City Council - Special Meeting

I guess this is it. [laughter] Comes up right here. Oh, it will

call the Broken Air City Council meeting to order. We have invocation by Pastor uh Greg Bitman. Can we begin by praying together? Father God, we honor you at the beginning of this meeting. We recognize you as sovereign. You know all things. You are ruler of all things. And we thank you for this great city of Broken Arrow. Place that is safe and loving, that's orderly, that's growing. May we continue to be good neighbors to one another. May we be a place where the most vulnerable are always protected. May we be a place where we serve one another. And tonight for this meeting, we pray for unity in the midst of differing opinions. We pray for peace in the midst of conflicting views. We pray for wisdom in the midst of our own thoughts and emotions. We know from your word that you establish governing authorities and you call them your servants. You also ask to pray ask us to pray for them. And so tonight we ask that you would grant our city council members divine insight and understanding as they make significant decisions that impact many many people.

[snorts] Help us all to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before you, oh God. Would you bless this meeting? Would you bless our city? Would you bless our state? Would you bless our country? We pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Thank you, sir. Um, would you call roll call? So, sorry. Councelor Pickle, here. Councelor Green here. Counselor Ford here. Vice Mayor Parks here. Mayor Wimpy here. Please stand and join uh Vice Mayor Parks and the pledge of allegiance. [clears throat] Salute.

Pledge. I alian to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. All right. [clears throat] So, we before we begin, we're going to do a a few housekeeping notes. So, good evening everyone. I'd like to begin by extending a heartfelt thank you uh to Dr. or Miss Dan Mayberry um with NSU for graciously allowing us to use this building and providing the space. [applause] We're truly grateful for the hospitality and the partnership that you guys always extend to us. Um, I also want to thank all of you, our citizens, uh, for your interest in this matter and for taking time out of your busy schedules and your lives to be engaged and participate in our local government. Your presence speaks volumes about our community's commitment to civic involvement. Now, to address why we're gathered here this evening, we're holding a public hearing on a proposal that was recommended by the planning commission last month and forwarded it to the city council for consideration. In just a few moments, we'll dive into the specifics of that proposal. Before we proceed, a few housekeeping notes to ensure everything runs smoothly. There will be no intermission. We'll continue straight through until a motion is made, seconded, and a vote on the application. Restrooms are conveniently located just outside the auditorium to my left. Uh you may notice one of one of us counselors stepping out briefly to use them, but rest assured the meeting will continue uninterrupted as a quorum will always remain. We'll still be able to follow the discussion even if we're away for a moment because we can hear in the in the back there. This meeting will follow the same procedures as our

typical regular city council sessions involving land use u applications. In a few minutes, I'll call up community director Rocky de director Rocky Hinkle to introduce the item, providing an overview of the applicant's request. The applicant will then have approximately 10 minutes, unless otherwise extended, to present their proposal and answer any questions we may have. City staff will also be available to address our inquiries. Following that, I will open the floor for public comments. Now, let's review the ground rules to keep things orderly and respectful. We stopped accepting forms for those wishing to speak at 5:50. This deadline was necessary to give our staff time to organize the forums, separating supporters from opponents and distinguishing those who would want to speak or those who simply just wish to register their opinions, which will help the meeting flow more efficiently. During the public comments portion of the meeting, each speaker will be allotted three minutes, and you will see the clock on the screen behind me, so you will know how much time you have remaining. Please let me make this important note that the open record or the open meeting act does not mandate public comments. It's a privilege granted by the governing body which also sets the time limits. 3 minutes is the standard we've we've established and are used consistently in our Broken Arrow's various public meetings. We will alternate between speakers who support the proposal and those who oppose it. We'll start with Broken Arrow residents who wish to speak alternating between support and oppo opposition. After that, we'll begin to hear from non-residents. Public comments assist this body to make a decision. Therefore, the council may conclude the public comments portion once it believes it has enough information. To be clear, I have the discretion to end public comments even if everyone from the public has not spoken. Once the council or I conclude the public comments, the applicant will have a chance for rebuttal. When we open public comments, the speaker will approach the standing microphone to my left, um the same side as the Oklahoma state flag, while the next three speakers wait in the queue by

taking their place in one of the reserved seats and the first few rows. Um as each speaker finishes or when their time is up, we will announce the next speaker and we will call the names of the next person to join the queue. Our aim is to always have four speakers ready, one at the mic and three in line to keep things running smoothly. If you're in the auditorium and physically unable to come to the queue, please raise your hand when your name is called. I might also add silence your phones. Sorry. Um, a city employee will acknowledge your location. When you hear your name called for your turn to speak, raise your hand again and a city employee will come to you with a microphone and hold it for you during your comments. When it's your turn to speak, we ask that you begin by stating your name and the city where you reside. Please direct your remarks to the council and no one else. We insist on professional decorum throughout. Disruptions, disturbances, or any interference with the proceedings will not be tolerated. Our goal is to foster a safe environment for civil debate on this issue. If anyone cannot adhere to these guidelines, I'll instruct a police officer to address the matter. And under state law, that individual may be asked to leave the premises. For clarity, disruptions include any conduct any conduct that is violent, threatening, abusive, obscene, or that endangers the safety of oneself or others. Additionally, we ask all attendees to refrain from clapping, cheering, booing, or any other reactions that signify support or opposition to a speaker's remarks. If you'd like to still make your opinion known without speaking, we're happy to accept those forms throughout the evening. Our city employees are currently organizing them and will continue to do so as we proceed through the meeting. From time to time, our executive assistant, Cricut Moore, may come to the stage to deliver batches of these organized opinion forms to me. This won't delay delay or interrupt the meeting. It's simply a way to ensure we receive and consider your abundant input. We recognize that there are strong feelings on both sides of this proposal,

but tonight is Broken Arrow's chance to set an exemplary standard for how a community can come together, peacefully discuss differing viewpoints, and reach a solution. Let's commit to being courteous and professional towards one another, fostering productive dialogue this evening. And at this time, I will ask Vice Mayor Johnny Parks to call the names of the first four speakers to make their way to the reserve seats to my left and to wait for the public comments portion of the meeting.

She's doing that just to take a rest. [cough] Doug Town from Broken Air, Oklahoma. Katie Ives from Broken Air, Oklahoma. Billy Jack Hirs, hur I believe, from Broken Era, Oklahoma. And uh Steve Swagger from Broken Era, Oklahoma. If you four would go over there, they will get you in line for us. [clears throat] Thank you, sir.

Thank you, Vice Mayor. And with that, let's move on to agenda item number five under general council meeting. Consideration, discussion, and possible approval of BAZ 2469-2025 reszoning and SP2526-2025 conditional use permit. Uh Rocky Hinkle, you're up.

Good evening, Madame Mayor, Mr. Vice Mayor, members of council, city manager, Mr. Spurgeon. I'm community development director Rocky Hinkle. Before you tonight is an application for the consideration of a property resoning and the consideration of a conditional use permit for a place of assembly. First slide, please. The property is located on the east side of South Olive Avenue, also referred to as South 129th East Avenue and south of the Creek Turnpike. Next slide, please. This property is approximately 15 acres and has a land use designation of level six for the next comprehensive plan that was adopted by city council in 2019. Surrounding properties have the following land uses as identified by the next comprehensive plan adopted by city council in 2019. To the north is comprehensive plan level six which is greenway and flood plane. It is zoning of agriculture. It land uses vacant. To the east is comprehensive plan level six. Zoning is agricultural. Land use is vacant. To the south is level three and greenway and flood plane. Zoning is agricultural. Land use is place of assembly with specific use permit 175. To the west is level six and level three agricultural. It is a single family residence and vacant land. Next slide please. The property is currently zoned A1 agricultural BAZ 002469-2025 is a request to reszone the property from A1 agricultural to CG commercial general. Comprehensive plan designation level 6 supports commercial uses. Show the the request to resone the property from A1 agricultural to CG commercial general complies with the next comprehensive plan adopted by the city council in 2019. Next slide please. As you can see here in the slide from the bottom, fourth row from the bottom, you see the commercial general district. And if you go all the way over to the right, level six, you go down and you

see that commercial general is allowed in level six for the next comprehensive plan. Next slide, please. As part of this application, SP-00002526-2025 is a request for a conditional use permit for a place of assembly. This request is allowed by zoning ordinance updated adopted by council on May 20th, 2025 and became effective July 1st, 2025. Per the zoning ordinance update effective July 1st, 2025, a place of assembly is an allowable use in an A1 agricultural zone which it currently is zoned or the requested zoning of commercial general with a conditional use permit. You see there in the table, second one from the bottom, it says place of assembly. You go all the way over to the right where it says CG and it says it is allowed with a conditional use permit per the zoning ordinance. Next slide, please. As part of this application, the property owner or applicant has submitted a conceptual site plan, meaning that this is just a sketch of what the property owner envisions the site to look like before any land surveying or engineering has been performed. If this application request for resoning and a conditional use permit were to be approved, the property owner or applicant would need to submit an official site plan and follow the site plan process ensuring compliance with all local, state, and federal development guidelines addressing traffic, storm water, sewer, sanitary sewer, zoning, platting, fire and life safety, building codes, and permitting requirements. It is not uncommon for the scope of the official site plan to differ from the conceptual site plan due to the engineering or property constraints. Next, next slide, please. Parking space criteria is outlined in the updated zoning ordinance that was effective July 1st, 2025. Parking requirements for places of assembly are one parking space per four seats in an assembly area or one per 100 square feet in meeting area without seats. As for the retail development of this

project, parking spaces are defined by the use. So, parking space requirements can range from one parking space per 250 ft to one parking space per 1,000 square ft. The final number of parking spaces will be determined and approved during the site plan review process for both the place of assembly and the retail development. During the December 18th, 2025 planning commission meeting, a significant amount of citizens spoke in opposition and raised concerns over infrastructure. i.e. traffic, storm water and sanitary sewers in the f future fronted road that runs parallel along the south side of the creek turnpike. Additionally, citizens also spoke in favor of the development overall. Next slide. As mentioned previously, all infrastructure needs would be addressed during the engineering process and must meet all local, state, and federal criteria. With respect to the frontage road, if this application were to be approved, the property owner will be required to dedicate the rightway needed for the frontage road. Planning commission is a recommending body that does not have approval authority for this application. The planning commission recommended two separate motions. One motion to approve the resoning request from A1 agricultural to CG commercial general and another motion to approve the conditional use permit for a place of assembly. Planning Commission recommended approval of the resoning request 4 to one. Planning Commission also recommended approval of the conditional use permit 3 to two with the condition that no outdoor speakers be permitted. Based upon the comprehensive plan, the location of the property, the surrounding land uses, and the applicable zoning laws. Staff recommends that BAZ-00002469-2025 and SP-00002526-2025 be approved subject to the property being platted per planning commission and staff recommendations. Mayor, before this time asking permission for the applicant to come out, I'd be willing to address any questions that the council may have. Thank you. Right. The

application or applicant come to the mic. This is for the tall guy. Let's see. I feel your pain, sir.

Good evening, mayor and council member. My name is Ms. Quesim. Thank you for opportunity to speak with you tonight. I serve as the agent affair commissioner for the city of Tulsa, a member of the YW.CA board of director, and the mayor police community coalition. Professionally, I'm a contractor and over the years I have been involved in several projects here in Broken Arrow and I appreciate the city and the thoughtful process follows. I have also served as the chairman for the Islamic side of Tulsa for over four years. In the 2014 while serving in the city serving in the role we established a simple long-term vision to to responsibly purchase a land for future expansion so our community could continue practicing its faith and serving the broader public. That vision has never changed. Our logos carries a simple message serving community. That is who we are. I recognize that the planning commission's meeting was long and emotional and the many fears were expressed, but fears cannot be the standard by which we govern. Facts, fairness, and consistency should guide us. Our country has long-standing protection to ensure that religious communities are treated fairly in land use decisions so that the cities can apply zoning rules consistently and repeat responsibly to all face. I would like to briefly address some of the concern the they were raised regarding property values and traffic. Places of worship, churches, synagogues and mosques are recognized community uses and are not shown by evidence or experience to reduce property values in many neighborhoods. They provide

stability, long-term stewardship and provide positive engagement. This is not a commercial operation. activity is predictable, limited and concentrated in at specific time very similar to churches already in the area. We will fully comply with all city traffic, parking and safety requirement just as we always have. This is a low impact community oriented use. I would also like to briefly address the city 2019 comprehensive plan since it has been referenced during this discussion. The comprehensive plan is intended to serve as a long range policy guide, not as a zoning ordinance. It supports institutional uses such as places of worship when they are compatible with surrounding development and meet applicable zoning and infrastructure standard. This project meets this criteria. It complies with the current zoning code and was reviewed and approved by the planning commission following public hearing and technical reviews. Matters such as traffic, drainage, access, and site design are addressed through the city established engineering and permitting process as required for any development of this type. While the comprehensive plan discusses frontage road as a long-term consideration for future commercial corridors, it does not require a frontage road for an institutional or religious use, nor does it prohibit otherwise compliant development in its absent. For this reason, approval of this application is consistent with both the zoning code and the intent and guiding principle of the city of broken arrow 2019 comprehensive plan. Muslim have been part of the

Oklahoma story for generation. In 1959, Dr. Nazi Zadi performed Oklahoma's first cardopulary bypass surgery and in 199 1984 he performed the state first heart transplant. Just last month, the city of Tulsa honored Dr. Kamran Muhammad, the cardiologist with a luminary award to the champion of workforce development. Today, Muslim physician, nurses, engineers, business owners, and educators serve communities across Oklahoma. People who are the families who care for the families every day. Our faith teaches us service to others regardless of religion or economic status. Over the years, our charity works, feeding the homeless, running food drives, supporting families in need, and cleaning public places led a local Catholic congregation to support our effort. That kind of trust across faith speaks to who we are. Council members, we are asking for nothing more than what this country promises. The freedom to worship peacefully and to contribute positively to the community we already call home. Regardless, religious freedom does not exist only when it is comfort comfortable or popular. It exists precisely the for moment like this. Tonight is not just zoning. It is about who we are as a community. We respectfully ask the council to affirm the zoning approval and allow this compliant low impact place of worship to move forward. We are here to be good neighbors to to serve and to build surrounding that reflect the values broken arrow stands for fairness, inclusion and respect for the rule of law. Thank you for your time. I'm going to ask Nicole from Wallace Engineering to come here and present. Thank you very much.

have anything in front of me. Good evening, Nicole Watts with Wallace Design. [clears throat] We have um some packets we want to pass out to everybody. And I know Rocky has it. Do you have it to be able to pull out? Will you pull up their exhibit, please?

