A proposed Sam's Club continues to put some Owasso neighbors at odds with city leaders. Neighbors want more down to minimize traffic and keep noise out. People moved into the Windsor Lake Neighborhood for different reasons.
"Streets, mature trees, nice neighborhood."
Then Dwight Schenk (pronounced Shank) heard about a potential new neighbor.
"First thing I thought was yay oh Sam's."
But as he learned more about the plans, the less he liked it. And he found out he wasn't alone. The neighborhood will be sharing an entrance with Sam's Club.
"We're concerned about the traffic coming into our neighborhood, around our house I'm afraid it's going to be a thoroughfare," says Dwight Schenk, a concern Windsor Lake Neighbor.
The city would add a light at the neighborhoods entrance. And that's all part of what tonight's meeting before the planning commission is about, rezoning the area from agriculture to commercial. The City of Owasso says this represents so much more in diversifying it's economic base beyond the aerospace industry.
"Sam's definitely adds to that diversification in adding a different kind of retail to the area," says Chelsea Harkins with the City of Owasso.
There are already three different Walmarts in Owasso and a Sam's club would make the company's presence here stronger.
"It adds to our sales tax revenue, I mean which significantly adds to our sales tax revenue."
While Yes there are benefits, homeowners still have concerns too, traffic, property values and noise.
"That throws into question or calls into question whether they are really thinking about us."
