* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] GOOD EVENING. [1. Call to Order of the Edmond Planning Commission.] WE'LL CALL TO ORDER THE REGULAR PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3RD, 2026. GOING DOWN THE AGENDA, [2. General Consent Items: Items listed under General Consent are usually approved as a group with the proper motion from a member of the Planning Commission. Members of the Planning Commission may pull any item under General Consent for separate discussion and/or action.] LOOK AT NUMBER TWO, GENERAL CONSENT ITEMS. THESE ARE THE, UH, ITEMS LISTED UNDER THE GENERAL CONSENT ARE USUALLY APPROVED BY MEMBERS WITH A PROPER MOTION FROM A MEMBER OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION. MEMBERS OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MAY PULL ANY OF THE, UH, ITEMS UNDER GENERAL CONSENT FOR SEPARATE DISCUSSION AND/OR ACTION. DO ANY MEMBERS WISH TO HAVE ANY OF THE AGENDA ITEMS PULLED? SEEING NONE, LOOKING FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. MOTION TO APPROVE. WE HAVE A MOTION. SECOND. AND A SECOND. BY MOTION OF FOUR TO ZERO. BY VOTE OF FOUR TO ZERO, THAT IS APPROVED. THE CONSENT AGENDA AND ITEM 2C MOVES ON TO, UH, THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON DECEMBER 14TH, 2026. MOVING DOWN THE AGENDA, [A. Discussion and Consideration of the Community Wildfire Protection] WE HAVE, UH, SECTION THREE. SO WE HAVE 3A, WHICH IS DISCUSSION AND CONSIDERATION FOR THE COMMUNITY WILDLIFE PROTECTION. AND WE HAVE A REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HERE TO PRESENT ON THAT BEHALF. HI GUYS. I'M JESSE BENNEY, THE FIRE MARSHAL FOR THE CITY OF EDMOND. UM, BASICALLY THE LAST TIME I PRESENTED THIS WAS TO GIVE YOU AN OVERVIEW OF LIKE HOW IT'S CREATED AND SOME OF THE IMPETUS BEHIND IT. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE'RE SEEKING TO GET THIS ADOPTED THROUGH CITY COUNCIL. SO, UH, I JUST HAD A FEW NOTES HERE TO GO OVER. UM, LAST TIME I GAVE A STATISTIC THAT, UH, EDMOND HAS A HIGHER RISK OF WILDFIRE, HIGHER THAN 79% OF THE COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. AND I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THAT. UH, THE, THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA RANKS HIGHER THAN 84% OF OTHER STATES. SO WE KNOW CALIFORNIA HAS A PROBLEM. WE KNOW COLORADO HAS A PROBLEM. WE HAVE A PROBLEM TOO. WE'RE RANKED FOURTH NATIONALLY FOR TOTAL WILDFIRE FREQUENCY AND SEVENTH FOR TOTAL ACREAGE BURNED. YOU KNOW, SO THESE ARE SOME VERY STARK NUMBERS THAT, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE TAKING A REALLY CLOSE LOOK AT WHAT WE CAN DO TO PREVENT THESE. SOME OF THE KEY DRIVERS THAT AFFECT WILDFIRE, WE ALL KNOW ABOUT THE, THE EASTERN RED CEDAR THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, POPULATING ALL OUR UNMANAGED AREAS HAVE BECOME QUITE A NUISANCE. UM, THE EXTENDED DROUGHT CYCLES IN OUR CLIMATE AREA AND THEN THESE HIGH WIND EVENTS THAT WE'RE KNOWN FOR ARE ALL KEY FACTORS THAT