Okay. So, I know there was a lot of conversations at planning commission about this property and the surrounding. Um, so wanted to just kind of talk through it a little bit. Um, as you can see, this is just the existing conditions. There is existing flood plane and floodway throughout the property. There is a blue line jurisdictional stream through there. Um, if you can go to the next one slide, please. So we love architects but we also love engineers too who actually look at code you know look at the codes and understand what needs to be done. And so we took another look at the site plan um from what was submitted. Um, as you can see the hatched area on the west, the north, and the northeast, that's the rideway that's going to be required to be dedicated for the access road. That is part of the comp plan. That will be part of the development. Um, as you can see also that the parking lot has been greatly reduced as Rocky had stated. Um, parking counts are one per four seats or one per 100 square foot of building. So with the proposed building that's being looked at, we're about 150 to 200 spaces that would be allowed by code. You know, as you know, Broken Arrow allows 125% maximum um parking calc as well. So anything above that would have to be come back to, you know, the city for to ask for increase. So looking at this, this is more of what would be allowed by code um parking wise and everything like that. We also show a detention pond. Um we know that all development requires detention. Um state stature requires that we aren't allowed to increase any you know discharge anything more than what the existing property um discharges. Now we pro propose a detention for the whole thing to to do that. We know that there's issues downstream that you know people have talked about. There's f you know issues that way. Um, you know, there's a possibility that with the development of this that that

could help the people downstream. You know, um, we've worked with different developments in Broken Arrow where yes, we know that this might impact us here, but if we do something a little bit more, it might help the community down, you know, in a, you know, downstream. Um there's definitely property to the east that we've had discussions that possibly we can look at helping in you know the flooding downstream but we know that nothing can be developed in the flood plane in the flood way with unless you go through FEMA you know the core of engineers because that's jurisdictional streams and everything like that. So just kind of wanted to get it out there that I know the the first site plan was was like mass and then you know once we started looking at it this is definitely a reduction of what would probably be built you know constructed closer to that and again it would be in phases. Um utilities we know there's no sewer out here. um state statute states that if you're not within 300 ft of a public sewer main, you're allowed to um put in aerobic septic. There's different standards, but you will be under state statute. So, whatever we do sewer-wise would be permitted through ODQ um and regulated through that. So, that would be something we would look in as well. um you know you can do septic systems, you can do aerobic systems would probably be the first two options that we would look at but everything would be regulated and permitted through DEEQ that way as well. Um and I know another issue that was discussed was traffic. If you can go to exhibit C, please just kind of give you an an idea. Um we know that Olive is two lane north and south of the turnpike. We know the intersection of Florence and Olive have been widened. I know the intersection at Tucson and Olive has not been widened yet, but per um regulations, one single lane of

road can carry up to 2,000 vehicles per day per hour. So for 24 hours, a two-lane stretch can take about 48,000 cars a day. The traffic counts that we got from Incog, we are Oh, it's exhibit E. I was just talking about I need glasses. So, right now the um traffic count in this area is about 9,300 um trips per day. So, the traffic counts that have been currently in this area are is less than the capacity of the road, which means that it is able to increase accept increased traffic. And when you look at this area and you look at how people might [laughter] how people would leave this site, majority of the people will probably be heading north. If you look at kind of the infrastructure and if we go back to to exhibit C, thank you. Um, looking at that, we know, you know, two miles south, you've got the Arkansas River, most of Broken Arrow, Tulsa, you're going to be heading north. Um, you've got the Creek Turnpike just right to the north of this site. So when people are exiting, they're going to be heading north to the Creek Turnpike to other public streets and um and dispersing. And as we stated, most of the impact will be Friday afternoon, 1 to 3:00 in the afternoon when people are at work, um you know, school. It's not um at 5:00, 6:00 when people are trying to come home in this area. I know this area gets congested at, you know, 5, six o'clock when people are coming off, coming off the turnpike, heading to their homes, but thinking about the traffic counts and the and how everything's moving, it is definitely an offset from when the peak times are going to be seen. So looking at traffic um and the amount of people that we are

looking at it's not I don't think in my opinion I don't think it'd be adversely impacting all of just make sure so I just wanted to you know kind of bring up I know there was a lot of conversations I was hoping we were hitting most of the you know the concerns that came up at the planning commission the site plan the traffic the flooding um you know the utilities and everything like that. Obviously, we will work with city staff, you know, if this, you know, project to be um permitted and, you know, to work through to get it all of that. The one other thing I wanted to hit before I sit down exhibit, sorry, need my you go to exhibit D, please. So, we did a quick look within the city of Broken Arrow. Um, this isn't an extensive one, but we did a quick one. Um, and wanted to show that this application that we're asking for, this is not an unusual application that has been um, asked to the city council before. Um, place of assembly in a commercial zoning in level six. There is at least six to seven in Broken Arrow that have been approved with that. And then there's continuing and all. They've been approved in level five, level four, and level three in commercial zoning. So this ask is not unusual. It's it's been, you know, if you go throughout the city of Broken Arrow, a lot of church, especially on the big intersections and everything like that, it has been approved by city council to put a, you know, assembly in a commercial zoning with level six

here. if you have any questions. Yes. Uh the plat that you showed you that was all the phases included that that was all three. Yes. All three phases. Thought you said that. So that would be the optimum that would be the master plan layout. Yes. So it would be um [clears throat] built in at least three phases. Um start with the you know the the the prayer hall and then the gym and continuing on. So that will be the master development. Thank you. Yes. Can [clears throat] you tell me one more time where did you uh get your number for your traffic count? That 48,000 number that's quite different than what we've heard. The state stand the um it's the traffic institute. It's 2,000 vehicles per hour.

The traffic institute. Yes. And I can I don't have it right me but yes. I have a question. Yes sir. Um could you go back and talk on the number of parking spaces again? Yeah. For me on that.

Sure. Uh if we want to pull up the site plan again. So the zoning code is one space for every four seats or one space for every 100 square feet. Um so when we were looking at the and then you look at the main use of the of the the building. So the main use is the prayer hall. That's the that's the so we would look at that. Um and for phase one and phase two, I think we're about 150 to um parking spaces required. Okay. And how many are you anticipating having?

Whatever the code allows. So, you know, so we obviously we we would do what would be allowed, you know, and we're allowed to go up to 125% of what the zoning code allows. The the reason I was asking that was based on the prior mockup, right? The it was saying 726 spaces. Yes. And Yes. But and then so I used some of my fancy Oklahoma math and went back and added up the numbers uh that were on that and it came up to about 963 for parking spaces.

Yes. And I can show you how that I came up with that number. But the question is how even let's say it was a 724. How are you going how are you thinking 724 to 150? I mean I don't believe it's 724. I mean we counted the you know we we did both parking counts. We did it for prayer mats and then also the square footage of all the prayer halls and we came up with about 150 spaces that would be required by the zoning code.

Okay. Does that include if the commercial piece is a phased part of it? Would the grand commercial piece be right now be parking in the beginning additional parking? I I don't think I don't believe so. I believe the park the retail would be a future development. Right. So are you asking are we would we build the parking lot and not the building? No, I'm asking if if it's going to be phased, obviously you would build the other structures first and then at some point you would come back to the commercial. Yes. Well, would you would you use that property that the commercial piece is going to go on?

Would it be concrete for more parking spots or would it be just raw land until It would be raw land. It would not allowed to be paved by the city. Okay. For overflow parking. That would not be allowed by the city to do that. Perfect. Thank you. You're welcome. Are there any questions or discussion? Okay. Okay.

Thank you. Looks like only two out of the four that we called up are in the seat. So, we may call uh two more up. So, who do we have right now? We have Doug Town. Right. You're up, sir. And then do we have Katie Ives? Okay, we'll move on. Billy um Hirs. Okay. And so will you call two more? Um A L I J E I think. S H I O N. She on. Is that her? Okay, good.

Linda Russell Call one more. Michelle Thomas. Michelle Thomas. Okay, I'm going to leave it like that for now. All right, Mr. Townson.

Good evening. My name is Doug Townsen, a Broken Arrow resident for over 20 years. I'm a Christian preachers's kid who grew up with many people who loved others well, but also many people who hated well, especially if others believe differently. Not unlike the people in Jesus' hometown who raved about his first sermon recorded in Luke 4 until he brought up the outsiders and then they wanted to kill him. I'm convinced that Jesus really meant what he said when he answered a question directly, a rarity for him. Jesus said all of the law and the prophets summed up in love God and love others as you love yourself. Therefore, I can't say I love God and hate people. I cannot say I love God and love some people if they're like me but overlook other people. I cannot say I love God and love people I treat him in the way I would not want to be treated. I witnessed some Bible professors with PhD and Mdive degrees who cultivated f close friendships with Muslim families. So, I followed that example. I went to the mosque in Tulsa and attended their Islam for non-Muslim classes. I broke bread with Muslim families. We hosted interfaith dinners at the Church of Christ I attended. I went on an interfaith trip to Israel led by a Muslim woman from Tulsa and guided by Jewish and Muslim tour guides. I also had another trip led by a Christian guide from Nazareth. There were important commonalities in the perspectives of all three tour guides. Sean Palmer, a pastor, recently said, "Many of the maladies in American culture, politics, and church abuse exist because too many Christian people don't know the scriptures or worse, they only know enough to be dangerous. Too many Christians are left to treat immigrants, the poor, the religious other, and many other minorities, not by how the scriptures instruct, but by how their politics demand. Because we don't know the scripture, how what the scriptures teach. Those scriptures show Jesus loved those whom society hated. He didn't play by society's rules and those in power, the empire, the religious leaders, they killed him. When they did kill him, he responded with a message of forgiveness for them. A direct example of what he meant when he said, "Love God and love others as yourself." I cannot find scripture that allows me to exclude

any human from that command. Now, I could choose to align myself with religious people who are asking the empire to vilify my Islamic neighbors. Or I could choose to follow the command and speak up for them. I choose to follow Jesus. As you listen to all the comments, please weigh them in the light of love God and love others as you love yourself. If they don't hang together, don't choose to align, but always notice the commenters humanity and love them. All the law and the prophets then and now must hang from that commandment. I'm here choosing to stand with my Islam Islamic neighbors. I love you and you belong in this community. City council members, would questions regarding septic leech fields, traffic assets, or future zoning plans prevent a request to build another Christian church? I close with this quote quote from Dr. Cornell West. Justice is what love looks like in public. May you have the courage to use justice and love in this public place. Thank you.

Please refrain from clapping. Thank you. Um Billy Hirs.

Good evening. My name is Billy Hirs. I am a resident of Ward 2 in Broken Arrow and a member of Fellowship Lutheran Church in Tulsa. I also happen to be a police officer and to be clear, I speak tonight only in my capacity as a private citizen. I want to share my experiences from work with you, but I'm not speaking on behalf of anything or anyone other than myself. For 13 years, I've served with a municipal agency in this area. And for several of those years, I was assigned to patrol an area where there happens to be a mosque. During those years, I responded to hundreds of incidents, many of them violent, in that area. And the notable thing I want to share with you is the number of those incidents that were caused by people from that mosque. That number is zero. I honestly can't think of a single occasion where that mosque or the people attached to it caused a problem for anyone. The people of that Muslim community conduct themselves with grace and dignity. They treat law enforcement with respect and are often more cooperative than average as witnesses. They are good neighbors. And this came as no surprise to me because that's how basically every church functions. Churches are one of the places where communities knit themselves together. And in my experience, people that feel more connected are less likely to commit crimes. At their best, churches bring out their their best in us. And that's all a mosque really is, just a church with a different name. I can't help but think that if this zoning were for a Lutheran church like mine, this discussion wouldn't be playing out with so much attention. I think Broken Arrow would be a stronger community with this mosque. Our city would benefit from more places that bring people together and remind them that they are not alone in this world. We are all in this together. If we choose to exclude our neighbors who pray a little different from us, we'd be the

poorer for it. Thank you very much for your time. I think it was um Ali Sham Charles Patrick if you would come okay uh Sandra K Rana R A N Am Am I good to go? Yes.

Aaliyah Shimmy. I'm a resident of Broken Arrow. Five generations of my family have lived in Broken Arrow. Muslim have been a vibrant thread in Oklahoma's colorful tapestry since before statehood. We didn't just appear a year or two ago or out of the air. My brother Muhammad served proudly as a lieutenant commander and a nuke officer in the United States Navy. I don't know how much more American we can be. We are your nonprofit leaders, community service partners, veterans, and active duty military members, medical providers, educators, engineers, first responders, firefighters, entrepreneurs, business owners, and students. Y'all rub elbows with Muslims every single day. And just because most of them are not identif identifiable like myself, you just go about your day. We are your neighbors and we are here to stay. One of my many roles is to train law enforcement agencies and to leers with them. I've done this for the past 14 years and continue to do so because the safety of my family, my community, and my neighbors is at the top of my priorities. I welcome you all to look up the statistics on crime and specifically those which are committed by Muslims. I guarantee you that those numbers are very small. Every demographic has bad apples, but those are very far and few in between. We worry about safety just like everybody else. We have to think about parenting, errands, bills, health concerns, groceries, u you Texas, and so on. Just like everybody else, we are not strangers or aliens from another planet. We are all Okeis. Luckily, our founding fathers had the foresight to place religious freedom at the top of the constitutional rights and bless them for doing so. This is exactly what makes this nation the greatest. I am so grateful that there is a church on every corner. My Methodist, Baptist, Catholic, Church of Christ, Unitarian,

and so on neighbors have a choice to attend any of these glorious houses of worship. As a Muslim community leader, I guarantee you that I've been in many of these amazing churches, synagogues, and temples, and have built everlasting bonds with leaders and their parishioners. Several of my awesome colleagues are here from my interfaith family as I refer to them to stand in support and may they be blessed abundantly. We have over 40,000 Muslims in northeast Oklahoma. Our Muslim community in Tulsa County is comprised of people from over 80 countries and at least six indigenous tribes. We don't fit into a small box. We're not a monolith. Tulsa has the second largest city in the state and has one main mosque. Oklahoma City has six. Where do you want us to have our congregation? We are humbly asking for a second house of worship to alleviate the congestion at ISD's campus. I completely understand that anything unfamiliar causes fear and I also understand that I am that face of fear for so many people. But please, I am here to implore my neighbors this evening. Please rise above that fear. Thank you. Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, city councilors, and city manager. I'm Linda Russell, a Broken Arrow resident. I want to briefly explain why this project raises serious concerns and why caution is warranted. In August 2014, the Islamic Society of Tulsa purchased the property at 116th approximately and South 129th for $625,000. And just 3 months later, that property was transferred to the North American Islamic Trust or the NIIT through a private transaction. No closing company was listed and the sale price was not disclosed.

NIT is a 501c3 organization founded in 1973 by members of the Muslim Students Association, including individuals later identified as key architects of the Muslim Brotherhood's American Infrastructure. These same founders helped establish organizations such as the Islamic Society of North America and the International Institute of Islamic Thought. According to FBI investigations from the late 1980s, NIT and ISNA were [clears throat] identified as Muslim Brotherhood front groups with internal documents indicating that IIIT operated under Brotherhood control while NIT is not classified as foreignowned. It reportedly receives significant overseas funding particularly from Saudi Arabia and its own website confirms that it follows Sharia compliant financial practices. In 2007, NIT was listed among 246 individuals and organizations named in the Federal Holyland Foundation trial which involved providing support to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization. CAR was also listed in that case. NIT and CAR later sued to have those designations removed, but the court declined with a US District Court judge stating the designation was appropriate based on the evidence presented. More recently, in November 2025, Governor Ad Abbott declared the Muslim Brotherhood and CAR terrorist associations, which also Governor Dantis did in December. NIT, which owns the property in question, has been repeatedly linked to both organizations. Oklahoma Attorney General Get Gner Drummond recently stated that given the realities of global terrorism, there can be no compromise on public safety. Our state has already experienced extremist threats, including a radical Islamist sentenced for plotting mass murder and

historical connections between Oklahoma and the 9/11 hijackers. City councilors, this is why we're having this discussion. When an organization has been repeatedly connected by court rulings, FBI investigations, and public officials to extremist groups, caution is not fear-mongering. It's common sense. I urge you to carefully consider these facts and make a decision that prioritizes Broken Arrow citizen safety, security, and trust of our community. Thank you. [applause]

Please refrain. Can we Can we control ourselves? Please refrain from clapping. I think we we stated that in the beginning. So, please refrain. control your um selves. Thank you. Um Michelle Thomas, [clears throat] Jamal, Si D I O or D I Q N I. That'll be next. Okay. Yeah. Stephen Abernathy. Hi.

I'm Michelle Thomas. I'm sorry. I just walked and I was outside. So, okay, there we go. I'll be short and sweet. I um was raised in Christian a Christian home. I went to a Christian university and u I've been in church my whole life and I used to be afraid of people who were different. I remember asking my parents when I was young um what do I do when I meet people from different religions who know their scriptures better than I do? And my parents were were just my parents challenged me to rethink my thinking, but I still just continued to be afraid of others who [snorts] were different because of a lot of publicized um uh just propaganda honestly. And I just am here to say that I understand where a lot of people are coming from with the fear, but I also have friends who are Muslim and who introduced me to a different way of thinking. And I just really hope that you all I understand there are a lot of different pieces and a lot of different stats that people are are bringing up and I don't have those stats with the zoning and the and the and the ch and the you know conversation around parking and the the water overflowing all that. I just hope that this is truly a conversation about the the zoning and what's best for the city, but not a religious conversation because again, until I had a chance to get to know my Muslim neighbors who were all around us, I felt a lot like some of our friends who've spoken today. And so I'm just asking to please try to set that aside and understand that our Muslim neighbors are our medical professionals, their their teachers, their nonprofit organization leaders and they're all around us and uh and I until we get to know people who are different from us and break down those walls of understanding,

we are just will continue to live in fear of each other. And so I just I'm asking the council to please consider that in your decision. Thank you. Um, Charles Patrick. No, Jamal. S I D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D I Q q N I Sadiki, Sadiki Sadiki. Yes. Oh, sorry. Okay, you're going into the queue. You'll be in the queue. Up here yet? Yes, Charles Patrick is up next. Okay, Charles Patrick. So then what's we're saying and for instead of Yeah. So this is Karen.

Uh hold on. Stephen Abernath Nathy. Okay. Both of those were signed up. Karen Abernathy. Karen Abernathy. All three of those we're going back and forth. Opposed and four. So Christy Gillespie. Thank you. That's why I'm trying to catch up. Thank you so much. Um Christy Gillespie. Yes, you're in the You're She's up because there's no more green paper. So, and then Sandra will go.

