Google to pay for new traffic signal at Airport Road and Perkins Road intersection

City Manager Brady Moore told the Stillwater City Council on Monday that Google has agreed to cover the full cost of designing and constructing a new signalized intersection at East Airport Road and North Perkins Road, an intersection that has seen a significant increase in traffic since the tech giant began building its data center campus just north of the crossing and the Tonkawa Tribe's The HUB entertainment venue opened nearby.

The Oklahoma Transportation Commission approved the project earlier Monday. As a temporary safety measure while the signal is designed and built, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation is converting the intersection from a two-way stop to an all-way stop — a process Moore said is already underway, with warning signs in place preparing drivers for the change.

"It's exciting to see a safer intersection be coming," Moore said.

Moore said a traffic study showed that Google, the tribe, and ODOT each bore some responsibility for the increased demands on the intersection due to its geometry and growing use. Google nonetheless agreed to absorb the entire expense.

Construction equipment and building foundations spread across the Google data center campus north of East Airport Road on April 7, 2026 (top row). Below left, newly installed rumble strips alert drivers approaching the all-way stop at Airport Road and North Perkins Road. Below right, the new stop signs are visible from the intersection's southeast corner, with The HUB entertainment venue — opened by the Tonkawa Tribe in March — in the background. – Photos by Chris Peters

"Google went ahead and stepped up and said that they would take on the full cost of the design and construction, which should expedite things," Moore said.

No official cost estimate for the project has been released. Industry benchmarks for a standard new signalized intersection typically run $250,000 to $350,000 or more, though costs can vary widely depending on road geometry and construction scope. The conversion is currently in the design phase. Moore said construction is expected to happen within the next year, though no firm timeline has been set.

The intersection sits at a convergence of several major developments. Google's data center campus — part of a broader investment the company has been making in Oklahoma — is under construction just north of the crossing. The HUB, an entertainment venue operated by the Tonkawa Tribe at the southeast corner of Airport and Perkins, opened March 18 and has added to traffic volumes in the area.

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Re-elect Rachel Dillin for Stillwater School Board. A proven leader protecting classrooms and planning for what’s next. From a new high school to stronger financial footing, real progress is happening.

Keep moving forward. Vote April 7.

                        Meet Rachel Dillin
                    

Council advances rezoning for new subdivision on North Jardot Road

The Stillwater City Council on Monday advanced a pair of rezoning ordinances that would convert nearly 60 acres of vacant industrial land near East Airport Road and North Jardot Road into a new residential development featuring single-family homes, duplexes, and townhomes.

On first reading, the council voted 5-0 to advance both ordinances — one rezoning 36.9 acres from General Industrial to small-lot single-family residential, and a second rezoning 20.2 acres from General Industrial to two-family and multifamily — setting up a final vote at a future meeting.

The Stillwater Planning Commission had recommended approval of both rezonings on March 3, voting 4-0 on each.

Civil engineer Caleb Smith of Crafton Tull & Associates, representing the developer, said the northern parcel would accommodate roughly 98 single-family lots at a density of about 2.6 dwelling units per acre. The southern parcel, planned for duplexes and townhomes, would bring the overall project density to approximately 10.8 dwelling units per acre — within the range called for in the city's comprehensive plan for moderate-density residential development.

The site is just south of the southeast corner of Airport Road and Jardot Road. To the west, the land is still zoned and operating as General Industrial, with Cedar Creek Farms and a Dolese Bros Co concrete plant operating in that corridor. White Barn Estates, an existing duplex development, sits to the south.

Stillwater City Councilor Kevin Clark presses a developer's representative Monday on whether new residents in a proposed Jardot Road subdivision would eventually push back against the noise and activity of neighboring industrial operations that predated the development. – Photo by Chris Peters

City Councilor Kevin Clark raised concerns about placing homes next to active industrial uses.

"You're gonna be cramming homes right next to industrial," Clark said, asking whether the city would eventually face noise complaints from neighbors of operations that were in place first.

