The Oklahoma City Council will vote Tuesday, Oct. 13, on whether to rezone a 10-acre northeast Oklahoma City urban farm from residential to agricultural. The change would let Ralph's Ranch legally sell produce and reopen to the public.

The farm, on NE 100th St. between Hefner and Britton roads, has drawn at least two dozen resident protests over traffic and noise tied to events like goat yoga and Farm Days, according to a city memo reported by the Oklahoma City Free Press. The Oklahoma City Planning Commission has already recommended approval of the rezoning, case PC-11014.

Owner Ben Birdwell told the Free Press he needs the AA Agricultural District designation to keep farming. Birdwell said agricultural zoning would reduce the property’s value and limit some uses.

"We know farms are dying. And there's a reason they're dying because a head of lettuce sells for $3 at the grocery store, and I cannot compete with that," Birdwell told the Free Press. He said he has to find creative solutions to stay afloat.

Birdwell and a 10-person team grow 50,000 flowers annually and produce 800 pounds of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes, okra, beets and greens. The farm also keeps goats and chickens. It sells through a farm stand, a flower subscription and the Scissortail Park Farmers Market.

The farm's community events brought the complaints. Birdwell acknowledged early events caused problems, with cars parking along the narrow road. He said he has since built a new parking lot, lowered noise levels and ended late-night events.

Neighbors remain split.

James Pickel, a neighbor, told KOCO in September that Birdwell was disguising a commercial event center as a farm. Another neighbor, Rose Bemo, told KOCO in September she is "truly scared of the carte blanche permission of AA zoning it provides."

But Rachel Smith, who told KOCO in September she has lived across the street from the property for eight years, said her family has not experienced noise loud enough to keep her 8-year-old son awake.

The rezoning falls in Ward 7, represented by Councilmember Camal Pennington. No public statement from Pennington on the case has appeared in city records as of Monday, Oct. 12.

Ralph's Ranch says on its support page that the farm has spent thousands of dollars on attorney fees during the rezoning process. The page urges residents to email Pennington at [email protected] in support of PC-11014.

The council meets Tuesday morning at City Hall. Residents can attend or contact their council representative before the vote.