DRIVE INTO THE SEVERITY OF THESE WILDFIRES. ONE OF THE OTHER KEY FACTORS IS, UH, OBVIOUSLY THE, UH, DISTANCE THAT WE'RE PLACING HOMES FROM THESE WILDLAND AREAS. SO THIS IS A, A SNAPSHOT HERE THAT YOU CAN SEE ALL OF OUR DEVELOPMENT THAT'S HAPPENING EAST OF I-35 LANDS PRETTY MUCH IN THE MODERATE TO HIGH CATEGORY FOR, UM, THE RISK AREAS OF THESE WILDLAND URBAN INTERFACES. SO O- ONE OF THE THINGS, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I WAS TRYING TO, UH, ASK MYSELF BEFORE I CAME HERE IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT TYPE OF HEADACHES WOULD THIS PLAN CREATE? YOU KNOW, WHY ARE WE HERE? UM, I JUST WANNA SAY FIRST AND FOREMOST THAT THIS PLAN, IT SERVES AS A NON-REGULATORY STRATEGIC ROADMAP FOR WILDFIRE MITIGATION, RIGHT? THE PLAN IN AND OF ITSELF ISN'T BRINGING CODE CHANGES. IT'S JUST KIND OF GIVING US A ROADMAP OF WHAT WE COULD DO AND WHAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT. SO SOME OF THE THINGS ARE, YOU KNOW, GUIDING THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE. WE'VE ALREADY STARTED IMPLEMENTING AND WORKING THROUGH PROCESSES TO CREATE ROAD BREAKS, UH, OR I'M SORRY, FIRE BREAKS. UM, WHAT WE CAN DO IN THESE COMMUNITIES THAT BUTT UP TO THESE WILDLAND AREAS. WE'RE LOOKING AT IMPLEMENTATIONS OF CODES AND REQUIREMENTS, BUT THOSE GO THROUGH ALL THE SAME PROCESSES ALL OUR CODES DO. SO WE WOULD TAKE THINGS TO THE DEVELOPMENT IMPACT REVIEW COMMITTEE. WE WOULD, UH, YOU KNOW, ASK FOR ADOPTION, TAKE IT TO COUNCIL AND ALL OF THOSE. SO, UM, THE PLAN IN ITSELF IS JUST, IT, IT'S ASSISTING LANDOWNERS, HOMEOWNERS WITH ALL THESE TYPES OF MITIGATION TECHNIQUES THAT WE COULD USE. IT HINGES ON EDUCATION AND AWARENESS. UM, IT ALSO ALLOWS US TO INCREASE FOR COMPETITIVENESS, UH, FOR GRANTS. THERE'S SEVERAL GRANTS THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO US, AND IF WE COULD GET OUR HANDS ON SOME OF THAT FEDERAL AND STATE MONEY, WE COULD ACTUALLY DRIVE SOME OF THESE KEY FACTORS AND, AND HELP DEVELOPMENT AND SPEED UP THE PROCESS. AND OBVIOUSLY, WE WANT TO, UH, BOLSTER OUR COMMUNICATION WITH THE REST OF THE CITY. SO I KNOW A LARGE PART OF THE HEADACHES THAT I'VE BEEN HEARING FROM THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IS, YOU KNOW, IT SEEMS LIKE THE CITY REALLY DOESN'T TALK TO ITSELF. THIS PLAN GIVES THAT CONVERSATION, UH, A FOOTHOLD SO WE ARE SPEAKING THE SAME LANGUAGE AT THE SAME TIME. SOME OF OUR GAPS AND FUTURE CHALLENGES, UM, WE ALL, WE, WE KNOW WE'RE EXPANDING EASTWARD PAST I-35 INTO THESE WILDLAND AREAS. UH, WE ALSO HAVE LIMITED WILDFIRE DETECTION TECHNOLOGIES AVAILABLE TO US RIGHT NOW. THESE GRANTS WOULD OPEN UP THAT FUNDING. [00:05:01] UH, OUR COMMUNICATIONS TOWERS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, OUR WATER INFRASTRUCTURE, FIRE DEPARTMENT ACCESS INTO THESE TYPICALLY UNACCESSIBLE AREAS. UH, THIS PLAN IS GONNA GET, GONNA GIVE US A, A WAY INTO THOSE AREAS. