Schedule

APA-OK Board Meeting

Conference Room

Vendor Exhibits Open - Coffee Service & Assorted Muffins

Conference Hall Lobby

Don't Let it Hit the Fan: Cultivating Productive Committee Interactions

Innovation in Focus · Garden C

Christian Lentz (Halff Associates)

Assembling and working with an ad-hoc committee of residents, property and business owners, and other interested parties can be the most delicate part of a community’s planning process. Your ad-hoc committees are often filled with passionate individuals possessing strong opinions about how best to enhance the prosperity and quality of life in their communities, but who also may have very little experience with planning principles, committee roles and responsibilities, or even basic group decorum. If you’re not careful, you might lose control. It can hit the fan quickly! Gain some insight on how to avoid a committee-induced apocalypse and channel that energy into productive committee interactions and results.

Ethics Session

Communities in Focus · Garden D

Housing Affordability and Zoning Reform for Rural Communities

Housing in Focus · 5th Floor Lounge

Dan Kassik (City of Guthrie)

This session will explore how rural communities can use practical zoning reform and pre-approved housing plans to support infill development, increase housing production, and improve affordability. Drawing on real-world implementation, the presentation will highlight a pre-approved plan program that has already resulted in completed homes, along with zoning code reforms developed in 2025 to help remove barriers and make new housing development more feasible. This is similar to the presentation I gave at the mini APA Conf. in Guthrie and a session I will be doing at the State Housing Conf. November

Break - Beverages

Conference Hall Lobby

Price Tower Architectural Tour

Off-site

Explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Realized Skyscraper Experience one of America’s most distinctive architectural landmarks with a tour of Price Tower in downtown Bartlesville. Completed in 1956, this 19-story National Historic Landmark is Frank Lloyd Wright’s only realized skyscraper and a remarkable example of his innovative approach to architecture and design. Participants will explore the building’s history, unique structural design, and relationship to Bartlesville’s development. Discover Wright’s vision of a “tree that escaped the crowded forest,” his innovative use of cantilevered floors, and the distinctive copper, concrete, and glass elements that make Price Tower an internationally recognized architectural treasure. This tour offers planning professionals a unique perspective on historic preservation, architectural innovation, adaptive reuse, and the importance of preserving iconic landmarks within a community.

From Plan to Action: How OKC Is Advancing Vision Zero + Connecting all the Pieces: Downtown Oklahoma City's Strategic Development Plan

Infrastructure in Focus · Garden C

Justin Henry (City of Oklahoma City) · Sasha McCrone (City of Oklahoma City)

From Plan to Action: How OKC Is Advancing Vision Zero — Sasha McCrone Connecting all the Pieces: Downtown Oklahoma City's Strategic Development Plan — Justin Henry

Reimagining the Vacant Interchange: Transforming Underutilized Highway Commercial Sites into Community Assets

Communities in Focus · Garden D

Shelby Ferguson (Olsson)

Vacant gas stations and underutilized commercial properties at highway interchanges are increasingly common challenges in communities of all sizes. Often occupying highly visible gateway locations, these sites can become sources of economic stagnation, visual blight, and missed development opportunities. Yet they also represent some of the most strategic redevelopment opportunities available for creating community-serving destinations, expanding the tax base, and strengthening local identity. This interactive workshop explores planning, market, and design strategies for repositioning a vacant interchange commercial site into a productive and sustainable community asset. Using a real-world case study, participants will evaluate site conditions, transportation access, market demand, environmental considerations, and community goals to create conceptual redevelopment options for a former gas station property located at a major highway interchange. Working in small groups, attendees will identify opportunities and constraints, evaluate redevelopment options, and create concepts that balance economic viability, placemaking, mobility, and long-term community objectives. Participants will consider a range of potential uses, including travel-oriented commercial development, mixed-use destinations, employment-generating uses, tourism-focused amenities, and community-serving development that leverages the site's visibility and accessibility. The workshop emphasizes practical redevelopment tools, stakeholder collaboration techniques, and implementation strategies that planners can apply to vacant commercial sites in both urban and rural communities.

Speaking Two Languages: Bridging the Gap Between Planning and City Management + Finding the truth about housing in your community

Housing in Focus · 5th Floor Lounge

Matt Sandidge (Freese and Nichols) · Susan Miller (City of Tulsa Planning Office)

Speaking Two Languages: Bridging the Gap Between Planning and City Management — Matt Sandidge Finding the truth about housing in your community — Susan Miller

Break - Beverages

Conference Hall Lobby

Price Tower Architectural Tour

Off-site

Explore Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Realized Skyscraper Experience one of America’s most distinctive architectural landmarks with a tour of Price Tower in downtown Bartlesville. Completed in 1956, this 19-story National Historic Landmark is Frank Lloyd Wright’s only realized skyscraper and a remarkable example of his innovative approach to architecture and design. Participants will explore the building’s history, unique structural design, and relationship to Bartlesville’s development. Discover Wright’s vision of a “tree that escaped the crowded forest,” his innovative use of cantilevered floors, and the distinctive copper, concrete, and glass elements that make Price Tower an internationally recognized architectural treasure. This tour offers planning professionals a unique perspective on historic preservation, architectural innovation, adaptive reuse, and the importance of preserving iconic landmarks within a community.

From the Soil Up: How Oklahoma City Developed a Smarter Path to Septic Regulation

Rural Oklahoma in Focus · 5th Floor Lounge

Banery Mujica-Ortiz, PhD (City of Oklahoma City Planning Department)

Oklahoma City faced significant challenges in regulating on-site septic systems due to inconsistent standards, limited historical data, and growing development pressures. To address these issues, our team developed a structured septic evaluation method aimed at improving public health protections, ensuring compliance, and supporting sustainable land use planning. This presentation will outline the problem, describe the method we created, and highlight the steps taken to establish a clear, effective septic regulation process for Oklahoma City

Planning and A Municipal Government’s Recent Impact on Massage Therapy Businesses

Communities in Focus · Garden C

Avery K Geist (City of Edmond)

How the City of Edmond Learned to Handle Massage Therapy (No, not that kind). In May of 2026, the Edmond City Council passed an ordinance that required all existing and new massage therapy businesses to acquire a specific use permit in order to operate. I have been the project lead within the Planning Department for the creation of this ordinance, the follow through, and the fall out of the public and elected officials realizing that land use is perhaps not the best way to combat human trafficking.

Awards Luncheon / Membership Meeting

Communities in Focus · Garden A/B

Closing Reception & Farewells

Communities in Focus · Garden A/B