JENKS, Okla. – The Jenks City Council voted Tuesday night to adopt a new downtown master plan aimed at making the city’s Main Street corridor safer, more walkable and more inviting. While city planners say the plan is flexible and years away from implementation, some business owners are raising concerns about what proposed parking changes could mean for their livelihoods.
Key Takeaways
- The Jenks City Council voted to adopt the downtown master plan Tuesday night, more than two years in the making.
- The plan includes options that could replace some Main Street parking spots with outdoor seating and greenery — but no final decisions have been made.
- The city says any changes to Main Street are still years away.
- A spring pilot program that temporarily removed Main Street parking saw at least one merchant report a 71 percent drop in business.
- Business owners say they weren’t notified the plan was up for a vote and are calling for better communication from the city going forward.
- City leaders plan to meet with Main Street merchants before finalizing any specific elements of the plan.
City Planning Director Marcae Hilton said the plan has been in the works for more than two years and was developed by Beck Design. She described it as a flexible document with no absolute requirements — one that can incorporate feedback from individual building owners and merchants on Main Street.
One of the plan’s more contested options would replace some Main Street parking spots with outdoor seating and plants. Employees at one Main Street restaurant told News On 6 they liked the idea of more outdoor seating, while others weren’t sold on the prospect of customers having to park on side streets…