JENKS, Okla. — The Jenks City Clerk received a petition with over 1,000 signatures asking for a public vote on the Cal Ripken Experience baseball park project in July 2023.
Organized by the Jenks Coalition for Smart Growth, the referendum petition had around twice as many signatures needed to meet requirements.
- Previous coverage >>> Jenks City Council allows controversial baseball complex to move forward
"This overwhelming response from the Jenks voters demonstrates that the City Council did not have the support of Jenks residents when it passed the ordinance allowing for the zoning change," said Catherine Lenhart, a JCSG founding member.
On Nov. 22, a Tulsa County judge ruled the "gist" of the petition was misleading and "does not fairly describe the proposed constitutional amendment and is invalid," according to court documents.
The land owner, Duane Phillips, told 2 News Oklahoma that he cares about community's concerns, but wants them to be based on accurate information.
"I just want the verbiage to be correct," said Phillips. "We care a lot about the voice of the citizens of the city of Jenks. If they have comments, then I would love to hear them."
Phillips discussed plans to dedicate over half of the acreage to green space.
"We're putting in trails for the public, free to the public. There's two play stations that will be for the kids to come down and play on, free to the public," said Phillips. "We truly hope that this is a huge benefit to the city of Jenks."
On Nov. 28, JCSG released a statement in response to the ruling.
Residents complained for months that the city hadn't shared enough details of traffic, planning, and environmental studies of the park bordering their neighborhood.
Despite these concerns, the City approved the development on June 27.
The judge's order claims the petition said agricultural zoning is not applied to the property, and that is not true.
"[The petition] omits any information or reference in the PUD including reservation of 50% plus of the property as green space and newly-accessible walking trails," court documents read.
Residents against the development will now have to explore other options.
"While the court has great respect for citizen-led initiatives and direct democracy, these three issues were misleading and/or incorrect and justify striking the ballot under the above legal standards," court documents read.
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