Okay. I did hand out a little handout earlier. I don't know if y'all got it. So, thank you for the I'm gonna talk fast, y'all. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Um, I'm going to ask you to deny. I will speak specifically to the comprehensive plan and the economic development consequences of this proposal which has not been done yet. I have my own copy of my most of the current comprehensive plan here because like a couple of you, I was on council when we passed it. Many citizens voted devoted countless hours providing input and this council has a responsibility to honor that trust by following the plan. In 2019, residents of South Broken Arrow felt ignored. During my nearly six years on council, I focused heavily on South BA economic development and storm water issues, and I'm proud of the progress we made. And today, as a state senator representing most of Broken Arrow, I serve on the economic development workforce and tourism committee, and I recently conducted an interim study on stabilizing municipal funding. I mentioned this to establish that I understand how cities function financially. First, I'm asking you to deny for these reasons. First, the comprehensive plan clearly shows a frontage road along the Creek Turn Pike between Olive and Aspen. The apartment complex just to the east of this development was required in their PUD to allow space for a frontage road. This development could prevent that road and the critical connectivity it will provide. A bridge over the flood plane would be a wise public investment to relieve congestion at Tucson and Olive and support future development. Without it, traffic access will be severely limited. Second, the comprehensive plan repeatedly designates this area for commercial retail expansion only and no fewer than 10 separate locations throughout the plan. This land was never intended for a place of assembly. Even under the older 1997 plan, this site was identified for highdensity residential,

not a church. Since 2019, Southba growth has accelerated dramatically with amazing developments that now exist or are under construction. That makes it even more critical to preserve this area for employment and commercial uses. Third, this proposal would cluster three non- sales tax generating places of assembly within a quarter mile of each other. A small strip center does not offset what the city loses. Broken Arrow has a precedent for not approving this type of concentration. Fourth, the olive exit is a primary gateway into our city. It should welcome travelers with commercial development that encourages them to stop and spend money here. Fifth, there are serious flood plane and storm water concerns that remain unresolved. Finally, Olive South of the Creek Turnpike is not scheduled for widening for at least 10 years and the area is not equipped to handle regular large-scale events. This proposal does not comply with the comp plan, does not make economic sense, and does not serve long-term growth of Broken Arrow. For these reasons, I respectfully ask for you to deny. Thank you.

Yes, you did. Uh Sandra, can we follow instructions, please? No clapping. Thank you so much. Um, Sandra Rana James G. Stayer S t if you'll come to the the the queue Q. Okay.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak. I understand that this may be a normal proceeding for most people since this council or council's prior have already approved more than 90 places of worship in Broken Arrow and as recently as November approved another one. This is our one opportunity to have one mosque in Broken Arrow. I have a legacy in the state of Oklahoma. My great great grandmother and my great great grandparents came here as a removal from Kansas to Oklahoma. I have five generations of my family buried near the uh South Canadian River where they were transported to with them. They brought their religion with them. Priests and nuns who later built sacred heart. I too would like that choice for freedom of religion in the place that I work and live. As an adult, I made the choice to live in Tulsa County. And I have contributed to that by building a home, building a family, working in this community, both in profit and in nonprofit organizations. A place of worship is something that is guaranteed to us in the constitution. And I wish to remind the city council of resolution number 319 in part which reads, "Whereas the United States was founded upon the concept of mutual respect, human dignity, individual worth, and the equal protection of laws." And further, the 20th century saw a continuing struggle with major progress in outlying discrimination in its myriad forms. And most Americans support individual freedom for all

American residents with persons of each ethnic, racial, or religious background, contributing their best elements to the diverse and evolving culture of the country. And whereas um be it therefore resolved by the city council of Broken Arrow, that I, Mayor Jim Reynolds, thereby call on all citizens to exercise tolerance and contacts with all people of a differing race, ethnicity, or religious belief. I fully call on all citizens to exercise v vigilance in the protection of human rights generally and with particular care for the protection of the rights of minorities who may be the most vulnerable. It was dated and signed October the 1st, 2001. I hope this policy, this resolution continues and I have full copies of the resolution if you would like it. Thank you. Uh, James Styer. Okay. Brooklyn Forbes.

Sean Murray. Do Do you think they could be upstairs? We have somebody upstairs. Okay. Sean Murray. M U R R A Y. Sherry Thomas. This may not be working out like we thought it was going to. No. To go back and forth. Is there any way to find out if they're up there?

Phil Buyers. have someone. Yeah, that would be that would be very helpful. Okay. Well, in the meantime, we'll go with Jamal Sadiki. Jamal Sadiki.

Nice to see a lot of you. Um I know a lot of you are already my patients and so hi again. Um I'm if you are not my patient, I'm an opthalmologist who lives in Broken Arrow. Um and I just want to say thank you for inviting me here and having having all of us here. That was very kind of you to do that. So and thank you to NSU for hosting as well. My great greatgrandfather was Jonathan Harrington. He fought in the American Revolutionary War. So my family has been here fighting for America for a long long time. Somebody right behind me is also a Muslim Native American living in Broken Arrow. They outdo my family. My family only goes back to the 1600s. They go back before that. The other person that sits behind me is someone who served for one of the largest organizations in Broken Arrow, Flight [snorts] Safety. He just retired after 39 years, a Broken Arrow uh Muslim who actually lives right down the street from me. Um I saw online that there are a lot of people attacking Muslims saying, "We don't care about our veterans. I want to put that to bed right now." Uh we had one person who has a family member who's a veteran. Um uh I have patients who work at the VA and I ask them who is the best doctor at the VA and they say Dr. Jamal Haidider who is a primary care Muslim doctor in who lives in Broken Arrow. Um and the woman who actually helped develop um who was the head of primary care at the VA center um at 91st and Mingo. Her name is Simus Dr. Simus Salee. She is a Muslim that loves veterans, has veterans in their families. So, Muslims love veterans. We are veterans. So, if there are any veterans out there, thank you for your service. The other comment I saw online was that we will not contribute to um the taxes of Broken Arrow. My father-in-law, Parveves Zahir, just signed a one over $100 million deal

with a foreign Muslim country to bring over $und00 million to AG Equipment. So, if you are employed by AG Equipment, you are employed because of my father-in-law and you will have a long uh career at AG Equipment because of my father-in-law. He is also the one who brought UPS to South Broken Arrow. He is also a businessman and a kind man to me as a son-in-law. Another thing that I find is that people think that women are oppressed. My wife, oh my gosh, good luck. Uh she is on the board of Holland Hall. So, one of the largest Episcopal schools that is very highly respected, looks towards her for an opinion. She is also on the board of Tulsa County Medical Society, which serves our poor. She is also on the board of Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance, which serves our youth to help them learn science. Um, and she also has fundraised millions of dollars for Union public schools. She was the chairwoman for Ronald McDonald House, and she was the only one singled out for the uh most contra uh contribution to Pink Ribbon at the Breast Cancer Society uh fundraiser just recently. Um, thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, sir. I had a lot more to say, but thank you. Thank you. Okay. Did we get um either Brooklyn Yeah, Brooklyn Forbes?

Hello. Um, I'm going to ask you guys to vote no because the zoning ordinance of Broken Arrow states that the provisions of the ordinance are enacted to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare as well as implement the policies of the Broken Arrow next comprehensive plan. The placement of the mosque violates many of these provisions. Section 1-1-3 states that the provisions are intended to a promote a healthful and convenient distribution of population by regulating and limiting density of development. Around 1,500 Muslims attend the Tulsa mosque weekly with around 1,200 attending Friday prayer. With those numbers, you are inconveniencing the people of Broken Arrow and anyone who plans to visit. Even if you cut the numbers in half and say around 600 people will be attending like the Islamic society claims, it doesn't work. Especially when you take into consideration that their busiest time is around the time that people are driving to pick up their kids from school. There was a meeting right across the land designated for the mosque last week. It was a week night and not only was the traffic bad, but there wasn't even 600 people there. Can you imagine how much worse it would be in the middle of the day on a Friday with more people? B. The ordinance is supposed to ensure public greater greater public safety. How can you ensure that when they can't even ensure what the land will be used for and how many people will be there? There's not enough room on that piece of land for what they're planning. Say it gets built. What if they start building, realize there's not enough room, and stop, leaving an abandoned ruin? D. The ordinance is supposed to preserve the character and quality of residential neighborhoods. The definition of

character is the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual or the distinctive nature of something. How can you preserve the quality and character of the now quiet community by increased traffic, noise, and less cultural cohesion? G. The ordinance is supposed to conserve the value of the buildings in the land. Can you tell me how this would conserve the value or even increase it? I understand that there may be social and political pressure to vote yes despite the violations because you're worried that others may think you're discriminating against them. But if you choose to bend the rules and allow this to be built, even if in your mind it's just this one time, you're going to have to bend the rules for everyone else. If you want to avoid a lawsuit for discrimination with real legal standing and precedent, and if all the rules go out the window, we don't have our community anymore. The rules either apply to everyone or they apply to no one. They either mean something or they don't. Please uphold the integrity of your community by voting no. [clears throat]

Hussein khen k a l e e m or nine. Colleen is she in here or he? Whichever one could be upstairs. Call one more. Clayton Bowen or Bowen. If you move when I call, we think that's you. [laughter] You can come on up, sir. Yep. [clears throat]

Hello. I'm Cla Bowen. I live in Ward 4. Um, I'm here today to speak in support of the resoning and conditional use permit request that was recommended for the approval by the Broken Arrow planning commission. As a member of the Broken Arrow Muslim community, the construction of this mosque would improve my improve improve life for myself and my family to a great extent. The Muslim community in Broken Arrow is part of the fabric of this city. There are over 10,000 Muslims who call Broken Arrow home. We go to work, raise our children, and support our neighbors when they are in need or when times get tough. These are universal experiences that hold people together. Family, friends, and neighbors are foundational parts of our lives. And I know so many people in this room consider faith to be one of the most important ties to those that we hold dear. The ability to practice that faith is protected by the First Amendment. And it is right that I'm glad everyone has. My wife and I are expecting our first child in March, a baby girl. I think that if anyone had concerns for the safety of their community, first- time parents would be at the top of this list. I have heard people say that broken air will be changed if a mosque is built. But I disagree. Broken air will remain what it's always been, a place to raise a family. As I drive through my neighborhood, paths, parks, schools, and churches, I think, what shape our lives will take. What will be your favorite park? Where will she stand and wait for the school bus? When I see churches dotting our neighborhood, it fills my heart with happiness to see families being able to gather, be in community with each other, and worship together. I dream of that for our daughter. I want her to sit with me or her mother when we go to pray. I want to see her smile when we go to get ice cream from bronze afterwards. I want to experience the same quality of life as my neighbor, not be deprived of it. [snorts] My wife and I both serve the community every day as we both work in education. She is a middle school teacher and I'm a speech therapist. We volunteer, support local business, and organize with our neighbors to improve our neighborhood and city. I say this not to make us sound exceptional. Far from it. We are the norm when it comes to the Muslim community in Broken Arrow. Muslims in Broken Arrow donate their time at food

pantries and medical clinics and at nonprofit organizations like the Sarai an Foundation and the Khan Ohana Foundation that seek to serve marginalized communities. Muslims in Broken Arrows and Broken Arrow are doctors, engineers, teachers, business people, workingclass people. Muslims have been here doing good work, helping this community grow for decades. Having a mosque in this same place where we work and raise our families allows us the liberty and happiness that are essential to life. I am a taxpayer. I'm a Broken Arrow resident and I hold my constitutional rights dear. The Muslim community in Broken Arrow has outgrown the capacity of our mosque in Tulsa and there's a public need for a house of worship to accommodate us in order to exercise our first amendment rights. You are our representatives and we are coming to you to asking you to protect our rights. I support the planning commission's decision to approve these measures based on the merits of the application. I hope you'll do so as well. Thank you.

[clears throat] Uh, last call on Shawn Murray. S H A N Murray. We're just making sure you're on deck. Okay. Uh, how about Hussein Kum? K L K A L E M. K A L E M. Do one more. He's coming down. Okay. Is he coming down? So, okay. So, those two will be on deck. Okay. You're on a BOA on deck. Steve Swagger. Yes, sir. You're up. [clears throat] Well, happy new year to each one of you. Nothing like starting the new year hot and heavy, right? You bet.

Last night I was dreaming about mufflers. This morning I woke up exhausted, but [laughter] just happens I guess. [laughter] Thanks for the relief.

Levity helps. I know my comments tonight are not directed toward anyone person or anyone group. There are some in our country that seem to believe that we should tolerate anything and everyone because that's who we are and that's what this country is about. Others site we're supposed to love our neighbor and freedom of religion to justify this acceptance. But freedom requires boundaries, laws, and guidelines that protect it the citizens that desire it from the enemies that want to challenge it. Some would say that's discrimination, but I would suggest that's responsible freedom. Paul Harvey has been quoted as saying, "Self-government won't work without self-discipline." It's not unusual for freedom to be challenged and the temptation to compromise our freedom and way of life in America is very real. Compromise in the negative sense only requires three steps to happen. First, resistance. Second, tolerance. And thirdly, acceptance. Abortion, homosexuality, and same-sex marriage are examples of this kind of compromise. So, the question to us is this. Are we willing to compromise our constitutional freedoms and way of life for acceptance? If so, are we willing to live with the consequences of that decision? Thank you,

sir. Okay. Um, let's see. Hassan Colleen. [cough and clears throat]

Thank you guys. Thank you very much. I'm going to just tell you my personal story that will explain almost everyone who travel all the way from different country to United States and the problems they face and the security and overall scrutiny we get. 2007 when I came over here I remember after 35 year 35 hours of travel and 11 hours of jet lag I was put into that room and was questioned and answered for five or six hours. From that point onwards I traveled each and every bus work hard and then supported my own family as well. I was married did my residency my fellowship and then came over here in 2017 and then as a hematologist oncologist worked for St. infuses for 5 years. Okay. In between if you remember the COVID and you know that as physician I was in a hotel room for 6 weeks didn't see my family so that I can take care of all of you everyone here and including their relatives seeing 50 60 patients a day going home around midnight waking up again at 5:00 in the morning and staying in the hotel. I have a three-year-old and a seven year old would have not seen me for four weeks because I was worried that they will also get the COVID but every day I was available for my patients. second then I left and started the whole private practice which is the only one in state of Oklahoma private hematology oncology practice and then started with two MAS which by the way are Americans and now feeding 20 20 MAS including nurses office manager all Americans this uh Christmas I arranged all the

gifts for them I have five Christmas trees in my own um inan India and I have my own Christmas/h holiday lights in my own house. I am a taxpayer law-abiding proud Muslim Pakistani American. My kids are born here. Any of one of you can tell me my son who is 15 years old volunteering for the last two years and goes to that under the bridge and take care of the homeless people. I'm the only one in the private practice and have the most population of suner care most population of in the native Americans everyone. So I so if and I go to church for my friends who are you know from America go to church celebrate their events celebrate their weddings everything play with them invite them they invite me so all we are asking is my parents I'm the only one I'm supporting my parents three kids my wife and along with the 20 of the staff I have all I want is my parents when they are here they need that you know mosque so that they can go and worship. There's nothing more than that.

Thank you so much. Okay. Thank you sir. I think we need Yeah. Last name S H A M B I L L E Shamill.

Are you in here? Nam newaz ne a z. Okay, you'll be up on deck. [clears throat] Thank you. That's right. I'll take that one. And then Shambill show up. How about Sherry Thomas? Okay, you'll be up on deck as well. And then if you'll do one more of these. Haidider. Nida. Haidider. H Y D E R H Y D E R

Okay, she's upstairs. Okay. All right. Sean Murray.

My name is Seawn Murray. I don't have a whole lot to say except for I've lived in Broken Arrow for almost uh 20 years. I was born and raised here. And um there's a couple there's there's a lot of talk in the New Testament about false doctrine. And so everybody that wants to say that they were raised in a Christian household, but they're open to all the stuff. I think two or three people before me, somebody spoke and was talking about reaping the that that that is what what Jesus actually says in the Bible. He talks about it's not just like a anything goes deal. He talks like every book in the New Testament probably speaks about false doctrine. So like this anything goes attitude is not what um what Jesus Christ represents. But I just think that it's pretty obvious the way the pe the citizens feel about this and I think that their im input on what is uh culturally accepted in the area should be taken into account. And um one of the first ladies that spoke also talked about the uh numerous ties to terrorism. Is that has there been like any kind of betting about who bought the land and what their affiliations are? Anything about financing? Doesn't probably look like it. Anyways, I think a lot of people have been woken up by this issue and um I hope that you represent the citizens when you make your vote. Um so they'll vote you back in office. That's all I have.

Thank you. So there um there's someone that keeps saying come on. If you could just keep your comments to yourself, that'd be great. Thank you. Um next is Nam. Madam. Yes sir. If I may. Uh if you come up to the front of the microphone, if I could ask you to do us a favor and if you would please keep your hands out of your pockets uh because it makes my friends in blue a little bit nervous when your hands are in your pockets and for your safety and ours that would be beneficial. Thank you. [clears throat]

I'm a little short. Sorry. Hi everyone. Assalam alaikum or peace be upon you. My name is Namra Noaz. I am a Muslim American who was born and raised right here in Broken Arrow. This city is my home. It has shaped me, challenged me, supported me, and helped me grow into the person who I am today. I even attended Broken Arrow High School where I graduated in the top 1% of my class. I served as a student council president and then I later graduated from the University of Tulsa. I have held many leadership roles since and I even work full-time. I share this to show that I have been able to belong and contribute to this community as a Muslim. One of the most beautiful things about Broken Arrow and about this country is that despite coming from a different religion and a different background, I have been able to be my authentic self and practice my faith freely. That is what community should look like. What has transpired over the past few weeks has been deeply troubling. Islam is a growing religion and what is being proposed is simply a mosque being built, a place of worship. Moss are not only spaces of prayer, but they are places where people volunteer, serve families, and give back to their communities. For many of us, moss are where we find comfort in moments of joy, loss, celebrations, and everything in between. We often talk about how freedom of speech is our constitutional right. But in that same first amendment, it also protects freedom of religion. Freedom of religion is also a core American value. Yet much of the discourse surrounding this proposal has lacked understanding. I want to be honest, the hostility that I have seen both online and in person have been frightening and deeply disappointing. Some people say that they are afraid for their safety. So are we.