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY GUIDING FUTURE STATION LOCATIONS WITH A, WITH A THOUGH BEHIND WILDFIRE. THERE'S A LOT OF RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW AT OUR FINGERTIPS. THE, THE GOAL IS GETTING THOSE RESOURCES IN THE HANDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT NEED THEM. SO THESE DEVELOPERS, THE LANDOWNERS, UM, THE, THE EXISTING LANDOWNERS, EVEN THE CITIZENS THAT ARE JUST KIND OF AROUND THESE AREAS, IT GIVES US THE EDUCATION TOOLS WE NEED TO GET THAT WORD OUT. TWO OF THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF THIS PLAN IS WE HAVE TO RECOMMEND VEGETATION, UH, REDUCTION, AND THEN WE HAVE TO RECOMMEND, UH, HARDENING OF HOMES. SO THE WAY THAT WE'RE BUILDING OUR HOMES INTO THESE AREAS, THERE'S CERTAIN GUIDELINES WE CAN FOLLOW THAT WOULD REALLY HELP THE, DIRECT THE IMPACT OF THIS, THESE, UH, WILDFIRE EVENTS. EMERGENCY ACCESS WAS ALWAYS A, AN ISSUE FOR US. WE'RE, WE'RE BUILDING TRUCKS BIGGER AND WIDER AND LONGER AND ALL THAT. SO, UM, WHEN WE DEVELOP SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES, UM, WE MAY LOOK TOWARDS HAVING, UH, AN ACCESS ROAD OR AN ACCESS EASEMENT WHERE WE COULD GET FIRE TRUCKS INTO THESE UNMANAGED AREAS. AND OBVIOUSLY, TH- THIS IS ALL PART OF A CONVERSATION, RIGHT? SO IN THE LAND DEVELOPMENT REVIEW PROCESS THAT WE CURRENTLY HAVE, THESE ARE GONNA BE CONSIDERATIONS. IT'S, IT'S A CONVERSATION WE NEED TO HAVE WITH THE LANDOWNERS, DEVELOPERS, UH, D- DOES THIS MAKE SENSE FOR OUR COMMUNITY? AND THIS, THIS PLAN IS JUST A FRAMEWORK TO HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, RIGHT? SO NOTHING'S GONNA BE REGULATED, NOTHING'S GONNA BE, UM, MANDATED OR REQUIRED. IT'S JUST OPENING UP THE DOOR FOR THOSE CONVERSATIONS. UH, THE NEXT STEPS, UH, WOULD BE TO ADOPT THE WILDFIRE PROTECTION PLAN THROUGH CITY COUNCIL, UH, INCORPORATE IT INTO OUR CURRENT PLANNING PROCESSES WE ALREADY HAVE, W- WHICH WE'VE ALREADY KIND OF STARTED. WE'VE ALREADY WORKED WITH URBAN FORESTRY PLANNING. WE'RE PUTTING STUFF IN THE UNIFIED DEVELOPMENT CODE. UM, AGAIN, THIS, THIS PLAN IS JUST MORE OF A REPORT CARD. IT'S HOW WELL WE'RE DOING IN THESE AREAS. AND THEN OBVIOUSLY WE NEED TO START IDENTIFYING MITIGATION PROJECTS, UH, PURSUE OUR GRANTS AND START WORKING ON PLANS TO BRING IMPLEMENTATION INTO, INTO FRUITION. UH, WE'RE GONNA REVIEW THE PLAN EVERY FIVE YEARS, SO THAT WOULD GIVE US A CHANCE TO, UH, SEE IF WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WORKING. OBVIOUSLY, WE CAN'T PREVENT ALL FIRES. I- IF I HAD MY WAY, WE WOULD NEVER HAVE A FIRE AGAIN IN THE CITY OF EDMOND, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A, THAT'S A TALL TASK. BUT MY GOAL FOR THE FIRE PREVENTION OFFICE IS TO BUILD THE SAFEST COMMUNITY IN AMERICA, AND I CAN'T DO THAT WITHOUT HELP. SO I'M ASKING, UH, THIS COMMITTEE, I'M ASKING CITY COUNCIL, WHAT CAN WE DO TO START WORKING TOGETHER? UH, OBVIOUSLY FIRES LIKE THIS ARE GONNA HAPPEN. UH, WILDFIRES ARE GONNA HAPPEN, THEY'RE GONNA OCCUR, BUT WE CAN REDUCE THEIR IMPACT ON THESE COMMUNITIES. AND ULTIMATELY, I