Planning staff presented a package of proposed changes Nov. 6 to the Unified Development Ordinance that would adjust landscaping and impervious-surface rules for infill development and substantially revise the city's sign code.

City planner Marce told the commission the goals behind proposed Article 3 changes are to preserve "beautiful new development" in Jenks while reducing regulatory burdens that make small-lot infill projects costly and difficult. Staff said they will convene a roundtable with engineers, landscape architects, planners and builders to identify pain points and produce more targeted amendments; staff indicated a fuller Article 3 proposal would likely appear in January.

On sign standards (Article 7), staff proposed several changes:

- Add limited temporary sponsorship signs and scoreboards for sports facilities and parks, with the city attorney reviewing final language.

- Align local billboard regulation language with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) billboard brochure/standards instead of retaining a standalone local 300-foot spacing clause. Staff said it will provide the ODOT specification for commissioner review.

- Create incentives for landscaped monument signs near U.S. highways (staff suggested permitting larger monument signs'for example, up to 100 square feet for single-tenant monument signs'within a measured distance of the highway) rather than permitting more numerous pole/pylon or small "quick trip" pencil signs. Staff discussed applying the larger monument-sign allowance within 500 feet of federal highways to include the Jinx Landing corridor but said the distance and exact measurement language will be re-evaluated.

- Clarify blade/projecting sign rules so pedestrian-oriented blade signs remain small while projecting signs for vehicles are sized relative to building height.

- Allow roof signs with Planning Commission approval in limited situations (for example, riverfront/food-hall projects with veranda-mounted signage), while retaining limits on cabinet signs in the downtown core and riverfront tourist zones.

- Propose removing pennants/streamers from the prohibited list because staff observed businesses using them without enforcement; the commission asked whether to keep or remove these restrictions.

Commissioners asked staff to clarify unintended consequences of removing explicit 300-foot references (which could affect pole sign allowances) and asked for the ODOT billboard standard. Several commissioners expressed a preference for landscaped monument signs over pole/pylon signs along Highway 75. Staff and commissioners also discussed code enforcement practices, noting that the city has generally taken a reactive approach to sign violations and that a proactive enforcement posture would require council direction and additional resources.

Given the scope of the proposed changes and outstanding technical questions (ODOT standards, measurement language, and unintended effects on pole signs), the commission voted to continue the Article 3 and Article 7 amendments to its Dec. 4 meeting to allow staff to revise language and provide supporting materials.