Is Edmond at a crossroads? Why the city is grappling to find its identity as it grows

The Oklahoman, Richard Mize 9/24/2025

Key points:

·       Edmond is grappling with its identity as its population surpasses 100,000, balancing growth with its small-town character.

·       Recent city council elections and the rejection of a major bond issue signal a shift toward more transparent governance and controlled development.

·       City leaders and residents are prioritizing planned growth, especially development that increases sales tax revenue without cannibalizing existing businesses.

 EDMOND — Is Edmond at a crossroads? Yes, city leaders and activists both say, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Call it tension, call it push-and-pull, call it "seeking balance," or maybe a generation gap, but one of the questions residents face, with the city population surpassing 100,000 this year seems to underlie the rest:

Should Edmond embrace the hopeful inevitability of becoming a thriving city, or cling to the small-town ways of long-gone days, or both, and if so, how?

Development in Edmond has been a mixed bag with some projects sailing through the approval process and some being nixed altogether. Underlying the issue is a fight for city sales tax growth that has led the mayor to describe Edmond economic development as in "combat" with "that juggernaut to our south and west called Oklahoma City."

Interviews with present and former city leaders, a few everyday people who have effected change, or stopped it, and a check-in with a historian, revealed some common understandings about where Edmond is to go from here.

Three ideas are guiding development conversations in Edmond.

1. Transparency in government

Previous critics of alleged "backroom deals" — flatly denied by elected city officials — and fuzzy finances, acknowledged by those same officials, say there is now better transparency in city government, a campaign issue during the last election, under the present city council.

Mayor Mark Nash and Councilmembers Maggie Murdock Nichols, of Ward 1, which includes downtown and the University of Central Oklahoma; Barry Moore, of Ward 2, part of central Edmond and everything east of Interstate 35; Preston Watterson, of Ward 3, southwest; and Phil Fraim, of Ward 4, west-northwest.

2. Is eastside development off-limits?

Edmond is "a great place to grow," as the slogan says, but it has a city government with a reputation for being difficult at times. It waxes and wanes, and not always just because of the proposed project, developer and location.

But almost anything proposed east of I-35, in the famed Cross Timber, faces challenges of geology, infrastructure and environmental concern.

"I'll tell you, I'm a self-proclaimed tree hugger. I am. And so when we do these things, the remnant forest is important to me. I don't want this to be 'Big Yellow Taxi'," Moore said, referring to Joni Mitchell's 1970 tune expressing environmental concern over uncontrolled development: "They paved paradise to put up a parking lot."

Edmond officially loves trees and has had an Urban Forestry Department for years. Still, almost any development is usually seen as a threat to what Washington Irving famously called "forests of cast iron" after a prairie tour through these parts in 1832.

In west Edmond, which just touches the Great Plains, development is easier because it's flatter, has established infrastructure, numerous pockets of retail and swaths of traditional residential neighborhoods.

3. Do developers have insurmountable sway?

Until fairly recently, developers seemed to have had their turn with the upper hand at City Hall.

But several tipping points have downshifted the driving force of putting land development first to a slower pace that values collaboration, especially with neighboring property owners, and realizes that not all development is equal when it comes to land use.

Critics of specific projects have said, "We're not against all development." The city now says: "We're not for all development," especially projects that neither bring new concepts to the market nor do much to increase sales tax revenue. That is especially important now with tax collections flat.

Edmond tipping points: 'Save Hafer Park,' City Center Complex

In 2021, a developer planned 300 apartments and retail on the south side of Spring Creek, on 22 acres across from Hafer Park to the south at 1034 S. Bryant Ave. Opponents said it would raze trees and harm wildlife, as well as public enjoyment of the family-friendly, 121-acre green space.

It led to a campaign that turned vicious and personal at times, with lawsuits and accusations of unethical behavior by attorneys and city officials with connections to developers. It also led to a vote of the public on a temporary 1/4-cent sales tax for the city to buy the land for preservation. It passed overwhelmingly.

Anxiety played into the vote, as well, said David Chapman, a developer and professor of real estate and finance at UCO, who was serving on the city council at the time. Chapman, who recently self published a book based largely on his experience serving, recalled being personally attacked for some of his positions and because he was a developer.

"The Hafer Park debate crystallized the fear that growth means losing beloved community assets. Those against development were able to leverage that fear effectively," said Chapman, who is a member of the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission.

History provides a longer view.

"The people of Edmond have shown, over and over, that parks and tracts of land are important," said Amy Stephens, executive director of Edmond History Museum. "The importance of land aesthetics dates back to Edmond’s earliest days.

