Ardmore neighborhood protests zoning change

ARDMORE, Okla. (KXII) - Ardmore City Commissioners tabled a discussion to rezone land for a new veteran care center off of Refinery Road at Monday evening’s meeting.

The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs bought land off of Refinery Road and now wants to change its current status from farmland to a public facility.

But after citizens spoke against the rezoning at Monday’s meeting, commissioners tabled it to another day.

“We want nice facilities for our veterans because they deserve it,” resident Rene Richardson said. “We just don’t think this location is a good fit for them.”

The Veterans Center wants to move their long-term care facility from its current home on South Commerce to a 270-acre plot on Refinery Road.

“The old one is antiquated, and they just want to move residents to a newer more modern facility,” assistant city engineer Josh Randell said.

But neighbors like Richardson say they don’t want more traffic in the neighborhood.

“This is a very dangerous road,” Richardson said. “In our area, I think everybody knows it’s dangerous. It’s 45, but people will go fast. They go 55, 65. We just had an accident this past Friday.”

Richardson showed commissioners photos of that accident during the meeting.

Randell said a roundabout could fix that issue by slowing drivers down.

“It’s gonna help calm that, and in some cases, it’s going to discourage people from taking Refinery Road altogether,” Randell said.

Neighbors aren’t convinced- one man expressed frustration that the traffic study was shown to residents just minutes before the scheduled vote. Others suggested the city build the road to the center with just one entrance.

“If the commissioners feel like they have to approve it we really don’t want an entrance on the south side,” Richardson said.

No members of the public spoke in favor of the project at the meeting.

The discussion was tabled until a meeting on June 20th.

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