DON'T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN. WE SHOW UP ON THE WORST DAY OF PEOPLE'S LIVES AND, UH, THIS GENTLEMAN LIVES IN STILLWATER'S CLOSE FRIEND WITH OUR FIRE CHIEF, LOST EVERYTHING. AND WE HAVE A WAY AND A FRAMEWORK TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING. WE'RE GONNA HAVE FIRES, WE'RE GONNA LOSE SOME HOMES, BUT, UH, THE DEVASTATING EFFECT OF THESE FIRES CAN BE CORRECTED TODAY. DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE CURRENT PLAN OR, UH, IMPLEMENTATION? THANK YOU, FIRE MARSHAL. ANY QUESTIONS OF THE FIRE MARSHAL CURRENTLY OF ANY OF THE COMMISSIONERS? YEAH, ACTUALLY I DO HAVE ONE. UM, ON THE VEGETATION REMOVAL OF THE VEGETATION, WOULD THAT BE LIKE CONTROLLED BURNS OR... YES. SO THE STATE FORESTRY OFFICE, UH, HAS A PROCESS, KINDA LIKE WE HAVE OUR BURN PERMITS IN THAT PROCESS. THERE'S A PROCESS TO DO CONTROLLED BURNS. AND WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS START ON THESE DEVELOPMENTS WHEN THEY DO, UH, LAND CLEARING OR TREE REMOVAL PERMIT, ACTUALLY GO AHEAD AND INITIATE CONTROLLED BURNS, MANAGE ALL OF THE WILDLIFE BEFORE DEVELOPMENT EVEN BEGINS. SO WHEN THEY GO IN AND CUT THE ROADWAYS, THAT CREATES A NATURAL FIRE BREAK. THEY COULD DO A CONTROLLED BURN AND GET RID OF ALL OF THE UNDESIRABLE FUELS BEFORE, BEFORE BUILDING EVEN STARTS. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR THE FIRE MARSHAL? SEEING NONE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION. THANK YOU. ON THIS AGENDA ITEM, WE ARE LOOKING FOR A, UH, RECOMMENDATION TO GIVE TO CITY COUNCIL FROM OUR PLANNING COMMISSION. SO WE'LL BE LOOKING FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND ON THE PRESENTATION BY THE FIRE MARSHAL. I WOULD MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE IT. WE HAVE A MOTION. SECOND. AND A SECOND. ARE WE JUST RECOMMENDING, UH, THIS BE PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL? YEAH. YEP. [00:10:04] YES. THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER HOOSE. BY A VOTE OF FOUR TO ZERO, THAT IS APPROVED BY OUR GROUP AND IS A RECOMMENDATION ONTO THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL. THANK YOU. MOVING ON DOWN THE [A. Case No. U26-00027; Public Hearing and Consideration of Approval of a Specific Use Permit for a massage therapy business located at 1014 N Santa Fe Ave. (Gusk; Ward 4)] AGENDA, WE ARE LOOKING AT THE PUBLIC HEARING ITEMS. SO CASE NUMBER 4A IS CASE NUMBER, AGENDA ITEM 4A, CASE NUMBER U26-00027, PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR MASSAGE THERAPY BUSINESS LOCATED AT, UH, 1014 NORTH SANTA FE AVENUE. AND I WILL ALSO JUST FOR PRESENTATION PURPOSES AND FOR BREVITY, WE'LL DO WHAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST AND MR. BRYAN CAN TALK ABOUT THE, UM, THE SPECIAL USE PERMITS TOGETHER, AND THEN WE CAN VOTE ON A AND B INDIVIDUALLY. SO MR. BRYAN, WILL YOU PRESENT? THANK YOU. THESE APPLICATIONS ARE REQUESTING MASSAGE THERAPY TO BE ADDED AS AN ALLOWED LAND USE AT THE SPECIFIC LOCATIONS. THE CITY'S