Some people say that they have concerns. So do we. Fear may be shared, but so is our responsibility to respond with compassion and dialogue. So I stand before you today not in anger, but in hope. We can disagree even strongly and still coexist. That coexistence is not weakness. It is our greatest strength. The reality is is we are here. We have been here and we will continue to be here. Many of us were born in this city. They will raise families here and they will die here. This home is just as it is ours as it is yours. We are not asking for special treatment, but we are rather asking for equal dignity and the right to worship freely. So let us choose collaboration over conflict. Let us choose understanding over fear. And let us work together to build a future where everyone in Broken Arrow feels like they belong because the alternative truly helps no one. Thank you for your time. Sheree Thomas.

Sherry Thomas. I'm from Broken Arrow. [clears throat] I probably have 10 minutes of stuff to say, but I will make it very short. For brevity's sake, I will be direct with no sugar coating. Please take what I say with the spirit I intended. I want this city council to protect the rights of Broken Arrow citizens and challenge the city council to be courageous enough to do the right thing, not the politically expedient thing. The proposal needs to be resoundingly voted down. The planning commission did you, our city councilors, and the citizens of Broken Arrow a grave disservice by even allowing this to move forward. It was strictly a virtue signaling maneuver. They had no sound reason to pass it other than cowardice and to virtue signal and many solid reasons to deny it. Thank you for the one lone voice that voted against it. First the elephant in the room which everybody's already addressed. Um Nate, there are connections. Now for the more mundane issues. Um this should have never been passed. Um zoning for agriculture should have stayed the way it is. Um because keeping it large-scale retail development is good for the city for the long term. It cannot be sustained otherwise. Um let's see here. The mosque cannot pay for it with their proposed um facility. Um the citizens of Broken Arrow will bear the burden of funding all of the in infrastructure um improvements to make this happen and they will get zero benefit for it and yet they will have to pay for every single dime of the sewage and the land. That's that's not sustainable. Why would we put the burden on our

people? They have rights. What about the citizens of Broken Arrow that have been here for so long that have homes and sewage and more sewage and more sewage and more sewage and more sewage? There are so many issues on the sewage. You don't have a plan yet to move ahead. You don't have adequate sewage to there. You cannot install septic or um the uh the sewer lagoons because of it will contaminate other lands when you have that um because of the the flooding in the area. Also, the paving of the grounds will exacerbate the flooding, and it's just it's a lose-lose situation. Build it somewhere else that is more appropriate. This is not sustainable in any way, shape, or form. It does the citizens of Broken Arrow no good. It just harms us.

Um, let's see. Is Shimil You're up, sir. And then Phil Buyers, she'll be on deck. Okay.

Good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Shahad Shamville and I'm a resident of Broken Arrow. Um, I'm a business owner as well as a healthcare provider. Um, I serve this community and um, and I'm proud of it. Um, I'm here tonight to support the approval of the proposed mosque. Muslims are already part of Broken Arrow. We're neighbors. We work here. We raise our children here. We love this city. We simply want a safe local place to worship like every other faith community has. A mosque is a place of peace. It's where families gather, where children learns values, and where charity and service are organized. But unfortunately, there's a mis misconception today where people confuse religion with politics and where misinformation spreads so easily that people begin to fear something they don't understand. That's not who Broken Arrow is. That's not how decisions should be made. This is a constitutional issue. The First Amendment protects freedom of religion for all Americans. City decision should be based on zoning facts, not fear, misinformation or bias toward the religion. This council should make decision based on facts, fairness and the constitutional right. So tonight, I respectfully ask you to approve the mosque because if freedom only applies to some people, then it really isn't freedom at all. Thank you,

Bill Buyers. And then as Mr. Buyers is coming up, let's get some more on deck. See if she's uh Nita Haidider. Okay, she's on deck. Okay. Theice Lawless. [clears throat] Lawless. Theice. T H E R E S. Lawless. Yeah. And then make sure they heard it. Chris Lawless as well. And then one more for me. Yes, sir. H Con Han. Okay. All right, Mr. Buyers.

My purpose here tonight is only to summarize what was said on the January 6th meeting with a few additional points. The key zoning issues that were discussed both by residents of the area and Mr. Odum Holdm DM and Senator Gillespie are as follows. There are conflicts with the BA comprehensive plan. The mosque will prevent already approved frontage road that was intended for businesses to increase funds through sales taxes which the mosque can't generate. The traffic backup and congestion are already bad at Olive and 121st and the mosque will make it worse. The comp plan does not allow for the road expansion for 10 years. Sewage and water runoff will be a problem due to the large parking area plus area needed for septic system and leechfield with marshy areas and storm water issues already a problem. Several people have discussed that they check the layout needed for the mosque and it exceeds available area. So the applicant is requesting special use that does not align with the current comprehensive plan at this time. The plan recommends retail for this property, which does align with the long-term vision for the area, and the proposed septic leech fields raise doubts about compliance with D de DEQ standards. There are reasonable concerns that should negate placing a place of assembly on this parcel of land. Before voting on this project, the city engineer should conduct a thorough study of these issues, especially when we believe that at least 70% of the BA citizens, when given the facts, would oppose the mosque. Please at least table this discussion to give the engineering and construction group time to evaluate the traffic, sewage, and available acreage

needed for this project. In closing, we ask that you do not bend any rules or forsake needed future projects to open the way for a mosque. While there are some exceptions, a great majority of Muslims do not seek to coexist. And this is clear from so many incidents we have seen across our country and around the world. This desire not to assimilate and not to coexist has been apparent since 640 AD. This ancient struggle between Christians and Jews is laid out in the Quran and the 100-year plan of the Muslim Brotherhood. Please give AG Drummond time to investigate the ownership and funding of this land and the future mosque and its possible link to Muslim Brotherhood which both Texas and Florida have designated as a terrorist organization. Um, one other thing I heard somebody mention that the majority of people who spoke on December 18th were for this project. My wife and I listened to all of these and that's not true.

Anita Haidider.

Good evening. My name is Nida Haidider and I live in Broken Arrow. I'm a 32-year-old Pakistani Indian-American Muslim born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma and moved to BA with my family in 1999. I attended Union Public Schools and graduated from the University of Oklahoma receiving a bachelor's in interior design with a minor in architecture. After college, I came back to Broken Arrow because ultimately it has always been home. I immediately joined an architecture firm where I could make a real community impact. Creating spaces where people feel seen and safe has always been a priority in my career. I have been an interior designer now for almost 10 years. And through these years, my projects have spanned through the entirety of Oklahoma. You may know some of them. I provided services for churches of all denominations, including Asbury Methodist, Allet Baptist, Trinity Lutheran, and Cedar Point, which is non-denominational. I've also done public schools and colleges throughout the states, community centers for greater Tulsa, facilities for native tribes, and also the government buildings for Oklahoma military department. I currently serve on the Broken Arrow MOS design committee working with um our team of architects and engineers. I'm a certified commercial interior designer and I can aid in knowing city limitations, infrastructure implementation, and code compliance to avoid any burden to our city. Through these projects, I have been had the pleasure and opportunity to meet a plethora of Oklahoma Oklahoma residents. There have been many reactions of me being on different projects from curiosity to suspicion and even anger. With the values that my parents and this community have raised me on, I have been able to peacefully educate and explain who I am to these people who may only know who Muslims are by what is shown in biased media. Though sometimes it can be aggressive or dismissive, I've never let that deter me deter me from educating people about the good our community does. That's what I love about Oklahoma. Though we have

different beliefs, we respect each other as Oklahomaans and listen and try. I am a fourth generation Tulsen with my great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents being a part of the original Islamic Society of Tulsa mosque. I grew up seeing the transitions of IST locations from the TU campus to renovated churches and now to the groundup mosque that we know of today in Tulsa. I see and feel the overcrowded spaces. To see this new mosque get built would be such a benefit to our broken broken arrow residents. For example, my grandfather who is turning 90 years old in just a few days, inshallah, will be able to easily get to his place of worship without fear of his health. my father who is a doctor um at the United States VA hospital, Dr. Jamal Haidider, he would be e easily able to get to his place of worship after work. We all wouldn't have to go across town to rental spaces that could accommodate our growing community for our holidays. This is a place your constituents need to feel safe, seen, and represented. We have always been a part of this community, and we hope to stay here for the years to come. Thank you. Chris Lawless.

I'm waiting for that clock to go. Um, anyway, Chris Walsh, president of AOM Ministries. I'm a Christian patriot that has great concern about the incursion of Islam in American society. One great historian made the statement that we, our freedom rests on three boxes. We have the ballot box and you guys are our duly elected officials which we have the privilege of addressing. We have the jury box which you guys are going to render a decision today. So that's where we're at right now today. And then there's a cartridge box which ends up in civil war. Now I don't want to see it go to the cartridge box. But the truth is I'm a former Canadian and illegal immigrant and I went through 14 years of due immigration process. studied American Constitution and history and took an oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. I love Muslim people. I had the privilege of four and a half weeks in Israel. Uh we were in Abagosh in the Muslim community and were treated like wonderfully by the Islamic community there. But I have a great problem with the doctrine of Islam because it doesn't matter if 90% of the community wants to peacefully coexist. You've got 10% of radical people. So to say that all Muslims are terrorists is a lie. But to say that all terrorists are Muslims is the truth. The ideology of Islam says kill the infidel. That's directly from the Quran. And I don't want somebody trying to behead me when suddenly there's a Islamic majority. Islam doesn't play well with others. And so I vehemently on record oppose the construction of a mosque in Broken Arrow or anywhere in America for that matter. That's all I have to say.

Thank you, sir. You want to call up? Yeah. Hi Ba Salah. S A L A H. Hi B A S A L A H. Maybe do another one of these as well and then we'll bring them down. Linda Corbin Young. Linda Corbin Young. You'll be on deck. Did uh Teresa or Teresa Lawless make it in? [clears throat] Call that one. Julie Moyer. Julie Moyer.

Maybe this one. Leanne Fa Faman Fran. You guys, these names, it's super fun. Freezman. Leanne. No, it's not. [laughter] That's why I made the voice do it. It's Leanne.

Okay, so while we're waiting, hopefully they're upstairs. Uh, Yaser Khan. Good evening. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to speak. Um, I just want to say I have lived in Broken Arrow for over 20 years. My first house was in Broken Arrow. My second house now is in Broken Arrow. I love this city. I believe this city has the most potential to grow. Look at all the projects our mayor has started. Look at what we have done with the Rose District. Such a wonderful place. But part of that is because of the diversity that we invite into the city. We offer free rides to the guests coming from out of city out of out of away from our cities and from other areas into our city. But we have to also understand that part of this diversity is to allow people of different faiths to have the freedom to practice their religion. Now we heard some things about some concerns about uh um not mingling in but I think you have heard a lot of statements already from a lot of the people that stood up here and said how they have helped the community. So we don't need to go into a lot more detail than that but what I will tell you is that our kids even participate in this even now uh going to the food food banks and serving the the needy people and helping any way we can. Uh but it's not just about religion. Numerous initiatives through the center that we're talking about approving today hopefully is going to bring good for the people of Broken Arrow. IST Tulsa has a small food bank. Because of their limited resources, they had to restrict what they can do to the people living just in the zip code of 575035.

My fellow citizens of Broken Arrow, we can do much more with this with this new center. We can offer not only food bank services to zip code 74011, but also 74012 and hopefully to the greater Tulsa. But it's not just the food bank either. We can also offer medical services that can be free for the people who have no insurance. We're already doing that this at the IST clinic. We can offer that again here in Broken Arrow so we can serve the community better. What we have is an opportunity to come together and let us find the common good in us and identify other projects like these and help our neighbors, friends, and make our city strong. Thank you.

Uh let's see. Did uh S A L A H ever show up? The uh last name S A L A H. How about Linda Corbin Young ever came in? Actually, you're Thank you. This is for short people, right? Indeed.

Thank you. My name is Linda Corbin Young. I am a native born Oklahoma. My family has been here as early as 1838. Um, I've been in Broken Arrow Ward 4 since 2009. And I have some questions for the council tonight and I don't expect answers. I just ask you to ponder these questions as you make your decision. Others in the audience have spoken very eloquently about the humanitarian, the coexistence, and the constitutional factors involved in your decision. I'm a pragmatist as a taxpayer. So, I'm going to ask you to consider these questions. What city services will be reduced or eliminated to pay for the legal cost of defending against the lawsuits that are inevitable if you fail to take this proposal forward if it meets all of the requirements in law? What city services will be reduced or eliminated to pay the millions of dollars in damage judgments that the city will be forced to pay if this proposal is denied and found unconstitutional as I believe is inevitable? Finally, what strategies is the economic development department of Broken Arrow working on to deal with the national news coverage that will cast Broken Arrow as a basket of hate if we fail to move forward? And how will they convince potential investors and employers to come to Broken Arrow and to assure them that they can provide the public safety and other services in an equitable way? um for those who might be different. So I ask you to consider those things and as a personal question think about what your legacy will be in 20 to 30 years. Will you have followed the law or will you will you have bent to the popularity context? So I ask you those things and I

support the proposal as it goes forward provided all of the engineering questions are addressed. Thank you. Uh, let's see. Julie uh Moyers or Leanne, they ever come in. I have another one. I like this. [clears throat] Lesie Stubs. Lesie Stubs. Come on down. Barry Piles.

Jim Becker. [clears throat]

You guys are missing opportunity. Yeah. Jerry Medlin. Where's Jerry at? I know. Where is Jerry? I can speak for him. You could speak for Jerry. [snorts] Uh Kimberly Filer. Okay. They may be coming downstairs. So this one is she hasn't come down yet. Okay. So go to that one.

Omar Vassini. B A S A N I. Omar Vassini or Fitzeni. B A S A N Y. [clears throat] One more. [snorts] Salam. Bassini. B A S A N I. any probably Vasini would come down with you. Let him talk. B A S A N I. Here's one. It's typed. I'll get it. Sarah Little. Sarah Little. Is that for now? Okay.

There. Okay. I say come on down to the mic. You're probably in our big You just need to know your name and come on down. [laughter] Yes.

Okay. My name is Lesie Stubs. Um thank you mayor and city council for hearing us. I really appreciate this opportunity and it's one of the beauties of the United States of America. Um I have lived in Broken Arrow for 20 plus years. Um, I'm a grandmother and um the granddaughter of Syrian immigrants and I um am here to speak about really the traffic. I live about a mile south of the proposed um site and traffic on Olive would be um in my very unengineering mind but um prohibitive um should this proposal go ahead. Um, I'm very concerned about young families wanting to move into our area into the South Broken Area area. And if you get off the Creek Turnpike and can't progress south, they'll turn around. I'm hoping a friend of mine from Little Links is going to be able to speak. Um, he is the only tax revenue um, business in the area and um, he would not survive if traffic was halted anymore, not to mention the septic and um, sewage system. Um, I will say that um, one of the major of the four rules of communication is to attack the problem, not the people. And so I certainly think we don't need to be attacking each other. But I will say um, that um, the traffic stats don't reflect the way of life, but um, I don't want to deny my Muslim neighbors assembling and I'm not planning on doing that. I've had Muslims at my table dining and I've dined at theirs. I have dear Muslim friends. In fact, one of which needed eye surgery about 10 years ago. She went to the mosque for help because she was a Syrian immigrant with no resources and was denied. And a precious doctor who is a follower of Christ did the surgery for free, taking care of the hospitalization and all support staff. Um, so I don't think we're talking about people here,

but we are talking about a worldview, an ideology. And as much as um we can talk about it, I think Islam self-def is a submissive religion. They're not about peace. Um if you look closely, you will see. And I am not concerned really about um my neighbors assembly. I think they should do that. I am concerned about an entity that is intent on not supporting and strengthening our unity, but destroying it. So I beg you, I plead with you to consider not only the logistics and the feasibility, but to consider the ideology and the worldview that makes up our community. And I ask you to vote to deny this proposal. Thank you.

Did Julie Moyer ever come down? Put it, I think. How about Leanne? F ren. [clears throat]

[snorts] Barry Piles B H A H I B A Salah S A L A H

Jim Becker. Jim Becker, Jerry Medlin, Omar, B A S A N I

Shaze. Allah Allah Ali Shazib Ali [clears throat] one person I was trying to go back and forth Yusman Mahammud M a H M O O D One more then we'll go to Arsad bag. B A I G, I believe. B A I G A R S H A D.

