 for replacement of sewer lines
- $2,000,000 for the Fairgrounds Flats affordable housing project
- $1,080,000 for the Citizen Project
The city also introduced a proposed update to the Sign Code for the City of Oklahoma City.
The proposed changes were influenced by staff, Council, the City Attorney’s office, billboard companies, and residents over the course of the last few years.
Oklahoma City has had a moratorium on new billboards while the sign code was being updated. Public hearing on the code updates will be on October 11, and final hearing will be October 25.
The City Council will meet again on October 11 at 8:30 a.m.
*Disclosure: Reporter Marty Peercy is the husband of Oklahoma City Council member JoBeth Hamon.
Columnist covering local government in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County from May 2019 through June 2023.
