Our current OKC zoning code was written in the 1980s and treats nearly the entire city like a suburb. That one-size-fits-all approach no longer reflects who we are today or where we are headed. Oklahoma City is a large, diverse city made up of distinct neighborhoods and districts, each with its own character, needs and potential. More diverse housing is key.
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OKC is working to update the zoning code
From One-Size-Fits-All to Context-Driven: Planners in Oklahoma City have spent years listening to residents, neighborhoods and stakeholders to shape a new city development code built for the future. This update is about more than rules and maps. It is about how Oklahoma City will grow, function, and feel for generations to come.
Our current planning code was written in the 1980s and treats nearly the entire city like a suburb. That one-size-fits-all approach no longer reflects who we are today or where we are headed. Oklahoma City is a large, diverse city made up of distinct neighborhoods and districts, each with its own character, needs, and potential.
The proposed new code recognizes that diversity by clearly defining different areas of the city and drafting the right rules in the right places. This matters because it allows development to fit its surroundings, rather than forcing every neighborhood into the same mold. It supports smarter design, better landscaping and thoughtful mixing of uses where it makes sense.
This new, contextual approach protects what residents value most. Rural areas will benefit from stronger environmental protections for things like septic systems and agricultural land, helping preserve country living for the long term. In more urban parts of the city, the code supports places where homes, jobs, shopping, services and recreation can exist closer together, creating more convenient, walkable, and predictable neighborhoods.
This proposed update sets the foundation for the next chapter of Oklahoma City. It ensures that growth strengthens our neighborhoods, reflects our values, and leaves a positive legacy for future residents. It is a big step forward and an exciting one for the city we are building together.
The right rules in the right places
- Excessive parking requirements will be lifted, especially for commercial zones. Relieving parking requirements will spur redevelopment of small commercial sites, which can be cost-prohibitive for small business owners. Eventually, development can replace worn, hot, and oversized parking lots with new developments like shopping and eating options within walking distance of your home.
- New landscaping rules will beautify our community, create better buffers for privacy and noise reduction, improve air quality, and help combat urban heat, particularly from parking lots.
- The new code will provide various customized “base zones” that will guide more predictable development in each given area. The new zones group together similar areas based on Land Use Typology Areas (LUTA) to designate the following:
- Downtown/Urban High: Existing zones already accommodate more population and heavily concentrated commercial and recreational sites. These zones will be updated as needed but mostly operate as they do now.
- Urban Medium: Many neighborhoods border business districts and the code update would plan for managed, thoughtful density in those transition areas between housing and commercial areas. More diverse housing types, infill development on vacant lots, and successful small businesses are a major emphasis for these areas.
- Urban Low and Suburban neighborhoods: Better blending of commercial and residential offerings to promote more opportunities to walk to a shopping center, work near homes, manage traffic and beautify street frontages. Low building heights adjacent to residential will be maintained, connections to neighborhoods will be more integrated, and commercial zones will be limited to uses that are compatible with adjacent residential.
- Rural zones: More environmental considerations for trees, creeks, groundwater, and wildlife to help rural living areas maintain their natural beauty. Proposed new zones would maintain 5-acre lots and create 1 and 2-acre lots where soils, streams and creeks can be protected and where septic systems can be safely installed. Other proposed changes include lighting rules to protect views of the night sky and wildlife; and commercial zones that allow uses appropriate for a rural area.
Often, building projects must rely on Simplified Planned Unit Developments (SPUDs) and Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) to compensate for the current code that cannot accommodate our city’s more modern needs. While the new code will eliminate the need for SPUDs and PUDs in many situations, they will remain an available zoning tool to accommodate unusual development as needed.