Ma'am, will you approach the mic and let us tell us your name? Find you in the stack. Hi, I'm Sarah Little,

resident of W 2 in Broken Arrow. Good evening. I'm here to remind the council what the Oklahoma Constitution guarantees within its legal framework regarding religious freedom without exception. Article 1, section two of the Oklahoma Constitution states, "Perfect toleration of religious sentiment shall be secured, and no inhabitant of the state shall ever be molested in person or property on account of his or her mode of religious worship, and no religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights. In addition to the protections under the Oklahoma and United States Constitutions, federal law, including the Religious, Land Use, and Institutionalized Persons Act, requires that land use regulations be applied in a manner that does not substantially burden religious worship. In practice, zoning laws cannot override the constitutional rights of religious freedom.

[snorts]

This governing body uh this governing body is bound by an oath of affirmation to uphold these constitutional protections consistently and without preference or discrimination. Broken Arrow is home to many places of worship which underscores the importance of applying our laws equally and neutrally. As a resident of this city, as a resident of this city, I want to say clearly and on the public record, our neighbors of Muslim faith are welcome here. They have the right to gather and worship in peace without intimidation or fear. The constitutional and statutory protections are well established and the legal standards governing religious land use are clear. This record will reflect whether the city applied its laws neutally and consistency as it is required to do so. I urge the council to proceed accordingly. Thank you.

Sir, what is your name that just walked up? pile. Okay, you're up. And then while he is coming up, uh will you David Oldm? David Oldm and then maybe do the Keep going. Last name JB A JB Abu Jabara. We're going to do call two more names while you're here.

For Con A Hammad. H A M E D A H M E D Gabe Woolly. Woolly. Gabe Woolly. Okay.

Good evening. My name is Barry Piles. I've been a BA resident for 42 years. I love the city. I love my country. uh we have al assimilated to the US constitution our which has given us all of the freedoms that we have and [clears throat] I would say no to building a mosque Islamic mosque because the Sharia law that they instill they teach in these mosques is not compatible with the US constitution. So we have been at war with Islam since for 40 years. Um, going back to the 83 bombing of the US embassy in the Marine barracks to the um to 911 um to more current um just over the weekend IN was killing their own people because they did not they wanted to get away get out of the Sharia law. So I object on that basis. Um I love the Muslims but they must assimilate like we did. Uh and then they can enjoy the freedoms of the US Constitution. Thank you.

Okay. So, I'm gonna call through some of these names real quick because I know some people just walked in. Um, Jim Becker, Salem Basani, Jerry Medlin, uh, Umar Basani, Hibas Salah, we're not nobody yet. Leanne Freezeman could be one of yours. No. Yeah. Yeah. Julie Moyer, Shazab Ali,

and then Naday Abu Jawa. Okay. All right. Uh, we are actually, yes, you'll go next. Sorry.

Good evening. I am a prof. My name is Nidita Abuara. I am a professor of psychology and I am a resident of a broken arrow for 11 years. My family have been a resident of a broken arrow for more than 30 years. Every year or every other year before I become a resident of a broken arrow, I used to come to Broken Arrow to visit my family and all the time they've been highly recommending if I decided to move here that I should live in a broken arrow. And as a resident in Broken Arrow, I am not coming from outside. I have been here 11 years. I'm contributing to this co city. I'm contributing to the whole community. I work in Tulsa. I work in Broken Arrow. And I am part of this active community here in Broken Arrow. Now, I would like to share with you some of the information about the structure and the fabric of the Muslim community, not only in Oklahoma, but in the United States, which the Muslims in Oklahoma are part of this big community. And I have here some statistics. I would like to hand them for you for evidence. According to a research by poor research center published in June 2025, Muslims are similar to Christian to Christians in their religious commitments. Muslims and Christians attend religious services at similar rates. Muslims attend 39% versus 37% for Christians. So the crowdness and the visits and worship is very much almost the same. The difference is only the date. US Muslims tend to be more highly educated than other Americans of

different religions or unaffiliated. According to the research, 44% of Muslim adults are college graduates, including 26% who have a master's or doctorate degrees or a post-graduate degree. in comparison to 14% of the Christians and 16% of other unaffiliated religions and adults. Also, US Muslims tend to be younger. 35% of Muslim adults are in ages between 18 to 29 compared with 14% of other members of the nation. This statistic indicates that Muslims are a productive community. They are educated and contribute to their community in different ways. And many of the species that we have heard today can confirm the level of education of maj majority of Muslims in this country. Level of a crime among

Thank you so much. Thank you. All right, David Olden.

David Oldm, Broken Arrow. Good evening, mayor, counselors. It's good to see you all again. You know me and my constitutional stance. I want to be very clear from the start. Our group's opposition is not based in religion or a right to religion. Every resident deserves freedom of belief and the right to worship so long as exercising those beliefs does not violate the equal rights of others. Nothing you decide tonight will prevent anyone from worshiping. The question before you is whether this specific project at this specific location is appropriate for our community. As you know, Constitutional Grounds hosted a community meeting where residents spoke openly. That meeting was eyeopening, and the concerns I raised tonight reflect the consensus of the community. Although I do share their concerns by an overwhelming margin, the greatest concern is neighborliness. residents have experienced intimidation, threats of lawsuits, and claims that religious liberty overrides legitimate local objections. As a constitutionalist, I find it deeply troubling to suggest that religious rights place anyone above anyone else or the law. All rights share the same boundary, the equal rights of others. Many people now fear retaliation simply for speaking out. That atmosphere chills free speech and undermines healthy civic participation. The first physical concern is storm water. We've heard a lot about it. This area already floods hard surfaces and

septic discharge will add to the storm system. We have already seen downstream damage south of 121st and we must not compound it. Next is traffic. This project sits on a two-lane road. Expansion is at least 10 years and potential litigation away. Um they've changed their their their proposal, so it's kind of hard to figure out everything that's going to be going on there. Fourth, planning and city resources. This proposal changes forces changes to longstanding plans will produce no tax revenue yet will increase demand for police, fire, and emergency services. Fifth, sanitation. We've all talked about that. Finally, land use. There is insufficient space for the stated use, parking, storm water um management, and future road widening. For these reasons, and for those others we'll address tonight, we urge you to deny this proposal. Thank you.

Okay. Um Okay. So, let me let me Is there a uh mah mood? Mammood ever come down. I see some people smiling at me. B A I G. I can spell B AI G. Last name. Did they ever come down? Arsad Bag. Okay, that's

how about last name Ali. Shazam Ali. S A H Z Z A I B. Keep going. He's not here. No, this one's here. Okay. Uh for can hed h a hme- d a hme d people are leaving Jonathan Nation. Jonathan Nation n a t i o n nope. How about here?

Jim Ingram. Jim Ingram. Little Links Golf Club. See here? Okay. Right there. Okay. So, you'll be on deck. Nathan Dom. Nathan Dom. Tell him he shouldn't have been here. Too bad. [laughter] Is he Is he in a stack? Okay. What is his name? Oh, we're not hearing from Tulsa residents.

Nathan, you need to get a chair. Okay, while we're waiting for hopefully people coming down. Uh, so Gabe Woolly, you got

Hello. Uh, thank you for being here. Thank you for everyone utilizing their voice and exercising their rights here. Um, my name is Gabe Woolly. I'm a state representative in the Oklahoma House of Representatives in Broken Arrow. Um, I am going to simply read some information and talk to you guys about some concerns with traffic because that is what constituents reached out to me about for this issue. So, the traffic in Broken Arrow is uh getting worse with all the ongoing building in the city, but where road extensions isn't keeping up. The uh this is certainly true on South 129th East Avenue where the property of in question is. Five o'clock traffic on South 129th is already frustrating. Adding the more place of another place of assembly or shopping center means it will only get worse. It is a two-lane road that according to the city's plan won't be widened for another 10 years as was mentioned earlier. So, why would we consider reszoning this commercial or granting a special permit for a place of assembly with no immediate plan to alleviate the extra traffic it would create? On that note, I'm also going to add at the last meeting I attended, there appeared to be a lot of uh discussion and decisions made from that board based off of potential future promises, but no actual practical guarantees or steps put in place. Uh, as a legislator, I don't vote on a bill based off of future promises. I need it put into legislation before I can sign my name to it. Uh the property has um only a one way in and only one direct way out on 129th and there's no other way back entrance nor can one be created. This assures that the traffic will only become more congested. simply added the police officer. Simply adding a police officer to help direct traffic, which was the solution offered when asked about full capacity events are short a short-term fix with no long-term solutions. The concern [clears throat] uh of the mosque that was built is the increase from traffic being built is the increase of traffic and five daily prayers to call at least three to four

of these directly conflicting with high traffic hours. Those times are based on the sun's position and so vary slightly throughout the year. But for example, January 7th, 2026, the prayer times were 5:50 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 2:44 p.m., 5:03 p.m., and 6:33 p.m. It doesn't take an engineer to recognize that the morning, noon, and 5:00 times are an immediate issue. Not to mention, one also corresponds with when schools let out and four out of the five times where there is already high traffic volume. And there are some other examples that constituents had reached out for, but I'm pretty much going to leave it at that. I appreciate your time and I just hope you take into consideration how that will impact us. Thank you.

Can we try see if there's any more in this [clears throat] last name? Uh I think it's ke n oat ke y n o and a guessing here keyno. It could be a V R E. No. Okay. Reena. Q U Q A BB A N I. R E N A Q A BB A N I.

Dwayne Casey. Okay. [clears throat] Okay. I'm gonna let the mayor do this one. Said h last name M U G H I A B I M U G H I A B I see if any of those come down and then let's get

Okay, I think we have already have two. Um, Kimberly Filer St. Clair Lois Slair. Bonita Lois St. Clair. Okay. Brian Meyers. Uh, Omar Cassim. No, everybody's going home early.

Muhammad Ali [laughter] from Broken Air, Oklahoma. Read that. See if that's Yep, that's what it says. All right. Finally, I got one. [laughter] Babar say, is that you? Okay. So, up on deck, sir. Thank you. Good.

All right. Okay. So, then let's have uh Jim Ingram and then he'll and then he'll come up and then make All right. My name is Jim Ingram. I am uh 84 years old and uh 33 years ago, when I was 50 years old, I decided to build a golf course for juniors. And it's the only was and still is the only country club for elementary age juniors in the United States. So you have that in Broken Era only. This is not about rel. I wrote about a a three-hour speech, but I'm gonna try to do it in three seconds. Um, not about religion because if you're a golfer, you're my friend. And [laughter] so, this is about freedom of religion versus freedom to stay in business like they talked about before. Um, if you approve this for that piece of land, it's going to put the final nail in the coffin and it's going to put me out of business. I'm already experiencing heavy traffic problem as one lady experienced her talked about a while ago. And um, the traffic backs up from our intersection uh, a half over a half a mile back to the Greek turnpike where this property is. And this property is there's a church in between us. So I'm like 277 yards I can hit a I used to be able to hit a driver that far onto their

property. So um that's uh um that's how close they are. Well, uh the traffic is so bad that I used to stay open till 10:00. It's about a fourth of our business. People would come home after work. They would go home, change clothes, and um and try to come back and hit some balls and relax and take golf lessons. Well, in the last three years, I have not turned the lights on other than 15 minutes after sundown. People cannot get there because it takes literally 15 I did timed it the other day. It took me 15 minutes to get from the creek turnpike a half a mile to the intersection. That's ridiculous. Just like going to an OU football game. And uh [laughter] by the time you do that, you go home, eat dinner, change clothes, get your golf clubs, and try to come back and fight the 15-minute traffic again. It's just people don't want to do it. And they tell me that. They tell me that they're not coming anymore for lessons. I used to give them a lot at night. I'd stay open to 10:00. Now, we don't stay open past sundown. So, that's an example. Um, the other example is the water flow problem is getting so bad that it's washing out our dams for the golf course to get from one hole to the other. And it's cost me about $50,000 a year to repair the damage for the last three years from the water coming downstream.

I have a question for you. Um, you said the water is increasing. Where do you where do you think that water is coming from that's increasing? all the all the my son is um helped me build the golf course 33 years ago. We did it with our own two hands and um we uh and he's he's in he has a company now called El Eli's Irrigation. He does a lot of water. Um he's a water expert. And what's happening is the all the construction up north of us, whatever it is, when they put concrete on the ground, build a home, build a parking lot, build a street or whatever, there's no place for the water to go. So, it rolls over into the to the um the creek and the creek comes down there to our place. And the water pipe down on 121st just south of our golf course is is little. It was built 50 to 75 years ago. But the big pipe coming down will handle the flow. But when it hits our just it blocks it. There's no water to go. So it backs up on the property. the creek that we're talking about. When I built the golf course 33 years ago, I the creek was about as wide as this right here. I could jump over the creek now. It's a hundred yards wide. That's how much the backing up of the water has flooded our golf course. It's made the ponds bigger. The shots harder, but it's backing up. And until you all solve that problem of this piece of land is not suitable for any more addition to the property uh for uh it doesn't alleviate that it adds to the traffic problem and it adds to the water problem.

So thank you sir. I think we'll um if staff will take note because that's the first I've heard of it. So thank you sir.

Okay. Thank you. All right. Okay. Control. All right. Um All right. Babar say good evening mayor and council members. My name is Barber and I have been a resident of Broken Arrow since 1998. I'm an engineer and entrepreneur and my wife and I are raising our two children here. Our connection to Broken Arrow goes back even further. One of our families first moved to the city in 1985, nearly four decades ago. Over time, that has grown into three family units who now live in Brooken Arrow. Across these households, we include engineers, CPAs, IT professionals. Collectively, we've earned over $700,000. And I just have to mention these numbers because everyone else is bringing up these numbers. So, uh, annually and pay more than $25,000 each year in local property taxes. These are long-term residents who have chosen Burken Arrow intentionally to live, to work, and to raise families. Now, to to respond to some of the concerns which uh was the economic impact of approving this for the mosque. I want to respond to that by further uh reminding everyone about the uh beyond our immediate households. There are more than 200 Muslims families living in Broken Arrow today. These families are not temporary or transient. Many work in professional and skilled fields, have long have strong rates of home ownership, and earn household incomes that often exceed the city median. As one of uh our as some of the statistics were mentioned earlier, like other residents, they

contribute to the local economy through property taxes, sales tax, and everyday spending at Broken Arrow businesses and for and entertainment. Rather than relying on projections or assumptions, the key point is simple. These families already live here and already contribute to the Broken Arrow economy. The mosque does not include introduce a new population. It serves an existing community that is already integrated into the city's neighborhoods, schools, and workforce. We have been here for a long time and we're planning to stay for a while. Uh third and last alignment with the uh Broken Arrow next comprehensive plan. I took some time out and try to review the plan. As I understand the plan, it directs largecale development to areas designated as land use intens intensity level six, particularly along major transportation corridors such as the south side of the creek turnpike. This site falls within that designation and is planned at a scale and intensity consistent with what the plan envisions for this area back in 2019. The physical layout reflects the plan's emphasis on highquality compatible development. Retail is placed along the Olive Street roadway frontage to support economic activity.

Thank you. I can stop right here. Yes. Thank you for the attention. Thank you. Uh next, Nathan Tom.

Thank you, counselors. Appreciate the opportunity to speak with you all. Um I want to address some of the things that were said at the very beginning by the proponents of this. Um so I'm going to address a few things that I wrote down as he was speaking as well as the engineer. One thing that was mentioned was he said this is not about commercial activity. If it's not about commercial activity, why are they including a commercial activity aspect that they have no real plan to implement about when or why that might actually happen, what that'll do to parking or anything else. It seems like that's somewhat of a red herring to try to get this approved by claiming that there will be commercial activity. Um, it was also mentioned that a place of worship can be approved when they are compatible with surrounding development. Key word there is they can be approved. They also cannot be approved when they are not compatible. We already have an existing uh places of worship both right next to this and right across the street from this. So, this is not compatible with that. Uh there's several other things that were mentioned that I'll try and come back to, but I also want to talk about what the engineer said because the engineer claimed uh 2,000 cars per day. I did some quick research while I was sitting there. Um what I could find was that that was from a 1965 study dealing with rural highways that are two-lane rural highways. I don't know if olive is a rural highway designated, but I don't believe so. But my point is also in that that they also changed the parking plan on what was approved by the planning commission and what they are now talking about now. So whether that was intentionally misleading to say we're going to do this to get it through the planning commission and now to come to you all and say oh well now that we've revisited that we need to look at that because I brought that up at the planning commission and I told them that there's no way that they can fit in the parking spaces that they're claiming that they can do even without the wetland aspect of it. Even if they used the entire property for for just parking, it would not fit. So we've seen this constantly being a moving target change time and time again. And so it seems like whether it's intentionally disingenuous or as people have brought up concerns, they realize, oh, that was false, so now we need to rectify that. Those are all reasons that you all should be able to vote no on this

proposal. Um, it was also mentioned that six or seven churches have been approved by this by the commission uh by you all. That's true. But there also was a church just 2 miles away that was denied because it was in the same intersection, not even the same intersection, across the street from an existing place of worship. not not within the close distance and proximity of the two existing ones that um that this proposed mosque would be in. So uh there's several other things uh that uh were mentioned that were of concern. Uh but uh the other thing that was said was that allow this compliant low impact place of worship to move forward. There is no evidence that this is compliant with the plan that uh the comprehensive plan that this will be compliant with the concerns on water with parking with anything else that will be low impact. In fact, the evidence indicates that it will cause major impact to water that it'll cause major impact to traffic to many other things. So, for all those reasons and more, I encourage you to vote no on this proposal. Thank you. Raina Quabani.

