The Monday morning meeting of the Creek County Commissioners took place at 9 a.m., June 17th, in the Collins Building. The three commissioners, Leon Warner, Lane Whitehouse, and Newt Stephens were in attendance.
The item of contention for the first hour of the meeting involved a rezoning request
from the Shane Cox (Tricia) family from R-1 (Single Family) to A-1 (Agricultural) to allow a “manufactured home” at 28001 West 61st St. South in Sand Springs, in Round Mountain Estates, a high-end subdivision.
The applicants want to bring a mobile home next door from Shane Cox’s parents. Further, they want to raise goats since their kids is allergic to dairy. Wendy Murray, Planning Clerk, said the Sapulpa Metropolitan Area Planning Committee (SMAPC) recommended change of zoning.
The next person to speak was Elisa Anderson, who lives in the subdivision. She showed the commissioners a sheaf of papers sporting 102 signatures (all but 3 residents of the area), representing the neighbors who are adamantly opposed to the zoning change. She said that when she bought out there, she had the “expectation” that the area would remain residential. She said some homes were “bigger, newer, nicer than others,” but they are all “stick-built.” She said no mobile homes were grandfathered in. Opening the sites to mobile homes would “ruin the integrity of our subdivision.” Anderson remarked, “There are more of us than them.” She entreated the commissioners: “Please don’t do this to us!”
Charles Jennemann, who owns hundreds of parcels of land in and around Sapulpa, said he had met the Coxes at the SMAPC meeting and thought that were a “beautiful young family.” He admitted calling Shane Cox at his work and leaving a message. Jennemann said Cox asked him not to “reach out to him again,” so Jennemann didn’t.
According to Jennemann, the restrictive covenants say “temporary structure can’t be used as a residence.” He asked the commissioners not to approve the application.
Chairman Leon Warner reminded the standing-room-only crowd that on July 1st, the newly formed Planning Commissions for city and county would be taking shape. “The zoning codes will be changed,” he said. He further stated that the application needed to be amended, because he asked the Coxes what they wanted to do next.
One particularly heated exchange was when Ms. Anderson challenged Chairman Warner: “Why do you keep asking them what they want? What about all of us?” Anderson shouted, flapping her pack of signatures.
Commissioner Warner stated, “It’s their application!”
Sandie Willenborn, who lives in the subdivision, warned the Coxes: ”We are not at war with the Coxes! They are a fine family, I am sure. The covenants have been defended in court; they are enforceable.” Then she referred to the young man who lived in a temporary mobile home while building a home in Round Mountain, and he lost in court, and the mobile home was removed.
After about an hour of wrangling, the commissioners decided to delay making a decision until the July 1st meeting to give the Coxes time to amend their application, removing the goats, the mobile home, and perhaps, considering a modular home or site-built one.
Newt Stephens remarked, “Let’s get it right the first time!” in reference to getting the application done properly and making a good decision about it.
Chairman Warner reminded the group that the new County Planning Commission meeting will take place on July 2nd at 6 p.m. at the Collins Building Ballroom. He advised the Coxes to get to know the District #2 representative, Carla Cale, and Jerri Salema, from the Round Mountain area.