"John L. Mitch promoted the planting of trees, because early Edmond was very flat, mostly mixed-grass prairie. The nearby Cross Timber that runs along I-35 weren’t yet part of the Edmond footprint, but Mitch convinced the early settlers to beautify their properties. He was responsible for planting thousands of trees and commissioned Edmond’s first parks."

In 2022, the city worked with nonprofit Edmond Land Conservancy to create a conservation easement, The Preserve at Hafer Park, to always remain undeveloped. Dedicated last March, it's now called Charles D. Lamb Nature Preserve after a former mayor.

In 2023, a previous city council launched the just-opened City Center Complex downtown, a new city hall at 22 E. Main St., new courthouse at 120 E. Main and public parking garage in between.

The $44 million project, financed with bank loans repaid from a capital improvement sales tax, sparked mixed emotions. Some residents thought the council should have put it to a vote of the people. Plus, the contemporary buildings clash with the "territorial" look originally envisioned.

More tipping points: 'Edmond on the GO,' new city council

In 2024, in November, voters overwhelmingly rejected three bond issue proposals after a short but rancorous contest.

People who opposed the package were incensed because approval of even one of the measures would have raised all property owners' ad valorem taxes by 14.3%, even for homeowners 65 and over with a Senior Assessment Freeze, an especially tough pill for a city that had no property taxes in the first place.

A freeze applies to the county's assessed taxable property value upon which rates are applied, not to tax rates themselves. The extra burden on seniors living on fixed incomes was seen as especially harmful.

Chapman again had a different take: "Again, those opposed tapped into that fear to drive the result."

Finally, in 2025, it all came to a head with the nearly complete turnover of the city council.

Nash, inspired to run by his determined opposition to the bond issue, won the mayor's seat, running on fiscal transparency and pledging to lead city budget reform. He has done so.

Nash also ran on better adherence to established zoning, rather than "changing zoning project by project," in order to discourage "not-in-my-back-yard" (NIMBY) crusades.

Nash beat Tom Robins, a former council member who had stepped down from the Ward 1 seat to run. Watterson took Ward 3 and Fraim took Ward 4 unopposed. Nichols was appointed to fulfill Robins' unexpired term. Only Moore remains from the previous council, representing Ward 2.

How the 2025 Edmond City Council election changed things

The turnover of the city council seems to be an answer to one of the major concerns of those who opposed the development next to Hafer Park and what protester Charles (Chip) Moles called other "stupid projects."

Moles organized a drive-thru petition drive against it. A lawyer for the developer sued the petition filers, alleging fraud, but the case was dismissed.

"What we're trying to get the city council to do is develop a vision. They can see that they have no vision. So our city council meetings are basically them playing defense against the developers because they haven't codified in the law what we're going to allow in certain areas of town," Moles said.

Fellow protester Lydia Lee, disagreed, saying she's seen progress. Lee is an attorney who previously served on the Edmond Planning Commission and Midwest City Planning Commission.

"I think that was correct in the past. I think we are at a point with a new council where that is changing, and that's what we want to emphasize," she said, adding that she thinks some developers do misuse planned unit developments, flexible zoning districts intended for mixed-use developments, for single-use projects.

Consistency in city planning and zoning decisions was a plank of Nash's campaign for mayor.

"We spent nearly two years on the East Edmond 2050 Plan, and it has largely been ignored," he said before the election. "When a developer uses a 20-plus-year-old zoning plan to justify building 500-plus homes in an area that was not designated that way in the most recent plan, (it) will always get pushback.

"Allowing zoning changes all the time is not good for anyone. Just as with fiscal transparency, there must be transparency in the planning process. Everyone must know what to expect and what the outcome will be going into the process."

Not that issues don't have to be worked through, sometimes up to the last minute before a council vote, and for all to see, Nichols said.

"With this council, we've seen some moments where we, like, we're hashing it out," she said. "I mean, we're talking.

"And I'm comfortable with that. I'm comfortable having conversations because I think, as a citizen, if the perception is, 'Oh, everything's all clean and figured out,' well, I mean ... you do public business in the public."

No backroom dealing?

"Well, I can answer that right now. That's not true," Moore said, not now and not during his previous service as a council member. "And I will tell you, I meet with citizens and I meet with developers, anybody that wants to meet. I'll listen. I don't make any promises, but I'm happy to hear them out."

