In the heart of Norman, Oklahoma, the Original Townsite Neighborhood Organization serves as a vibrant hub for community connection and advocacy. This organization unites residents with a shared mission to promote the neighborhood’s welfare, foster a sense of belonging, and drive positive change. Through various committees and regular meetings, neighbors collaborate to preserve the unique character of their area while addressing challenges and seizing opportunities for improvement. Whether you’re new to the community or a long-time resident, the organization invites you to join in shaping the future of the Original Townsite neighborhood. Our purpose is to:

• promote the welfare of the Original Townsite neighborhood,
• encourage community engagement,
• advocate for neighborhood improvements, and
• foster a sense of community and place among residents

Concretely, the Organization helps us get to know each other and gives us a forum where we have a VOICE and a CHOICE (vote). We work together to preserve what we like about our neighborhood and improve the parts we want to see change for the better. We invite all of our neighbors to join us in the joining the Organization.

Neighborhood Boundaries and Name

Original Townsite neighborhood is bounded by Main and Gray Streets on the north, Alameda on the south, Reed Street on the east and Porter Avenue on the west. The neighborhood was so named because it was included in the first acreage platted to become the Town of Norman in 1889.

Land Use

Like all neighborhoods, Original Townsite is characterized by its land use and built environment, as well as its physical, social and economic conditions. Land use in the neighborhood is defined by three major patterns: residential, institutional and commercial. Single‐family residential land use is the dominant pattern (80%) with pockets of two‐family or multi‐family units interspersed throughout (20%). Land use conflicts stemming from business expansion along Porter Avenue and to a lesser extent along Alameda have dominated neighborhood concerns for many years. Also, institutional expansion at Sarkeys Foundation has removed some adjacent housing, causing concerns for some about a “loss of neighborhood turf.” Though outside the neighborhood boundary, the future of undeveloped land just east of Reed Street, which is owned by Griffin Hospital/the State of Oklahoma, presents a question and perhaps an opportunity.

Encroachment

Unchecked expansion of commercial corridors can be a destabilizing force in adjacent neighborhoods. Its ripple effect negatively affects property values causing property owners to lose confidence in their investments. This series of cause‐and‐effect events has been underway along Porter Avenue for many years. In 2010, the Norman City Council adopted the Porter Avenue Corridor Plan which included the Porter Corridor Zoning Overlay District (PCZOD). The overlay district sets a limit line for commercial expansion into adjacent residential blocks and requires a physical buffer between these land uses. This protection should begin to restore Original Townsite property owners’ confidence and boost incentives to reinvest in properties along commercial edges.

Housing Stock

Original Townsite Neighborhood includes a wide variety of housing stock built between 1889‐2024, with the majority of structures constructed between 1920‐1950. Overall, the housing stock is in fair to good condition, with scattered cases in poor condition.

Proximity to Community Destinations

Original Townsite Neighborhood is adjacent to Main Street and the Porter Avenue commercial corridor. The neighborhood is near the 12th Avenue commercial corridor, and close to Norman Regional Hospital and doctors’ offices, several churches, as well as two schools. In addition, the neighborhood is 1.5 miles from the University of Oklahoma’s North Oval. In other words, Original Townsite residents can easily walk or bike to reach many basic services and daily needs.

Original Townsite Neighborhood is well‐served by both physical and civic infrastructure. Physical infrastructure refers to the largescale network of public services or systems such as water lines, storm and sanitary sewer systems, roads, alleys and sidewalks. Civic infrastructure refers to parks, schools, museums, recreational trails and other public buildings and institutions.

Residents

Original Townsite Neighborhood is inhabited by many long‐term residents but it has also begun to attract younger residents who are drawn to the neighborhood’s affordability, early 20th Century charm and good schools. Particularly along the commercial edges, some areas of the neighborhood are experiencing conversions of owner‐occupied housing to rental housing. Nearly 74% of the neighborhood residents fall into the low-to‐moderate income category.

Quality of Life

Original Townsite has experienced a steady decline of property maintenance levels over the past thirty years. This trend often signals declining levels of emotional as well as economic investment in a neighborhood. This has been particularly true adjacent to Porter Avenue, Main Street and Alameda. Original Townsite neighborhood became a Pro‐Active area in 2008 and the City of Norman has since adopted Pro‐Active Code Enforcement citywide. This has had a positive impact on conditions overall but there is still a long way to go. A key change that must occur is the creation of a culture of neighborhood expectations for tidiness.

Bishop Creek Watershed

Original Townsite is traversed by a segment of Bishop Creek, one of Norman’s principal watersheds. During heavy rains, the creek regularly floods its channelized banks. Repetitive loss from these floods resulted in the City buying and demolishing five houses in the floodway at the northeast corner of the neighborhood. A number of other neighborhood houses along the creek remain in the floodway. One way to prevent further flooding is to re‐examine how runoff is currently managed upstream, particularly on the Griffin Hospital campus.

Redevelopment

With its central location and proximity to many community destinations, market forces may begin to drive redevelopment in some parts of the neighborhood, especially where multi‐family (R‐3) zoning exists. Redevelopment may be desirable in some locations, but it is strongly recommended that future redevelopment must be sensitive to the neighborhood’s overwhelming single‐family land use character.