Norman Residents, Business Owners Express Concerns About Planned Billion-Dollar Entertainment District

As plans for a new billion dollar entertainment district in Norman make headway, residents and business owners in the area feel uneasy about how it may affect their community.

A recently-filed lawsuit says a special election vote would be an improper legislative act, meaning Norman residents are unable to vote on the project.

Without a chance at the ballot box, a downtown business owner said the sudden changes feels like taxation without representation.

Deborah Clark, the owner of Sandalwood & Sage, said she wishes the tax dollars were not bound to the project, and that the entire city had more to benefit from it.

Although excited about bringing new business to Norman, Clark said she would love for tax dollars to be focused on the entire city instead of one area.

"If you're not giving the sales tax back to the city, but taking paramedics, fire, police, sanitation, and you're concentrating them on an area that has a lot of people, are you putting that back into the community?" Clark said.

Additionally, Clark said she feels traffic and parking would be an obstacle as that area is already heavily congested.

Plans for the entertainment district could still move forward without the special election.

A temporary injunction is in place while the Norman City Council decides what to do next. Meanwhile, the City of Norman says they are working to solidify traffic plans, and economic agreements have not yet been reached.