An application to rezone from agriculture to manufactured home to allow a mobile home on 1.79 acres on Indian Lane in Sapulpa was heard at Tuesday evening’s Creek County Planning Commission meeting.
Creek County Planner Wendy Murray said that the property is surrounded by other agricultural areas, and that her office has received several phone calls from concerned neighbors, many of whom were in attendance at the meeting, about a gas compressor line on the property.
As the applicant, James Ray, was absent, Murray spoke for him, and said that the line to and from the compressor is dead, but that people are worried about whether or not the lines really are inactive, and what will happen if Ray starts to dig up the land.
Robert Talley, a Planning Commissioner, said that he would abstain from voting because he’s also a neighbor. He recommended that the Oklahoma Corporation Commission be called to inspect the property, and said that he thought it prudent to wait until they have given a report before the Planning Commission makes a decision. He warned, “there are underground salt tanks and underground pipelines running in several directions. I would also like to see it cleaned up prior to it being rezoned to residential…It’s a mess, it needs to be cleaned up.”
“The ground is contaminated,” said another neighbor. “There’s lines everywhere—electric and gas. And there are lines that go under Indian Road.” The Commission reiterated that the neighbors call OCC and also OERB to make a complaint and to see if one of the entities can determine the status of any lines running through the land.
Commissioner David smith made a motion to table the application until some of the concerns are allayed and until Murray is able relay their concerns and issues to the applicant. This was unanimously approved.
Jeff and Diane Whitley were approved for their application to rezone two combined parcels of land totaling 2.57 acres with frontage on 97th West Avenue in Sapulpa from light residential district and manufactured home to an agriculture district for agricultural use. The applicant explained that they are surrounded by agricultural zoning and said, “We’d just like to get it back to the way it was.”
James and Teresa McKown of Sapulpa were approved to rezone their property on West Highway 33 from a light residential district to an agriculture district to allow handicapped manufactured home and agriculture use on their 13.4 acres.
Murray explained that at one point this land was rezoned from agriculture to light residential and split into 10-acre lots to become a subdivision, but that that never came to fruition.
Mrs. McKown said she and her husband need the rezoning so he can “have access to the home.” She said that Mr. McKown worked at Atwood’s and Walmart and that he has always been involved in the Farmers Market and as a Master Gardener, and that “ag is his life.”
The last two applications will be heard by the Board of County Commissioners at their next weekly meeting on Monday, March 29th.
