The Norman Transcript. Dec. 14, 2011.

The Norman Transcript. Dec. 14, 2011.

A mighty opponent on rails

The OU presidential “dream” class that worked to repurpose Front Street from Acres Street to Duffy Street brought together some stellar land use and design ideas.

The nine students and their professors in architecture, interior design and visual communication recently made their presentation. The mayor, city officials and private developers liked the students’ work but the team may have met its match in butting up against the railroad.

The “Signal District” proposals involve mostly property adjacent to the tracks. Norman, like many Oklahoma communities, was founded along a rail line. In most cases, the railroad was here first.

“It is a huge issue,” said Ron Frantz, an OU architecture professor and former state Main Street developer. “We come up with this time and time again.”

One longtime Norman planner said the railroads were unbending and more like a “sovereign nation” when communities attempt to repurpose land along the railroad rights-of-way.