Why voters took down the city of Edmond's capital improvement plans

"Edmond on the GO," the bond package that went down in flames last November was rushed to a vote, the mayor and others said. It seemed to pit property developers, investors and the wealthy against everyone else, especially people with no direct stake in the real estate business.

"A tipping point? Absolutely, it was a tipping point," said Nichols, who wasn't yet serving on the council. "I voted as a citizen, as an informed citizen. I watched it play out on Facebook. ... I felt like, 'Maybe this is happening too fast. Maybe this is too much.'"

The bond proposal "was a lot, and it was a lot compressed into a very compressed time frame," Moore said. "It didn't have to be, but it was. I think we learned some things from that, and I think we're smarter for it."

Moore's position? "I agreed to put it to a vote of the people," he said, and the overwhelmingly negative vote "empowered the citizens to understand and fully appreciate that their voices matter and they matter one day a year, specifically on election day — just how important that is. I'm glad that came about. ...

"I hope what they're finding going forward is that there are fresh faces on the council — and some not so fresh — and that we get along well. ... We have a nice camaraderie. We don't agree all the time, but we try to respect and appreciate everyone else's opinion."

The "Edmond on the GO" defeat by itself wasn't "a tipping point for change in the city," Moore said.

"I think that change was coming long term. It wasn't just specifically the vote on the Hafer Park item or the GO bonds. It was a long time coming."

The failed bond election further added to the sense of empowerment voters realized when they petitioned for change, and voted successfully for it in getting the city to acquire and preserve the land next to Hafer Park, the mayor suggested.

"The end result of the property battle south of Hafer Park ... showed that our voters will approve targeted special taxes that achieve a specific goal over a limited time period," Nash said.

"Trying to convince voters by slicing it up into multiple pieces with something for everyone, including paying for projects already underway, was perceived as a bad idea that needed to be shot down. And it was. This just shows the overall intelligence of Edmond voters."

"Edmond, Oklahoma, Always Growing" is the name of a short picture book about the history of the city. Edmond's motto is "A Great Place to Grow." Growth comes with pains, especially when rushed or prioritized over everything else, Moore said.

"I've talked to past mayors and past council members and people who worked for the city years and years ago. And they've seen this coming for some time, that Edmond's growing and Edmond's different and there's a balance that elected officials have to make to satisfy both sides of that — those that want to see Edmond blossom into 200,000 people, and those that want to see more (of the) small-town charm that we have," he said.

Edmond council member: It's not us-versus-them, but it can seem like it

So, is it developers against everyone else? No. But it can feel like it in the heat of public controversy.

Paula Burkes, an organizer of the "Save Hafer Park" movement, said she and others were falsely accused of prejudice against working people because they were opposing what a developer pitched as an "affordable" apartment complex when it was not.

"People jump to conclusions and they don't know what they're talking about," said Burkes. "That kind of stereotyping is kind of how my neighbors and I stepped into it.

"We woke up one morning to 'Stop Elitism!' 'Stop Discrimination!' We were just so furious. All these judgments made against us when that's not what our life was at all."

Is there a class element at play pitting developers against everyday people, whether in general or with specific projects? After all, Edmond is the fifth-richest city in Oklahoma, based on household income, home values and property taxes paid, according to Forbes.

That puts Edmond in the same air as ritzy Nichols Hills, No. 2, the tiny luxury enclave of Lake Aluma, No. 1, and the small, affluent golf community of Cedar Valley, 20 miles north in Logan County. But is there an us-versus-them mentality when it comes to Edmond growth and development?

"I'll give it a shot and try to answer that," Moore said. "I served on the Planning Commission for 17 years, 10 years as chairman, and I got to know HOA presidents, Neighborhood Alliance board members, rank-and-file members, people that had just moved to Edmond and lifelong residents. And I never felt it was one element against another.

"I always felt it was one side had a very strong opinion about something and the other side differed. I never felt that it was a developer versus 'them' or a developer versus 'us' mentality. In the heat of the moment, that might have been the case. It might have felt like it. But it didn't involve personalities."

"Balanced" is the ideal, the mayor said.

"The focus must be on planned and controlled growth," Nash said "We must be able to continue providing our citizens with the things they want — parks, trails, community events, and perhaps most importantly, great schools.

"What almost everyone in Edmond does not want is out-of-control growth where any development, commercial or residential, is approved and we wind up looking like any other midsize to large city: convenience stores and gas stations on every corner, 3/4th-empty strip centers on every arterial road, low-quality housing just because someone wants to make something in the name of 'affordability.'  We must retain our high standards and then help development happen in a planned and measured way."

