Commissioners Approve Alternative Building Material for Luxury Development Near Campus

The Stillwater Planning Commission unanimously approve the use of fiber cement siding for a new multi-family development at 231 N. Husband Street, addressing concerns about labor shortages in the construction industry.

The alternative compliance request, presented at the May 6 meeting, allows developer Riggins Ventures to use fiber cement board as a facade material instead of the originally planned brick exterior.

Stephen Gose, representing the applicant as project engineer, explains the rationale behind the request: "We're trying to come in with a material that is durable, kind of meets the intent of the durability within the code, meets the previous code, and allows construction to proceed in a timely manner."

The developer cites significant challenges in finding available bricklayers due to multiple ongoing construction projects in Stillwater.

"With all the projects going on in Stillwater, with the high school, the fire station, the airport, the hub, the largest bricklayer in town who can manage something like this is just backed up," Gose tells the commission.

Dakota Riggin, representing Black Pine, the builder for the project, confirms the urgency of the commission's decision: "We've been waiting on whatever facade material that we decide to use or you guys allow us to use. We're well past the point of getting ready to go and putting forward with the process."

Flexing building code to address construction hurdles

The form-based code that governs development in this area currently limits primary exterior finish materials to brick, cast stone, stone, EIFS (Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems), stucco, architectural metal, or "other high-quality, long-lasting masonry material."

"Cement fiberboard is a very long lasting material. It's extremely durable," Commission Chair Jana Phillips said. "I find this to be very much in keeping with the spirit of how this was originally intended."

Interestingly, fiber cement board was previously included as an approved material when the form-based code was initially adopted in 2015, but was removed during a 2019 update.

Form-based codes attempt to foster land development that prioritizes the physical form of the building and their relationship to the public realm versus traditional zoning that solely focuses on land use. The goal is to achieve a predictable result.

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Development Services Director David Barth clarifies that the 2019 update focused primarily on public realm improvements rather than specifically targeting building materials.

"This update was not just about removing a material. It was a much bigger change to the form-based code and this just was an included item," Barth explains.

Commissioner Mike Shanahan questions whether the city should consider adding cement fiberboard back into the code as an acceptable material to avoid similar reviews in the future.

Barth acknowledges this possibility but suggests a more comprehensive approach: "I don't know if the right thing is to add it back into the code or to make changes to the code that we don't even specify materials at all."

He notes that existing buildings with siding that deteriorates may face challenges if they can only replace it with materials currently specified in the code, especially if the structure lacks the foundation necessary for brick or stone.

Commissioner Mark Prather, who made the motion to approve the request, expresses concern about the delay the approval process has caused for the builder.

"I'd make a motion to approve it," Prather states after learning the builder has been waiting for a decision to move forward.

The commission's approval allows the development to proceed with a facade that includes fiber cement board siding materials, which Phillips described as providing "a more pedestrian feel and a more walkable feel."

OSU grad returns to Stillwater, joins city planning department

In other business, the commission welcomed new Senior Planner Henry Bibelheimer, who previously worked as a planner for the city of Broken Arrow.

Bibelheimer, who grew up in Wagner, Oklahoma, and earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University, brings experience in sustainable development from his graduate studies at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom.

"I ended up building a shipping container house in Wagner, which meant with a unique house, I worked a lot with the local planner," Bibelheimer explains. "I kind of learned that's how laws are implemented on the local level. So I was like, hey, maybe I'll give that a shot."

His innovative approach to housing continues with a new project: "I'm also in the process of building a three container house that has kind of two on the first floor and one that on the second floor that's perpendicular, so it cantilevers about 20 foot over."

The Planning Commission's next regularly scheduled meeting is set for May 20.

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