Oh goodness. Nick Willer, sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry. We're We'll call just a few to come back up and get in the Oh, no ma'am. Sorry. You can stay. We're just going to call some people to come in the the queue. Nick Wheeler, Janet Sanders,

Joanne Smith, and last name M A Q S O D Mad and it can be A B U B A K A R or M. They both have the same last name and the same address. So, if one of you could come up, we'd appreciate it. All right. Okay. Thank you.

Now, good evening, mayor. Um, uh, council members. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak. Um, I want to begin by acknowledging the strong emotions are present tonight. Now, I respect that people care deeply about our city as much as I do. I got married and raised a boy and a girl here. What I consider to be a very safe and welcoming environment. I believe in this city and its people. All my years in Broken Arrow, I never felt I was living in isolation. I was engaged with the community, sharing my culture and food, volunteering my time in any way. I'm a member of the open tables committee that has been working to bring um the city together by sharing food and faith and I appreciate that they are all here to support me today. I also worked through the Islamic Society of Tulsa to welcome refugees and I can't express how happy I was seeing people from different religions and backgrounds coming together to welcome them. My love for this city means to me that I every time I pray for my family, I include my city with my prayers. When there's drought, I pray for rain. When there's tornado, I pray for safety for everyone. In my 26 years living in Broken Arrow, I can't recall an incident that made me want to leave. I'm so proud being an Okim Muslim. I'm not here seeking special treatment. I'm here asking for equal treatment under the same laws and standards that apply to every other citizen and faith community in Broken Arrow. This project had already received initial zoning approval. We are here tonight for final approval based on land use, infrastructure and compliance, not on who we are or what we believe. A mosque is not a political institution.

It is a place of prayer, education, charity and community service. Like churches and synagogues, it serves people uh families, seniors, children who want to live peacefully and responsibly in a city we call or we all call home. Our community has committed to comply with all city requirements, environmental regulations, traffic management measures, and public safety standards. We are uh prepared to accept reasonable conditions and work together with the city to address legal concerns. What we are asking for tonight is not permission to exist but permission to proceed in accordance with law. And finally, I respectfully ask that council to focus on the standards before you, the approvals already granted and the principle that Broken Arrow is a city where decisions are made based on policy but not fear. Thank you so much for your time. Appreciate you,

Ryan Meyers. No, no, [cough]

this microphones made for tall people. No. Um, [clears throat and snorts] BA seems to struggle with creating a clear andor successful plan for expansion and more importantly sticking to that plan once it's established. I want to give a couple quick examples. First, the Aldi's at 121st in Elm. The entrance is located immediately after the road narrows. Good idea. Now, uh, parking lot can handle about 75 vehicles with constant traffic in and out throughout the day. We regularly see congestion and bottlenecks and accidents uh, at that location. I understand the proposed location um, is a much different, but it's far worse um, in almost every single way. It would be much closer to the turnpike. The surrounding roads are not wide enough to handle the increased traffic. It would serve even more people and uh with services like a food bank and medical services, it will expand the hours of for the traffic on this narrow street. My second example is the de development across from um Children's Middle School, which I spoke against at the time. That project is now underway and from what I understand it has fa faced several serious issues. The original builder has gone bankrupt. Another company has taken over. There's been flooding problems affecting the neighborhoods to the west. Additionally, I do not see the promised stoplight at the development interest. Was that stoplight tied to the construction uh the contractor? I don't know. [snorts] Now, I bring up these this second example for two reasons. One, it shows how the development plans can change, which is exactly what's happening in this case. Given the issues that are already identified, this thing has moved change targets and just on

that basis alone shouldn't be approved. Second, when I opposed, excuse me, the children's development, I said, and I quote, "It is not the responsibility of the planning committee or the city to ensure one special interest party gets more or the most out of their property at the expense of the surrounding neighbors. It is ex and this is exactly what the pres proposed zoning change would do. Despite widespread community opposition to the children's development, it was approved because we were told it aligned with the BA comprehensive development plan, increased the tax base, and supported future growth. This proposal does none of that. In fact, it limits potent potential tax revenue for that area. We are asking they are asking for conditional use variance in addition to the zoning change because it doesn't fit the current plan. I do not understand why the planning committee has even moved this proposal forward with these issues and the significant public opposition unless there is a conflicted interest or reluctance to say no.

Thank you Dewan. Yes sir. Yeah. There's a gentleman back in seat four that's been there for quite a while. I don't what's his name? We can find out what his name is. Jonathan Nation. Mr. Jonathan Nation. Okay. He's was there before all these folks were down. Okay. Well, it might be helpful if they do show up. Yeah. If we can know. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, we call.

One moment. Okay. Jonathan Nation. Thank you. There's been a lot of concern raised about traffic issues with this development. My question is any is this going to be different from any other development that would go in? You're going to have traffic issues regardless of what development occurs. It seems like this is being used as a fig leaf to disguise nothing else than naked bigotry. It also begs the question as to if any other religious organization would face this level of scrutiny if they weren't Muslim. A lot's been raised on can Muslims integrate. Uh one gentleman even said that all terrorists are Muslims which is blatantly untrue. There are terror there are non-Islamic terrorist groups all over the all over the world that are operating and to paint with a broad brush is unfair and bigoted towards our neighbors and our friends. What must be understood is that Sharia law is not even implemented in m Islamic majority countries. Let alone the fact that this Islamic law could be implemented in with a minority religious group. And not only that, but there is no intention on exercising Sharia law whatsoever over a broader secular uh society. And what we must also weigh against all of this is that we are not a Christian country. We are not an Islamic country. We are a secular country with the separation of church and state built in as the cornerstone of our government. This must be understood. And I say this as a Southern Baptist with my religious

education that there is a wall between church and state and it should not be breached. Thank you. All right. Okay. Getting old having to remind you guys self-control. Okay. Dean Cass. Sorry. Cass is okay. [laughter] Um, my name is

My name is Dwan Kazim. I've lived in Broken Arrow for 20 years. I don't know that I've heard as much hate and division in one place than today. I did not know what I was going to say. [sighs] The young lady for [clears throat] from the University of Tulsa probably said everything that needed to be said. But I will say this, as the gentleman before me said, the problems with traffic and runoff have [clears throat] been an issue in Broken Arrow since I've been here, and I've been here for over 20 years. So to make our Muslim siblings pay for that is a farce at best. And I would hope that you have the courage as leaders [clears throat] to be the people that everyone voted for or could have voted for, even voted against. Just represent everybody. Follow the law. I'm not going to come up here and pretend like I'm an expert in zoning or anything else, but I know this. I am a Christian [clears throat] who [snorts] is rooted in love and is not scared of any of God's children

today or tomorrow because my faith is built on the Lord. It does not reside or move in this world in fear. Thank you. Let's see. Sir, what is your name in the red? Nick Wheeler. Okay. He's been sitting there for a while.

Cheryl Fritz. Cheryl Fritz. [clears throat] All right, Nick Wheeler. Sorry. No problem. Hi.

Um, like you said, my name is Nick Wheeler. I'm a lifelong resident of Broken Arrow. Um, my family moved here back in the 60s. Um, native Oklahoma. My family came to Oklahoma before statehood. Um, I went to school here. I graduated in 2000 from Broken Arrow High School. Um, I've got a bunch of notes up here that I had written down and I'm going to abandon almost all of these because most of it's already been said. Um, for most of what I was going to say, I would refer you back to what our legislators that are constituents here have come up and already talked about with the comprehensive plan and some of the changes that have been proposed already. Um, instead I'll tell you a little bit about my history with um, Islam and where I fall in this. So, my first interaction with someone who was Muslim was at Haskell Middle School when I was 14 years old. And I remember it because she sat next to me in biology class. And she was 14 years old and had entered [clears throat] into a marriage contract with her 27-year-old husband and was already a mother. Fast forward to the year 2001, I joined the army um because I grew up in the Rose District before that's where people with money went. Um, and I needed college I needed college money. And uh, the battle buddy that I was assigned in basic training, his name was Zulfakar Ali Big. He was a Pakistani American. And I filed an equal opportunity complaint against my drill sergeant while I was in basic training on his behalf because that drill sergeant threw his prayer rug out the window. After graduating basic training, uh 911 happened and in 2007 I went to Iraq in Rammani, Iraq. My Muslim interpreter tried to kill us with a insider attack. Fast forward again to 2018, I was in

Kabell, Afghanistan on a deployment and my Muslim interpreter saved my life. So, as you can see, I've had positive and negative interactions. I've seen the very best Muslims and I've seen the very worst Muslims. And I think that all of them would agree that whether you're a Christian or an Oklahoma or an American, however you identify, uh they've probably seen the very best and the very worst of us, too. My concern is that, let me back up. I am, as a constituent, I'll tell you that I am a no vote. Um, I believe that what we've learned tonight from the very own testimony and the engineers that uh worked on this project is too much has changed in just a few weeks. Nobody has a clear plan and it appears that it's a moving goalpost over and over and over again. I think the best strategy for this council would be to def defer this vote so that we can collect more information from both sides. We can wait for the outcome of the attorney general's investigation and then we can make a clear and reason decision as a community on what should happen with this. Thank you. [applause]

You guys love having kindergarteners in here and we have to constantly remind you to sit on your hands. Um, okay. Is there Janet Sanders or Joanne Smith? I don't think any of these are

mazan khaled k h a l i d khaled I'm let the mayor read that one [laughter] you can see that proga han hos pause. No.

First name Tariq. H A S S E or A N. H A S S E or A N. Tariq. First name. Cheryl Fritz. Yes, they're going home. Garrett Hampton. Last name B E D R I B E D R I. First name I can't read it. Osama.

Osama. Osama. B D R I. Are you out here? Thomas Holden Muhammad Als W a Y A T Alishawat Muhammad Alishawat Nope's got that one

Mohamad Delbby D E L B I or D E HBI probably D E HBI. Someone sit down. Ma'am, what is your name? Sanders. Sanders. Did we just call that? I didn't call it Sanders. I don't believe Oh, Janet Sanders. Yes, ma'am.

You're in luck. You're the only one out there. Come on up. I had decided not to talk because I would just be so redundant of everything that I've heard up here. I agree with I'm a no vote. I agree with um all of the technical people talking about um the legal aspects to this. The one thing I keep hearing, I think it is really a question of the land and it's pretty obvious if you talk to the people that live there and have already been affected like the golf course people. But the thing that keeps going through my mind when I first moved into Broken Arrow and I've been here uh just about 30 years. I was been a business owner for all but five of those years. I wanted to go to a church that was way on the other side of town. I didn't expect that church to build a place real close to me so it was comfortable. I drove there. If I want to go to something downtown, I drive. There are there is another mosque. There is a thing. I do not think that is any kind of a justifiable reason just because it's more convenient. I think the important thing is the land and the effect of the people that are already there. That's really all I had to say. Thank you very much.

Yeah, we had two that are down. Can I get the names that are Okay, ma'am. Theres Lawless. Ah, Theres, come on out. We've been waiting for you. Sorry.

Good evening, members of the council. Thank you for being here and listening to all of us. Um, I already know what's been pros and cons and everything that's been said and that's all old hat and maybe this was been said but if I did I didn't hear it uh regarding the previous gentleman a couple of ago. It doesn't matter as far as I see the property cannot support even if it was a huge Catholic church or a huge Baptist church whatever is being wanted to build on this particular site the it's been showing that the it cannot accommodate that kind of support of the support the uh 700 spaces of parking want that amount of cement on that kind of property. The structure of a 40,000t building, it just can't support it. Whether it's uh a mosque or Catholic church or Baptist or a stadium, this site can't support that. And if it's better, I think it's better to defer vote to research and get more architectural um study going on this geological survey something whereby it will show what I believe is the natural outcome that it is just too big for this area to be not only for the property to support it, but for the outlying area to support that kind of traffic and I do believe it would be most beneficial for all around to defer vote so that these studies can be put into place and it be what I believe will

be outstandingly obvious that it should not be built here. Thank you.

Thank you. Uh Garrett Hampton. Hi, my name is Garrett Hampton. I'm a resident of Broken Arrow and I love it here. I appreciate you taking this issue seriously and hearing our concerns. I'm a veteran who swore to support and defend the Constitution of the United States. I still stand by that oath and it is in light of that oath that I stand to speak against this proposed development. While the Constitution clearly protects the free exercise of religion, it is not a blanket license for disregarding the law and order in the name of that religion. While the details of this project are clouded by considerations of religion, the legal objections to the proposal are clear. The proposed development requires reasonzoning approval in spite of clear problems with traffic, sanitation, parking, and flood control. I live approximately 2.3 miles from the development. My main concern is parking, but I've thrown out the rest of my notes because I want to make a single statement. As I've listened tonight, I've been in the upstairs room listening carefully. We've heard arguments for and against. The arguments for are this repeatedly. We're here. We're nice. We're good neighbors. We work hard. We contribute. And other than the first two speakers who spoke on the actual development, none have really addressed the issues with the flood zone and with sanitation and with traffic. I can tell you that traffic in this area is already overburdened and I actually live on South Aspen between Indian uh Indian Springs and the new shopping center. That area is a disaster for traffic and it's literally a mile down Tucson from this area. Now, I know that that is part of the growing pains and they're actually expanding Aspen right now to

deal with that issue, but in the case of this proposed development, it's 10 years before they'll address the traffic issue. So, for me, I'm a strong no simply based on the use of the land and the the problems that it imposes on the rest of the community. I really appreciate your time tonight. Thank you, Cheryl Fritz. You're on deck, ma'am.

Yeah. Uh, last name C H A M H R Y. Chambry. Yana Chambry. C H A M H R Y. Go by the spelling, not what I'm saying. Ad nine. Silich. S H E I L C H. S H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H E I K. Is that a K or L? K. Shake. Last name Shake. See, he said, "Yeah, I got one."

But they're not here, are they? Are they here? All those people are leaving.

You take that one. M. Uh, Ali. Masib. Musi B. Ali. This one is hard to read because I think their pin was running out, but they do live. Well, I didn't say their address, did I? Um, okay. First name. I think it's adel. It's hard to see on the the ink is okay. H I N D A B R A B E D R A BB O. A bedro bow.

I feel like we're calling bingo. That's what it feels like. Kristen Ward. At least they're smiling right upstairs. Okay. So should be could be coming down. Uh Nancy Burke. Okay, come on. Come on down. Nael. N A Y E L A Pedro. A B E D R O A B O. I'm smiling with you. Okay. A B E D R A BB O. you can come on and speak. Ma'am,

thank you for letting me speak tonight. I'm lived in Broken Arrow as a homeowner going on 36 years paying my taxes. I've loved living in South Broken Arrow all these years, raised my family there. I have a lot of things that are repetitious of what has already been said, but this does go against the comprehensive plan for Broken Arrow that's already established. One thing that has not been said, the proposed septic leech fields are located adjacent to the White Church Creek within Hu Creek Watershed leading to possible effects on water quality and compliance with DEEQ standards. Also, I was going to share about little links, but the gentleman already spoke, so I will not repeat that. But he should not lose his business. The sole business in that area of Broken Arrow, he should not lose his business. That is not fair to him at all. The um I can relate to flooding issues. I had my next door neighbor, old next door neighbor, two-story home, took off their guttering. I never had drainage issues. Then I did after that. I had to put in French drains. I had to put them in twice to rectify the problem. So, I relate totally to cause and effect and consequences and the headaches and financial burdens caused by drainage and water. The septic issue. I grew up with septic tanks. There was only four of us. They were a nightmare. I cannot see putting a big place of worship with 700 estimated parking spaces and the septic tanks. There's no way it would be able to handle it. And the pollution to South Broken Arrow, this is our home.

Um the four-way stop sign at 121st in Olive create already creates a traffic backup, especially with commuter time, school bus routes, local residents, drivers. To add 700 more vehicles in the mixed is unfair to all involved. The increased amount of massive traffic volume would cause an unsuitable safety scenario, especially for our law enforcement. They work hard keeping us safe in Broken Arrow. This should not be going on. Thank you to the mayor. Thank you to the city manager. And thank you to city councils. Vote no.

Um, has anyone walked in that was upstairs that is on the list? Okay. What is your name? H. H I N D. Yes, ma'am. Okay. I guess I'll have to Do you not go shorter?