Edmond mayor: New-to-market stores, restaurants and entertainment venues especially welcome

Edmond needs "balanced growth," the mayor said, but with an emphasis on retail and restaurants "to generate revenue to run our municipal government.

The city council did bat down a local developer's plans for a Walmart Neighborhood Market at Covell and Coltrane roads a second time, and it drew a second lawsuit.

But Nash said Walmart was denied because of already-heavy traffic, and inadequate streets and truck access from the interstate, just more than a mile away.

Walmart was denied despite Edmond having a mayor who recently called for economic development "combat" against "that juggernaut to our south and west called Oklahoma City."

With Edmond sales taxes down, causing a no-growth city budget for 2025-2026, Nash sees the city limits as a war zone because OKC "is throwing more and more retail at our boundaries, trying to take our citizens' hard-earned money and turn it into their tax dollars."

Sales tax revenues "to run our municipal government" means more than trash collection, street maintenance and the sum of other parts, Moles said. It means quality of life. He said that's why he and others watch development along I-35 so closely and are so ready to oppose certain projects.

"The opposition we've had has been to projects that we believe are going to waste this I-35 corridor," Moles said. "Apartments don't create sales tax and they don't create jobs.

"The one thing we want out of the I-35 corridor is we want sales tax, and we would love every traveler going down the highway to stop and spend some money and give us the sales tax revenue, and we would love it if people from Norman and Moore and Midwest City and Yukon came here to shop because we had a business that they didn't have, and we would get sales tax revenue."

A Buc-ee's, one of the big, carnival-like travel stops with a Beaver Nugget-drunk cult following, would be great on I-35, Moles said. Buc-ee's does have its eyes on Oklahoma.

Buc-ee's would be something new.

The tried-and-true doesn't necessarily add to the sales tax base, Moore said.

"I want additional retail in Edmond. I want new-to-market (retail) to come to our city. I do. And there's a place for that, and we'll figure it out," Moore said, noting that he was not talking about any specific project or proposal.

"But do I think one — pick any restaurant, any fast-food restaurant on a corner in southeast Edmond versus one in northeast Edmond — does it create additional sales tax or does it just cannibalize from one to the other? I don't know the answer to that. I think I do. It might create a little bit. But it certainly cannibalizes from the other. But to be very direct: I want additional retail opportunities in Edmond. I do."

'Living things grow,' and Edmond often has growing pains

A lot of the issues that cause rancor in Edmond have to do with a central question, Moore said. "What are we? ... Are we a growing suburb, which is not a bad word, or are we going to stay where we are?" Then he answered himself: "Living things grow."

And growth means change.

"There are Edmond residents that want us to be like we were 20 or 30 years ago," Nash said, "and there are residents that want us to be a thriving city of 150,000 residents with all the amenities of OKC.

"Our city council, along with most community leaders, recognize that the horse left the barn on being a quaint small town years ago. But that doesn’t mean we can’t preserve the traditions and character that make the community unique while embracing innovation and forward-thinking policies that can help us with our continued growth."

And growth can mean strain.

"I sometimes feel like we're in between," Nichols said. "Small town? Or are we a big town? Or where are we going? You feel that tension, and I think that's a healthy tension — and (with) healthy questions to ask ourselves."

"I don't want to say we're in an identity crisis, but we are definitely — (someone) used the word 'crossroads' — there are some decisions to be made about who we want to be. How do we handle these challenges in front of us today? And my philosophy, or my value system, is that I listen to citizens, and try to get input and feedback and try to be wise in making those decisions."

Chapman said Edmond "has always lived in the tension between being a quiet, comfortable town and being part of a growing metropolitan region. Today, I believe we are turning the corner from simply being a suburb outside of Oklahoma City to being a city with a brand of its own."

Nash said Edmond has turned one corner, for sure.

"The NIMBYism of the 1990s through 2010s has been replaced in Edmond, for the most part, with targeted protection of property values, adherence to high standards, and an expectation that zoning will be enforced, not changed just because a developer wants to do something," the mayor said.

Staff writer Richard Mize covers Oklahoma County government and the city of Edmond. He previously covered housing, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com, starting in 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com.

David Chapman, Edmond developer, member of the Oklahoma Real Estate Commission and a professor at the University of Central Oklahoma, talks about his book, "subURBAN! Reimagining the Suburban Downtown," at Ellis Island Coffee and Wine Lounge at 130 N Broadway Ave., No. 150, just south of his home at 325 N Broadway in downtown Edmond.