Last Updated on April 19, 2018, 8:04 PM | Published: April 19, 2018
The entire agenda for the Oklahoma City Board of Adjustment Thursday concerned requests for sign variances.
Three applications stood out, one because of the scale of sign variance requested.
But, the other two requests for sign variances were significant because of what we learned about the growth of Mustang Public Schools.
Mustang Public Schools
The district is building four new facilities near where Chech Hall Road intersects with SW 44th and SW 15th.
It’s an area roughly between Yukon and Mustang cities.
Riverwood Elementary and what the Mustang PS is temporarily calling Middle School Number 3 will be off of SW 44th Street.
Meadowbrook Intermediate and the Transportation Warehouse that busses will operate out of will be off of SW 15th.
Free Press talked with Alan Green, Chief Operations Officer for Mustang Public Schools about the projects after his appearance before the board.
“We are a rapidly-growing district and need this space,” Green said. “A lot of people don’t realize it, but Mustang High School is already the fifth largest high school in the state.”
Mustang High School plays 6A sports and is the only high school in the district so far.
He said the boundary for Mustang Public Schools far exceeds the city limits of Mustang.
It means they have had to do considerable business with the City of Oklahoma City over the last several years as residential housing has taken off and the need for more schools has increased sharply.
Lifetime Fitness
Lifetime Fitness is building their biggest athletic facility in the metro on the north side of Quail Springs Mall.
Plans for the building show it rising two stories and has a footprint as large or larger than any of the original mall anchor department stores.
They were denied a sign variance because their design for signage was twice the allowable limit.
In discussion before the vote, Chair Scott Cravens pointed out that because of the facility’s large size the signage was not obviously extreme.
As well, the building is on the north side of the mall.
“It’s not like this is fronting Memorial Road,” said Cravens.
A motion by to deny the request died for lack of a second.
After more discussion, the board voted in favor of giving Lifetime Fitness a continuance until the May 3 meeting of the Board of Adjustment.
After adjournment, J.J. Chambless, principal planner for the city, said the scale of Lifetime Fitness’s signs was just too far from the code specifications and that city staff would be working with them to make adjustments to their plans before the May 3 meeting.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