You can move it down. Oh, okay. Thank you. Um, I'm honestly so surprised today when I came in and saw how many people really disliked me for my beliefs. Um, I support the proposal for the new mosque and I'm going to tell you why. You should as well. I first like to tell you all what Islam is. I've seen tons of people saying that Islam is not a religion but a satanic cult. Most of the people most of the people opposing if not all being Christian and ignorant to learn our beliefs. We believe in one singular God which we call Allah subhanana wa ta'ala. We do not believe there's anything or anyone as high as God along with prophets/meengers one being Jesus. Our religion is filled with love and kindness and it is very similar to Christianity and in fact do we respect other religions. It is quoted in our Quran indeed the believers Jews savians and Christians whoever truly believes in God in the last day and does good there will be no fear for them nor will they grieve. Christianity is also built around love, which some of you have lacked very recently to do so. John 4:8, "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. A new command I give you. Love one another as I have loved you, so you must love one another." Now, to be inhumane is to deprive others from their beliefs. How can we go against our own constitution, the first amendment being freedom of religion? Have we forgotten? In the late 1800s, people immigrated to the US seeking economic opportunities, personal freedom, or relief from from political and religious persecution. With over 5,300 churches in just Oklahoma and only 12 mosques, you all are throwing a fit over one more. And you all try to use the excuse of traffic or land issues for the reason that you oppose, but really it's just racism. This country is not a theocracy government. in the US is called the melting pot for a reason. We have Jews, Hindus, Catholics, atheists, and even Satanists. It's the realization of s. We

are all our own person and shouldn't be deprived of our rights. There's a church in every corner. There's no reason we don't deserve a place to worship as well. If this proposal doesn't get accepted, you all aren't getting rid of us. You are just making yourself look bad. You're depriving children, teens, and young adults from freedom. At the end of the day, this life is a test, and God watches how you treat others. What's happening is immoral and honestly childish. We're all a community, no matter the race of or the religion. So don't manipulate yourself into thinking this is right. You all aren't scared of us taking over or doing something wrong. You're scared of losing control of us. You all think if we're not Christian, then we're against you. The proposed systemic center is not in your way, including a food pantry and free medical clinic open to everyone, and calls to prayer would only be placed inside. At the end of the day, we need more peace and more love. And that won't happen without effort, prayer, and houses of worship. Thank you.

Okay. Can you stop, please? Again, with self-control. That'd be a wonderful thing to have tonight. Um, sir, what is your name? Okay, you're

My name is Umer Chadri. I'm a resident of Broken Arrow for the last 5 years. I wanted to be very clear tonight. This decision should not should be about facts, fairness, and precedent, not fear. We've heard repeated concerns about ingress, egress, traffic, parking, schools, sewer, and storm water. But when we look at honestly at how this city already functions, those concerns fall apart. Just down the road, Tulsa Tech campus is used with thousands of students, instructors, and staff moving in and out every single day. Morning through evening its traffic is constant daily and heavy and yet ingress and egress were deemed sufficient. A mosque does not operate like that. Prayer times are predictable, limited in duration and mostly outside of school dismissal and work rush hours. Friday prayer does not compete with school traffic, evening prayer does not compete with morning commutes. These are all basic observable facts. The same rule is true for parking. Churches across the city were approved with parking designated for peak use for one or two days a week. That logic has never been controversial until now. Applying a higher burden here sends a troubling message that the standards change depending on who is worshiping. We've also heard concerns about schools. The nearest schools are not adjacent to this site and their schedules do not overlap with the mosque's attendance. There are no engineering There's no engineering data, no time conflict, and no safety evidence to justify that fear. Sewer and storm water are engineering issues governed by code. If capacity upgrades are needed, they are handled through standard conditions of approval, not denial. What hurts the most is these arguments don't come from data. They come from discomfort. Zoning was never meant to be

a tool to quietly exclude. It exists to regulate land use, not belief systems. When a project meets code, mirrors approved uses, and follows the same rules as churches and educational institutes, denial is no longer neutral. It becomes selective. This community is asking for the same thing every other faith has already received. Equal treatment, fair review, and dignity. I urge you to approve this resoning, not because it's a mosque, but because it meets a standard the city claims to stand by. Nothing about this proposal is new, except the people using it. Thank you.

Thank you. Um, [clears throat] Zane, M U Z A F E R M U Z A FF E

Kristen Ward, [clears throat] Cheryl Fritz, Thomas Holden, Randall Stikney, F R A Z S H A I K H. Last name S H A I K H Fro F. Is he here? Last name A L W A Y A T

A L S H W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W A Y A T Sorry Sorry, Randall Pette, Teresa Powell, Patrick Wilkinson. I think we have I think we have one is coming down. Okay. H A M ZN H A S I M. The last name H A S I M. What? It could be K. Yeah. K A S I M. Okay. Sir, what is your name?

Patrick Wilson.

You come on down. Well, a lot has been said. Uh, you know, everybody's given their history. Um, I've been here 73 years, born and raised. My family has been here for five generations basically. And since I'm part Cherokee, I guess I've been here forever. So, bottom line to this whole thing is, and you hold it heard it all before, this thing is a bait and switch. And that's just exactly what we got to see tonight. I got all of these things written up by what they told us they were going to do in the beginning. Well, that's all changed now. All of a sudden, it's 125 parking spaces instead of 750. Well, guess what? If the Musk is the if the is still the same size as what they said to start with, that's 28 people a car. That's a lot in a car. I don't care who you are. So, I really don't think that this has anything to do with except we bought this land and we bought it cheap and we're going to use it for what we want to use it for. And then our planning commission went ahead and rubber stamped it and sent it all to you guys. Makes your job tough. There's no doubt about it. And I know everybody's called everybody racist. Well, we're not racist. We just live downstream for this thing and we don't want that crap coming down. You know, we've already got enough. So this thing, buy another piece of property, you know, go buy once anywhere. I don't care. You can buy it in broken air, but buy a big enough piece that it doesn't affect the rest of us. Thanks.

Um, what what is your name? Okay. And then, sir Lori, are these two are they in line? These three. These three. Okay. What is your name, sir? Okay. Okay. And what is your name, sir? Ross. Ross. Uh, I think I Ros first. Ros. Here's Ross.

Good evening, chair, council members, and staff. My name is Fro Shake, and I've been a Broken Arrow resident for over 15 years. Uh, I'm here in support of this initiative. Uh, a little bit about myself. I was, uh, raised by educators. My mom's a retired uh school teacher. My dad served uh as an administrator in in a college. So I was raised to respect people. I was raised to respect different cultures, different faith. Right? So I personally hold conservative values. Uh really uh believe in personal responsibility, accountability. I support our law enforcement and all the risk that they put themselves to keep our community safe. I went to college in Oklahoma, met my wife for 15 years, raised a family, and today uh my extended family, my in-laws, we all live in Broken Arrow. This is home for us. So, over the past 15 years, I've seen uh uh you know, Broken Arrow grow substantially. However, the space to practice our faith has not. Right. Today, we travel to the Islamic Society of Tulsa in Midtown. It's a 15 to 20 minute drive one way. So while we value the center, the need has outgrown the space. That's at the heart of the conversation, right? So a mosque in Broken Arrow um which is probably going to be less than a few miles is u is going to be the way to go. It's it's going to be um safer travel, safer uh less road time for us. And we also provide a space for the families who already live and gather for our worship. I'm not going to go into the um the zoning because I'm no expert. We'll leave that to the professionals. I'm also not going to talk about the constitution. I am uh no scholar in that. But it has been disappointing to see uh the feedback on social media plus uh the the commentary here. So I wanted

to address that a little bit. you know, these um portrayals are often shaped by by the media, by um uh by misinformation, by experiences overseas. So, we must be careful. We must separate uh oppressive regimes from the ordinary people like us who live under it. The actions of a few should not define an entire faith. It's like saying all pastors are child molesters. Right? That is wrong. Right? So we chose America not to change it, but because it represents freedom. It represents opportunity. It represents justice. We are here for the same reasons generations of Americans have been here before us, right? To work hard, to live peacefully. So judge us not by fear or by stereotypes but by how we live, how we serve, and how we show up as neighbors. Thank you.

It's right at my height.

Hi, good evening. Thank you for this opportunity to speak against the zoning of agricultural land to commercial and place of assembly use. I am a neighbor of this plot of land and feel vested in this decision. From traffic concerns of Olive's two-lane street to sewer and septic concerns, wet planes, flood land, water runoff to the no frontage road to the turnpike and having several places of assembly in a small area. There are well over a dozen reasons to deny this proposal based on legal reasons. I would like to focus on the city's own comprehensive plan 2019. This 15 acre lot would have the potential of raising significant funds for the city if it was used to its full potential, its full size rather than a small tocale 20,000 square foot strip mall. Comprehensive plan pages 63, 65, 67, 80, 306, 311, 312, 314, 315, and 318, all represent this area of land for full retail expansion only. The loss of sales tax revenue, if you approve this proposal, would be huge for our growing city. the lady in the very beginning, the one that gave all the maps and talking about it, I'm sorry I didn't catch your name. Um, she spoke on traffic and said herself that that traffic is expected to be not a problem as they'll be heading north to get on the turnpike. That means all those people coming into our city would not be stopping to shop and enjoy Broken Arrow. They're just going to jump on the turnpike and leave. The cost of expanding Olive Street, what's called the ride ofway, before its expected time in 2035 would cost our city significantly. Consider the high cost and the potential

low income from this 20,000 square foot strip mall and you will see it's a bad business move. Please consider all reasons as you make your decision tonight and vote to deny this resoning purpose proposal. Thank you so very much. Thank you. Do you want to call a few? So that's Eli Ingram and Hamson Chasm. H A M ZU maybe K A S I M. Randy, if you'll come on down and we'll we're going to call a few names to come. Are you Randy? Wendle. W You're Wendle. Just kidding. Was there a Randy? Randall. There's a Randall.

That's a Randy. What's your last name? That is Yes, that is you. That's who I have. Sorry. Okay, if you'll pause for just a second and she'll call some names. Okay, I've already called these, too. Um, Omar uh Chattery, C H A B D H A R Y, and Lori Gracie. You already left. Okay.

Okay. I don't know what you want to do with those. Ram Ramy Cen R A M I S I N A N and Bill Farmer. Do one more set and then we'll have Nater Sinnen N A D E R S I N A N and Michael Perscia P E R C I A looks like. All right, sir. Well, I'm disappointed. I think the fella was sitting next to me and reading my notes. Oh,

I think the planning commission did you a major disservice. They had all the information they needed. They could have made a very simple call and instead they decided that they were just going to ignore all the Broken Arrow citizens that showed up that day. We spent five hours and they just blew everybody off and they had all the right calls. This kind of reminds me of uh somebody that Sid Scene bought a house, two-bedroom, one bath house. They came there with their whole family, their cousins, and they were surprised when their 21-bedroom house was not going to work. It's pretty clear the they they came in there to that planning meeting with the 780 parking spots and you knew it wouldn't work. So they brushed, they sharpened their pencils, and they came back and they says, "Oh, we're going to have 150 parking spots now." And if you look at that map they drew, they used every single piece of dirt on that property that was capable of putting concrete on it, and they got concrete on it. There's a holding pond there right next to a wetland. I don't think that's allowed. I think that's against the law. Where did they put the uh the septic the drainage field? There's no more there's no more good dirt for it. It only runs into the water. So basically that land they just sharpen their pencils for still ain't going to work. So you still have an easy decision. And I think if you look at it, you can make a good decision on it. But if you make the wrong decision, the next decision you're going to have to make, you're going to have to work on variances or violations to the codes for drainage, the implications for drainage. You're going to have code violations for the wetland intrusion. You're going to have code violations for wastewater handling because they can't handle any waste water. They'll put it in trucks and run it down the road. That's what

they'll have to do. I think you've seen the the sewage trucks going back and forth from Tulsa sewage down that road right now. You'll have violations for traffic controls. Have you ever seen the backup in traffic on uh the BA 169 at 91st? It's the same thing you'll have right here at Olive. They'll back up into the into the expressway and you'll have accidents there constantly. There just isn't any room. The roads can't handle it. So you'll have violations on the traffic. And then the next thing you're going to violate is the future city budgets that you're going to have to redo to fix all this message that you'll have made 10 years before they even thinking about any work on that road. 10 years from now. It's not the time to be doing this. That two-bedroom, one bath house sounded good when they thought it was 21 bedrooms. They just need to find a place that it'll fit and move it to there. change their plans.

Thank you,

Lori Gracie. Counselors, good to see you all this evening. Um, Manager Spurgeon, thank you for your time tonight. This year, [clears throat] we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and the founding of our nation. In the declaration, our founders wrote that we are all created equal by and endowed with our by our creator with certain inalienable rights that we all know are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, which the founders meant as property. They furthermore stated that governments are established for the purpose of protecting these rights. As a municipal body, governing body, it's your particular responsibility to protect the property rights of Broken Arrow citizens. And I frame this this issue tonight not as a religious issue as it's been framed by so many others, but a property rights issue. Much has been said about um the zoning and the number of people who' be attending the septic, the fact that it's going to be next to a FEMA fled zone. The gentleman just before me said the retention pond next to a marshland, it was not is not even possible to do. So that's all been addressed. We won't reiterate all of that, but ultimately the the council is responsible for protecting the rights of the the citizens who own property adjacent to and downstream of this proposed project. Additionally, the two-lane road abuing the property Olive, as we've been talking about, is insufficient to accommodate traffic as it is, but no one's talked about the fact that the shoulders on Olive are really undrivable. And so when we have all this additional traffic flow, what's going to happen when we have a an emergency services issue? Where are they going to go? How are they going to serve the citizens of Broken Arrow when that road is impassible? We're out 10 years before

that thing get gets widened. And we don't even know then if it will happen. So again, it is your responsibility to protect the rights of your citizens and make sure that they have access to these services. Ultimately, we come down to the whole issue of the comprehensive plan, and I think that's what this hinges on more than anything else. You wisely have put together a plan that calls for the necessary retail that will support Broken Arrow and further development, and this project does not provide that. If a mosque is going to be built, again, as many have said, this is not the location. Let another location be found. let another place, another project be presented, but not this one. So, for all of these reasons, because it's up to you as our governing body to protect our rights, I urge you to say no to this plan. Thank you.

Thank you. Um, nater, is it sin? Mayor, Vice Mayor, City Council. My name is Nater Sin. I was born and raised here in Broken Arrow. I'm a student at the University of Tulsa and I'm currently studying electrical engineering and I'm a married Muslim. We are all one and the same. I wanted to remind everybody that the process of building this place of worship has obeyed and cooperated with all laws and requirements. The only opposition comes from those who wish to reawaken long slumbering racial and religious enmities which have no place in this country. I ask you all to grant us our American right written in our constitution. Thank you very much.

Bill Farmer.

Thank you for having me. My name is Bill Farmer. longtime resident, uh, retired United States Army, 100% disabled veteran. Uh, something people seem to be forgetting is EPA. They need to have a full and thorough investigation or study to make sure we're not hurting any environment with this. You know, we have uh, it's part of the turnpike out there. It's shut down right now because we got nesting uh, bald eagles. Okay. the the runoff if they if we have another flood there septic tank surf has a danger I mean capability of damaging endangered species there's a lot to be looked at here on this program we're having a very lively debate on both sides but this is what what's best for the community not what's best for one religion or another so we need to think about that if we have this some of this name calling that's going on here today. All right, you've got to excuse me. I've just been diagnosed with Parkinson. I'm shaking a little bit. I can feel it. We need to take a step back. Let's get a solid plan. They've changed the goalpost for 700 plus to 150 cars. Get a solid rock hard plan in place. Okay. And let's see it then. Let's see what lieutenant I mean uh let's see where where the investigations go, especially in EPA. Uh I am a strong no. And like one other person said, find another piece of land and I don't have a problem with it. It's more accessible for the greater good of the community. That's what this meet is about. the greater good of the community. Not the Muslim faith, not the

Christian faith, Jewish, whatever, the greater good of the community. Thank you. Thank you, Omar. Uh, Shahadi.

Good evening, Mayor and members of the city council. Thank you for allowing me to speak tonight. Uh, my name is Omar Chri. I, uh, grew up here in Broken Air, Oklahoma. I'm a physician, an anesthesiologist that works here in Oklahoma. Um, I'm here tonight to express support for the proposal of the Broken Arrow Islamic Center and explain why this project serves the public interest and aligns with both our community values and our laws. This center is designed to be more than just a place of worship. like we have at the Islamic Society of Tulsa. We intend to provide free medical assistance to local residents, including basic health screenings and care for individuals and families who may otherwise go without treatment. And these are for individuals who don't have insurance or do have insurance and just don't have access. These services are intended for the broader Broken Arrow community regardless of their religion or background and they help reduce the strain on the emergency rooms and public resources that we employ. In addition to this, like we have been doing at the Islamic Society of Tulsa, we intend to operate a free food pantry. Again, which would be regardless of religion or background, anyone could come and visit and and and be supported um for any families or residents who are experiencing food insecurity. These kind of convenient service are consistent with what Islam preaches and what they and what many of us contribute positively to their neighborhood well-being. Along with that, a long a lot of Muslim Americans in this community are physicians and many of us left Oklahoma to to complete our training. We eventually all came back because of this community. The welcoming, the warmth that I experienced my entire life growing up. Um, so with that being said, we've always cared for people without regard to race or religion because humanity always comes first. Supporting this mosque is simply an extension of those same values. So it is painful and confusing to now be treated differently when we have never drawn lines between people. From a zoning and legal perspective, it is also important to

recognize the houses of worship are protected under the constitution. The first amendment guarantees the free exercise of religion and federal and state laws prohibit local governments from treating one faith differently from another in land use decisions. Churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples are afforded equal protection under the law. This request is not about special treatment. It is about equal treatment, lawful zoning, and allowing a faith-based organization to contribute meaningful services to the community. I respectfully ask the council to consider this application based on the facts, the law, and the positive impact the sender will have on the Broken Arrow community. Thank you for your time and your consideration. [clears throat] Eli, and then sir, in the front, what is your name?