SUPPLEMENTAL USE STANDARDS MUST BE MET BOTH AS A CONDITION OF APPROVAL AND ON AN ONGOING BASIS. CASES APPEARING ON THE AGENDA HAVE PROVIDED EVIDENCE THAT THERAPISTS ARE LICENSED BY THE OKLAHOMA BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY AND BARBERING, AND THAT WINDOWS AND DOORS FACING THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY DO NOT HAVE AN OPAQUE TENT. THE LOCATION FOR THIS CASE IS IN AN EXISTING SHOPPING CENTER ON THE EAST SIDE OF SANTA FE, SOUTH OF DANFORTH. STAFF RECOMMENDS APPROVAL. HAPPY TO TRY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IS THE APPLICANT PRESENT FOR AGENDA ITEM 4A? YES. THANK YOU. DO YOU WISH TO ADD TO CITY STAFF'S PRESENTATION OR RELY ON THAT PRESENTATION FOR YOUR MOTION, FOR YOUR ITEM?. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS OF CITY STAFF OR THE APPLICANT FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? SEEING NONE, ANY PUBLIC COMMENTS? ANYBODY WISH TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS AGENDA ITEM? SEEING NONE, PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE CLOSED. LOOKING FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND ON AGENDA ITEM 4A. MOTION TO APPROVE. WE HAVE A MOTION. SECOND. AND A SECOND. BY A VOTE OF FOUR TO ZERO, THAT IS APPROVED AND MOVES ON TO CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON 12 / 14 / 2026. THANK YOU. AGENDA ITEM [B. Case No. U26-00028; Public Hearing and Consideration of Approval of a Specific Use Permit for a massage therapy business located at 1413 S Boulevard. (Gusk; Ward 3)] 4B, CASE NUMBER U26-00028, PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF A SPECIFIC USE PERMIT FOR A MASSAGE THERAPY BUSINESS LOCATED AT 1413 SOUTH BOULEVARD. UM, DOES THE APPLICANT, IS THERE, ARE THEY PRESENT? YES. PERFECT. OKAY. DO YOU WISH TO ADD ANYTHING FROM THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION OF CITY STAFF? THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE APPLICANT OF CITY STAFF FOR AGENDA ITEM 4B FROM THE COMMISSIONERS? SEEING NONE, PUBLIC COMMENTS. ANYBODY WISH TO SPEAK FOR OR AGAINST THIS IN THE PUBLIC? ALL RIGHT. PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE CLOSED. LOOKING FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND ON AGENDA ITEM 4B. MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. WE HAVE A MOTION. SECOND. AND A SECOND. BY A VOTE OF FOUR TO ZERO, THAT AGENDA ITEM IS APPROVED AND WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON DECEMBER 14TH, 2026. THANK YOU. MOVING ON DOWN THE AGENDA IS CITY, CITIZEN COMMENTS. ANYBODY WISH TO SPEAK ABOUT PLANNING COMMISSION RELATED ITEMS THAT IS NOT ON THE AGENDA? NOW IS YOUR TIME. SEEING NONE, PUBLIC COMMENTS ARE CLOSED. ANY COMMENTS FROM MY FELLOW COMMISSIONERS? SEEING NONE, I HAVE NO COMMENTS. LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING. WE HAVE A MOTION. SECOND. AND A SECOND. BY A VOTE OF FOUR TO ZERO, WE ARE ADJOURNED. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.