CLO and City of Shawnee
In the year 2000, Commissioners of the Land Office (CLO) determined the city’s easement for most of the 360 acres of school land around the shoreline of Shawnee Lake #1 reverted back to the state because 28 acres had been leased as cabin sites instead of being used for the reservoir. The CLO agreed to lease the land to the city in a series of 3-year agreements and a News-Star article at that time quoted the CLO representative as saying “The Land Office prefers a master lease with the city so that Shawnee city government will retain control of lake usage …”
Now after 10 years, the CLO is proposing to change the terms of that lease by adding “commercial sites” to its intended use, requiring the city to lease additional lots, and stipulating that the city agree to an as-yet undeveloped plat … Is this giving the city control of lake usage?
A majority of the 28 leaseholders on this land have said they want the city to relinquish its lease with the state so they can lease directly from the CLO. But according to Shawnee Community Development Director Justin Erickson, if this happens, state rules can preempt the city’s rules. This means the state would have the legal authority to pursue commercial development on the lake if they chose to do so.
This land around the reservoir is much more than just a percentage of the watershed – it’s immediately adjacent to and part of the shoreline. “Managing Lakes and Reservoirs” published by the Environmental Protection Agency states: “shoreline development and new construction contribute pollutants to lakes and augments erosion” and goes on to say “regulations alone cannot protect a lake; lakefront property owners can significantly affect water quality and must do their part.”
While city ordinances exist to protect the reservoir, they can’t be enforced 24 hours a day and abuse may be discovered only after damage is done. This is why Oklahoma City does not allow residential development around their reservoirs and why the City Commission voted in 2007 to take a conservative approach toward any new development around the Shawnee Twin Lakes.
Although these lakefront lots are technically within the city limits, they are still 12 miles away from the core area. Expanding the number of residential (and possibly commercial) sites around the shoreline could not only affect water quality, but could create a burden on city resources (e.g., code enforcement and police and fire protection) while generating little or no tax revenue to cover the associated costs.
While the CLO may have good intentions, their purpose is to maximize revenue off the agricultural and commercial lands they manage; they are not in the business of managing shoreline residential properties. By contrast, the City of Shawnee has successfully managed these properties for over 70 years. Recent reports by the Oklahoma Water Resource Board (OWRB) have described the water quality of Shawnee Lake #1 as “pristine” and the current density of cabin sites allows abundant acreage for wildlife habitat.
This lake is the city’s primary water supply and they have a huge stake in it. It only makes sense for the CLO to renew the city’s lease under the same terms agreed to 10 years ago and allow them to continue having “control of lake usage” as promised. The city should not be forced through unacceptable lease terms to lose oversight of its reservoir.
November 23rd, 2009 at 2:21 pm
Perhaps this will release your stranglehold on your “control” of these lake lots.