Zoning is one key component to creating an environment where developers, neighborhoods and communities thrive. It is important for REALTORS® to be educated and informed to help play a role in zoning code updates in our municipalities.  

OKCMAR Government Affairs Director Gary Jones and Government Affairs Committee Vice-Chair Jessica Thompson will facilitate the class. There will also be presentations from Oklahoma City Planning Staff and the consulting firm hired to conduct the code update.

The class will be held at OKCMAR and will conclude with a panel discussion about proposed changes, as well as time for questions and answers. 

The OKCMAR Commercial Committee needs your input in order to improve commercial listing data in the MLS!

In late March, over a thousand city and community professionals from across the country converged in Oklahoma City for the 25^th Annual Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) Conference. Having the national conference in the city was a perfect opportunity for OKCMAR members to learn about New Urbanism and innovations in code and zoning updates that are creating communities that better meet residents’ needs. 

Founded in 1993, New Urbanism is a movement united around the belief that our physical environment has a direct impact on our chances for happy, prosperous lives. New Urbanists believe that well-designed cities, towns, neighborhoods, and public places help create healthy places for people and businesses to thrive and prosper. New Urbanism can be best described as creating places that people love. 

“I would have to spend hours telling you all that I learned attending the conference,” said OKCMAR Commercial Chair Kara Bowes. “Speakers who are national leaders in city planning and development were available to have informal conversation about these important issues.”   

The format of the five-day conference was unique and offered different ways to learn and interact. Tours were held across the OKC and Tulsa areas, highlighting the best innovations in the communities. In addition, a track of sessions covered everything about zoning and their impact on communities, which was informative as Oklahoma City explores

form-based codes.   

Those in attendance were challenged to think about the impact of climate change, transportation, infrastructure, and the need to address past inequities created by racial and economic discrimination - especially addressing zoning requirements that contributed to housing redlining. 



“This was very informative,” stated OKCMAR Government Affairs Committee Vice-Chair Jessica Thompson. “We learned that those past inequities can be addressed through planning, code, and zoning changes. That is a challenge that OKCMAR should accept as part of our policy initiatives moving forward.” 

//CONNECT WITH US//