Smith said the development would include required landscaping screening, and noted that there is 200 to 300 feet of open space between the nearest industrial buildings and the proposed lots.

Mayor Will Joyce pressed the developer on street connectivity, saying the subdivision should connect to Bear Street, which dead-ends at the south edge of the property. Smith said an earlier design included that connection but was revised, and that the issue would be revisited during the platting process. The development does plan two entry points.

A city presentation map shows the nearly 60 acres proposed for residential rezoning on North Jardot Road, with the single-family parcel shaded in pink and the multifamily parcel in green. The existing White Barn Estates subdivision is visible at the bottom, separated from the proposed development by Buffalo Run Ave. and Running Bear St. — the connection Mayor Will Joyce urged the developer to make.

Joyce said connectivity was not strictly a zoning matter but reflected broader planning principles — particularly in light of last year's Stillwater wildfires.

"When we had fires here a year ago, thinking about how do people get out of neighborhoods," Joyce said. "I would love to see them connect. It's not really a matter for this hearing. I'm just throwing that out there."

Joyce also expressed support for adding housing supply regardless of the site's imperfect location.

"We need these houses," Joyce said. "We desperately need the housing."

The rezoning ordinances — 3595 and 3596 — will return for second reading and final adoption at the next council meeting.

---

A message from Visit Stillwater

April Arts Month fills America's friendliest college town with Red Dirt music, live concerts, and events you won't find anywhere else. From Calf Fry and STOKd to the downtown arts festival, Gypsy Cafe, Boys from Oklahoma, and jam sessions all month long — there's something happening every weekend.

Don't Miss a Beat

---

Meridian Technology Center clears rezoning hurdle for Commerce Park training facility

The Stillwater City Council on Monday also advanced a rezoning ordinance that will allow Meridian Technology Center to build a new workforce and safety training facility in Commerce Park, the Stillwater Chamber of Commerce's industrial park on the city's northwest side.

The council voted 5-0 on first reading to advance the ordinance rezoning properties at 3621 and 3605 North Prosperity Lane from General Industrial to commercial shopping, following a unanimous 4-0 recommendation from the Planning Commission on March 24. A second vote will be required for final adoption at the next council meeting.

Meridian Superintendent and CEO Doug Major told the council the district purchased the land in October with plans to establish a training facility to serve the corridor's growing industrial workforce — but discovered that educational uses were not permitted under the existing General Industrial zoning.

This aerial from a city planning presentation shows the Meridian Technology Center rezoning site on North Prosperity Lane, just south of Airport Road. The pink-outlined parcels sit across from Stillwater Superthrift North, with Dolese Bros Co visible to the east and The HUB just outside the frame to the west.

"We're seeing growth in that area in terms of industrial growth, in terms of the safety training we're doing for Manhattan construction," Major said. "We identified that we would likely need a space in the near future there."

Manhattan Construction is the general contractor on Google's data center campus.

Senior Planner Henry Bibelheimer explained that educational service uses are not allowed in General Industrial districts but are permitted by right in commercial shopping zones, which also aligns with the mixed-use future land-use designation the city's comprehensive plan calls for in that area.

3621/3605 N Prosperity Ln.

In an October 2025 Facebook post announcing the Commerce Park land purchase, Meridian Executive Director of Workforce and Economic Development Rebecca Eastham said the location would reduce travel time to job sites and support rapid onboarding.

"This location helps us meet employers where they are," Eastham said at the time. "It reduces travel time, supports rapid onboarding, and gives companies a dependable pipeline for skills and safety training."

Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Alane Zannotti called the sale "more than a transaction" and described it as an investment in the community's future.

The proposed facility would expand Meridian's capacity for customized training, open-enrollment short courses, apprenticeship-related instruction, and contractor safety orientations. No timeline for construction has been announced.

Joyce noted the pace of activity in the Airport Road corridor.

"That's gonna be a very busy spot," Joyce said.

📺 Watch the presentations to City Council

timestamped