My name is Siman. Okay, Eli goes first. I was just wanting to make sure I have your name in the Dr. Rodney Goss. Dr. Rodney Goss, if you could come down. M she s h i m i last name s h i m i and then md tanamu h a

which

yep [clears throat]

My name is Eli. I'm here to formally request that you deny the proposed zoning change and maintain the current agricultural designation. My perspective is rooted in a lifetime of involvement with the property directly south of the site. Supported by my professional background, I studied landscape contracting and architecture at OSU. I own Eli's Irrigation specializing in drainage and grading and I have managed this specific land for decades. From from its development to a golf course as superintendent to my current role as senior development consultant. In my years managing this land, I have witnessed a steady alarming increase in water volume within the White Church Creek flood plane. The recent developments of the innovation district, Aspen Ridge, and Aspen Creek Elementary have caused runoff to increase. It caused physical damage to my dams, culverts, and overloaded my spillways. This directly impacts the revenue of my business and taxable income. I a par three golf course and lighted driving range. It is important to note Broken Arrow has no other business quite like ours. We provide a unique community asset and attraction tourism revenue that will be jeopardized if these drainage issues are not addressed. Agricultural zoning is the only thing currently providing maximum percolation. Any development here will drastically increase waterhed runoff. It will create insufficient uh it has inficient infrastructure. The current storm water sewers cannot handle this. Any drainage contractor knows that any drain is only as good as its last final inch. The covert at 121st Street is significantly smaller than those at 111th and the culverts under the creek turnpike. They are already insufficient.

Any increase in volume will cause water to back up and increase flooding. The issues of traffic and flooding are inseparable in this issue. This area is underdeveloped and cannot handle the traffic load this zoning change would bring. To fix the roads, we would have to expand bridges and pave and pavement, creating even more runoff surface that dumps water into a a stressed flood plane. Furthermore, we must consider ecological loss. This area is a functioning wetland and sponge for our ecosystem supporting vital aquatic plants and wildlife. In conclusion, if we continue to approve developments without first improving downstream capacity, we're inviting disaster. The most the most responsible action is to keep this land zoned agricultural areas directly south of the turnpike should adhere to the comprehensive plan and become water detention areas. It is the only way to ensure percolation and prevent the total failure of watershed that is already at its breaking point. I'm asking you today.

I wish I wish I I mean I emailed you guys. Yes. There's 20 there's 29 reasons. Thank you. Okay. Yes, sir. Yeah. And your name, sir?

My name is Salem Vasani. Good evening, mayor and city council members, and thank you for the opportunity to speak. Uh I live in Broken Arrow with my wife and four kids and my parents also live here. They're homeowners here. I understand some members of the community are opposed to this project and change can be uncomfortable. I can sense it when you are saying some of the names. I can see the discomfort on your faces. It's not good or bad. It's just uncomfortable. And when this change, you know, it comes with some discomfort and also some fear, but discomfort and fear are not zoning standards and it should not be a basis for land use decision. This hearing is about the proposed mosque and as long as it meets the standards uh like traffic or sewage or water use, it should be applicable to the same regulations or rules as any other place of worship. The families who will be using this mosque, we are not outsiders know we live here. Uh this is what we call home. You know, my kids live here. Uh we are invested in this community, right? when we pay taxes, when we follow the rules, the same applies to us as any other resident. So, what I'm saying is that when you're looking at this project, look at it as the same way as you would at any other project with similar uh standards. Approving this request, you know, it sends a message that Broken Arrow uh treats his residents equally. and is respectable to the law and these are values which will make Broken Arrow which is a growing city you

know with with growth diversity comes change comes but it's all a good thing it all adds to the city so I'm asking that you know you consider this that you know with growth this is going to come and you know you look into the facts of the project in assessing this thank you for your Yeah, Carol Lee Ingram, if you'd come down. and uh John Paul White,

Larry Stout, John Jacobson, Kobe Palmer, Vicky Sue Dodson. You have uh let's see there's somebody sitting in there.

Yeah. Who do we who do we have right now? Who do we have? Who's sitting over there in one of those seats now?

Okay, come on down. Vice Mayor, counselor, city manager. I'm Caroli Ingram. I am a commercial real estate agent and licensed realtor and strategic operations analyst. I have received my RPA, real property administrators license. My lead accredited professional certification from the US Green Building Council. LEAD stands for leadership in an energy and environmental design. As a 30-year commercial real estate adviser, my career has included site selection and development for commercial real estate projects, including traffic studies and environmental concerns and test fitting sites for clients uses. I can tell you from my 30-year professional experience, I would not recommend this site if they were my client. On the drive here tonight, I passed numerous properties that would meet this applicant's site criteria. flat, square, rectangle, not in a flood plane, closer to the city water, which they're going to need better ingress egress. Like the university that somebody mentioned earlier tonight, it's on a completely different road. Um, as you know, real estate's all about location, location, location. And every location is different. You have to study it per location, per user. You can't just blanket it and try to shove it into something that doesn't fit. Um the site that is proposed is mired with conflicts and they're not all complimentary to this user's need which has been evident as the um changes have made been made. Um you should know that

um I'm also one of the owners of Little Links Golf Club, the property, the 40 acre property just south of this proposed site. Um, we would be opposed to any large paved facility being north of us due to the things that you've heard tonight. I had to completely rewrite my whole thing because of everything that we've heard already. So, thank I had a lot of time to do that. Um, the site itself that they're proposing is insufficient for their criteria and need. I sent each of you a copy of the survey um showing the national flood hazard layer, showing the vast FEMA flood plane along White Church Creek, which everyone has mentioned that runs through the proposed development property and through our property. This s this survey is a reality check. It is not a 15 acre site devel of developable land. It is 6.66 66 acres of developable land. According to the professional land survey provided to the counselors, we as owners of the golf course property down flood plane. We have many concerns. The site capacity was overstated. And if you have questions about the thing I sent, let me know. I was like okay with the beeping. Vicky. Uh Vicky Dobson. Vicki. Yes. Good evening. I'm Vicki Dodson. I'm a lifelong resident of Broken Arrow. I have been a teacher and I have retired from teaching and but with six years of

my life I have been in this town and I too express love for it. I came to say I approved of this whole thing but this is the most educational incident. We learn a lot. And I have I have always been a champion of religious freedom and of our laws. And I believe in them very much. And I believe that a lot of the things that have happened, how this is handled has turned it into a zoo. And I'm sorry for that because we don't need zoos. But I do think that from what the residents of the area have said, one of the things that we should really look at is that idea that you really have to sit down and talk with those people and you have to present some information to them and it has to be information that they can all understand. I can't understand half the stuff you're telling me about all the zoning and I'm not supposed to because I'm not an expert in that area. But if I lived in where they live, you better bet I would want a little bit more explanation. But I don't think this should have turned into a question of religion. I think that's sad. I support my Muslim brothers and sisters just like I support my Jewish brothers and sisters and my Christian brothers and sisters, but this has turned into

something that it shouldn't be. You have a terrific job. Since I have been living here, the population has turned into 120,000 people. What do you do to accommodate those people? And where do you get the revenue to do it? This takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of planning. And you people are to be applauded for what you do as elected officials. And I think that there should be some consideration given and as those previous to me have said they think you should defer this and should do a little bit more of planning and presenting so that these people will understand and we all understand where this is coming from. I thank you very much for allowing me to speak. John Jacobson.

Thank you, Mayor. Uh, John Jacobson, 31-year resident. I live on 15 acres south of Park Oak Grove, which is south of 131st Street and west of Olive. I'm addressing the city council and the community as a resident, businessman, and former elected official. I spent 12 years in city and county government in Dallas County, Texas, Saxi, Texas specifically. And I first of all want to thank you for your service. Okay. I have extensive experience in zoning development implementation of city comprehensive planning, wastewater management, municipal water districts, and even landfills. I'm registered professional engineer in the states of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana. I've built hundreds of facilities in pristine areas of Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, G Coast, Wyoming, Michigan, California. I've dealt with the BLM, the DEEQ, oil and gas commissions, and city and government and county governments. When I moved here 94, I used to live in the country. I don't live in the country now. So, having said that, I'm speaking as a business purpose specific to land use. And I oppose this because of my experience in zoning and comprehensive planning. So my request is that you make a motion to deny this request. The [clears throat] olive exit we all know is the south gateway into Broken Arrow. It has significant vehicle traffic, sewer trucks, sand pit trucks, Bixby school traffic. What can go wrong? The aisle of exit [clears throat] is not on the BA bond list for improvement for the next 10 years. We've heard that the southwest corner of this intersection is a non-revenue generating facility. The northwest corner is an abandoned casino development that has not generated any income and is a major eyesore. That's two of four.

The Islamic temple will be a nonrevenue generator. As discussed, the Islamic Temple has owned the land since 2014, has known the comprehensive plan for this gateway quarter, and since acquiring the property, the proponent stated in the in the planning commission that they plan to develop first the mosque, then the strip. Well, to build a mosque for 3,000 people in 750 parking spots, which is now changed. Okay. The [clears throat] proponent stated in the PC PC meeting that they plan to only do construction when they have the funds in hand. So I I will put to you that strip center never gets built because of all the violations they'll have with water, sewage, and um drainage. The [clears throat] proponent asked in a PCP meeting for approval just for the special use permit if they could not be get the uh the commercial zoning. Why would you ask that?

Thank you, sir. Thank you, Mayor. If I could, um at this time I I think we've heard as much as we're going to hear. I haven't really heard anything new. Um, I'd like to have the uh So, [laughter] hang on a second. So, I I if we could have the um applicant maybe come up and then uh I'll call for a vote. Yeah. Uh can the applicant come and do a rebuttal? Honor our freedom of speech. You need to quiet down because that's not proper right now. So, I was for 19 years.

Thank you. Thank you. So, we're going to listen to the applicant now. Sure. Will. Thank you. I'm walking out right now. Okay. Sir, you My name is Chris Kennedy. I've lived here. Can Can he be removed, please? Thank you. Yes, [clears throat] ma'am. Do you have any questions for me or do you want me to answer some of these points?

Um, okay. Um, so beginning with the questions about the LUIS6 and CG, Mr. Rocky um the director of the city has already presented to you all the tables [clears throat] that make CG applicable um to be zoned for this lane. And then the question came up and you probably all of you have this question about the word NIT that keeps coming up North American Islamic Trust and I want to throw some light on it so everybody gets comfortable around here. So what is NATE and why does a mosque joins Nate? [clears throat] No,

please continue. Do you want to be removed as well, sir? Okay, then you can be removed. Can you go on, please? Why don't we all leave? Yeah, that would be great. Thank you. Oh my gosh. So, when when a moss joins Nate, the title is placed in Nate's name. JUST LIKE EVERYWHERE, just like just like Birmingham, just like London. Wow.

So just for you for your information, the local boards at the mosque, Islamic Society of Tulsa is also part of NATE, just for your information. And Islamic Society of Tulsa has its own board. We run the programs. We raise finances that is required to run the mosque. Um Nate's role is custodial very minimal role and just like any other church organization would protect their assets. We have the same organization asset protection continuity which prevents the sale and make sure that the mosque stays as a place of worship because that's what the donors have funded this for. Then the third is legal stability. When the founders pass away, there's no dispute on where the mosque goes. So these are the things that are needed for any small or large organization. And so that's why because there's no other organization, we have this big large national organization. We associated ourselves to them. But if the government, if the federal government or the state government requires us to disengage from NATE, we will not hesitate to do so. But so far, NATE is the only nationally established support or that is similar to any church structure. So that's what I wanted to put to rest. And then came the question about um you know why did we change the goalpost or this is a bait and switch or things like that rectifying the problems that were identified using the public opinion from social media I would consider it as a good practice right and we're been

proactively watching and seeing where the valid public opinion is shifting and we have seen that yes that many number of parking spots is causing a problem. Okay, we have come back to the drawing board with our engineering firm and we said let's reduce this because we you know at at this time if it is not feasible that's that's fine. We we want to reduce it. Then came the question of attorney general's investigation. Yes, that's again a politically motivated investigation and absolutely we're open for it and Islamic Society of Tulsa is the one that has purchased this land completely.

Jacket go ahead and exit the room please so that we can hear so we can continue to conduct business. The gentleman right here, black jacket, red shirt that continues to say Maduro can exit the room if he can't maintain composure. And finally, I'd like to u talk about the flood plane or the septic issues and all that. You know, when we were when we were looking at this in the beginning, um trying to hire Wallace Engineering to do all all of this, we got a quote of about 75 or $80,000 to do any of the engineering work. But before that, the architect recommended, let's get the zoning done because that's the first step in this process. We all want to do what is right, but we don't want to spend any money until resoning is done. I mean how that is the normal process of any development to to go further is first you get the zoning approved and then you invest all the money into all these different issues that are people are bringing up and everybody seems to be an expert in three fields DEEQ's work army corps of engineers work's work everybody thinks that this is bad why would city allow permitting to go through if there was anything wrong with any of these agencies why Would the city's own professionals approve any of this if it was bad for the city? So, I don't understand why we have to keep arguing about something that the city's engineers and the city's professionals have scrutinized enough and will continue to scrutinize when it's permitting time. This is just a zoning change and eventually every single thing that we do on that land will be scrutinized by the city's permitting process. So, and we are ready for it. We're not, again, I'll repeat what I said in the planning time or when the

planning commission's hearing that we're not here to hurt anybody's feelings or any any part of Broken Arrow. We are here in the fabric of Broken Arrow and we are going to do the best for Broken Arrow. And for supporting what I'm saying as my statement, I would like the permission of the the entire chair here to have Mr. Gary Cruz who is from the neighborhood of Islamic Society of Tulsa. He is the the president of the neighborhood association of the Islamic Society of Tulsa. That entire neighborhood of 600 plus houses, right, Gary?

All right. and you will I want you to hear from him on what happened in 1995 regarding regarding the flood water issues that were causing flooding in that neighborhood and how Islamic Society of Tulsa created a detention system there that protected all those houses from flooding and you if you give the permission I'd definitely like to invite him to speak on that. Um we're not going to hear from him at this time. Thank you. So, those were some of the points that I have noted down and and hopefully I've addressed them and put the rest. But any other questions? I'm here to answer. You guys have any other questions?

Well, I'll I'll just say I have the same concerns I did coming into this meeting. I don't know that even the, you know, redevelopment that they have that's really going to change my mind. Um I I think the comprehensive plan is very clear on what we want in that area. And um the traffic situation clearly is not going to get any better. So that would be my points of reference.

Um I'll just go ahead and put this out there. Um, we as a council, our job is to look at each case the same way we do each other any other development that comes. We are not here to discuss freedom of religion. We're not here to discuss which religion is right, which religion is wrong. We're here to look at this case on the merits and the facts that have been presented to us. Um, and the decisions, my vote, my decision is not based on racism or any of these other Islamophobic terms or whatever because, uh, if you notice, if you look up here, one of these things is not like the other. Uh, and it it wasn't very long ago that a person who looked like me would not be able to sit in a seat like this. So, the things being discussed here today are things that are practical and logical and reasonable. Um, so those are things we have to weigh in on when making the decision here today. And those things are um, as the the applicant just discussed, the land use issues, the infrastructure issues, and those things. So, for me, based on the things that I've heard today and the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of emails that we have received uh and read and the videos that have been sent and the books that have been sent uh and the research that I've done, I know that my fellow counselors probably can speak for themselves. Um but just looking at these things, I personally don't feel that this project uh is acceptable for this current land use. So my motion would be to deny this land use, this zoning change.

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. My motion would be to deny the the zoning change. A second. Okay, we have a roll motion and a second. Roll call. Councelor Pickle, yes. Councelor Green, yes. Councelor Ford, yes. Vice Mayor Parks, no. Mayor Wimpy, yes. Just to clarify, a yes vote would be affirmative to deny the zoning change, right? Yes. [applause] Um, so

we have a do we all need to do a vote on the special use permit? No. Nope. It was one vote. Um, I entertain a motion to adjurnn. So move. Second. Roll call. Councelor Pickle. Yes. Councelor Green. Yes. Councelor Ford. Yes. Vice Mayor Parks. Yes. Mayor Wimpy. Yes, we're adjourned. Thank you.