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Editor’s note: This story was updated Nov. 15 at 3:29 p.m. to add a statement sent by Team Norman.

City council gave its approval on the creation of a TIF review committee regarding the proposed $1 billion entertainment district located at Rock Creek Road and Tecumseh Road east of Interstate 35.

The motion was passed in a 5-4 vote with council members Michael Nash, Bree Montoya, Helen Grant and Lauren Schueler voting against.

The decision came after much debate as a motion was put forth by Lauren Schueler, Ward 2, to postpone the decision for what she called a lack of a solid project plan. The initiative failed ultimately in another 5-4 vote.

According to Kathryn Walker, city attorney, there is no set plan or timeline of when the plan will be ready as they are still in negotiations.

The timeline for any feasibility studies for the project is also still uncertain. According to Team Norman’s website, the State of Oklahoma Commerce Department study is set to be publicly presented this month, but when the Transcript reached out to the commerce department they said it would most likely have a January to February timeframe.

Walker said that there is no requirement to have a plan to form the committee, but the city has usually had one in the past when they made these types of decisions.

Councilor Stephen T. Holman, Ward 7, said his decision on the original motion of approving the committee was contingent on sharing the information with the UNP oversight committee as well.

If the committee is to be formed, further plans would eventually be presented to council, the planning commission and there would be two public hearings to discuss the issue, Walker said.

Many public comments were against the motion, especially because the city added the item to the agenda with barely 24 hours notice of the meeting. Reasons given for this were last-minute information given to council the week before and the city being closed on Friday, Nov. 10, due to Veterans Day.

Other issues constituents had was the rush of making these decisions, the use of public money, feelings of priority for the university rather than the city as a whole and an earlier plan for an arena that had been rejected before.

“Don’t do anything tonight, please,” said Steven Ellis, a regular speaker at city council meetings, as he addressed council.

Dan Schemm, of Visit Norman, encouraged council to pass the initiative as it wouldn’t “commit them to anything” and the plans for the project would ultimately come back to them and the planning commission.

Scott Martin, of the Norman Chamber of Commerce, also echoed these sentiments for council to approve the committee and said “delay does nothing” in response to the motion to postpone the item.

Representatives from the University of Oklahoma spoke in favor of approving the committee, including Athletics Director Joe Castiglione, who said this decision will start a “special moment in time” for a “transformative” project.

He also argued that these types of facilities help grow university programs and give “competitive benefits for the City of Norman.”

Councilor Nash, Ward 5, said his decision to vote against was because he considered it “inappropriate” to move forward without all the information, especially with an overwhelming opposition to the project from the public.

In a statement sent by Team Norman they wrote: “We are grateful for the Norman City Council’s careful consideration of Team Norman’s entertainment district development proposal, and we are pleased that members have established a Statutory TIF Review Committee to further the evaluation of this transformative initiative. For the past several months, we have worked closely with councilmembers and city staff, sharing details on the proposed district, and incorporating important feedback. We are committed to continuing this critical collaborative process with the added involvement of citizens of the City of Norman and Cleveland County. The City Council’s action on Tuesday represents the next important step, and we are looking forward to providing more information, receiving additional input, and promoting transparency.”

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