Placemaking Manager retires after 46 years

Placemaking Manager Farhad Daroga is retiring this week after an extraordinary 46 years with the City of Broken Arrow.

New residents of the community may not know his name, but they've no doubt benefited from Daroga's work as a city planner.

Over the years, Daroga has planned major projects including the Rose District Master Plan, the Creek Turnpike/Broken Arrow South Loop, Camp Russell, the Northeastern State University Broken Arrow campus, the Bass Pro District, New Orleans Square, the Senior Center, Forrest Ridge, Battle Creek, and many more.

"Farhad Daroga's fingerprints are all over this city as he's had a part in creating every major development in Broken Arrow for more than four decades in order to make a great community," City Manager Michael Spurgeon said. "Speaking for the Council, City Staff, and myself, Farhad's institutional knowledge and planning expertise will certainly be missed, but his impact on Broken Arrow will not be forgotten. His enduring legacy is that he created spaces where people want to gather, grow, and be a part of the community."

Born in Karachi, Pakistan, Daroga, 77, came to the U.S. in 1974 to attend the University of Oklahoma. After graduating, he worked for an engineering and planning firm in Oklahoma City and joined the City of Broken Arrow in August 1980.

"Farhad has truly been a treasure to the City of Broken Arrow," said Director of Community Development Rocky Henkel. "However, his legacy extends far beyond his professional responsibilities. As both a dedicated public servant and a citizen of this community, he has demonstrated what it means to care deeply about the place you call home."

Henkel continued, "For 46 years, Farhad's work has been intertwined with the growth and evolution of Broken Arrow. Few people have the opportunity to look across a community and see so many places, projects, improvements, and accomplishments in which they personally had a hand."

The City Council recently named a Maker Space area at the new Warren Library in south Broken Arrow in Daroga's honor. The library is expected to break ground later this year.

This week, Daroga reflected on the city he's helped shape over the years.

"In our city, one of the beautiful changes I've seen is the growth of the city," Daroga said. "When I came here in 1980, Broken Arrow was the 9th largest city in Oklahoma. Today, it is the fourth-largest city and is projected to become the third-largest city in the next Census or shortly thereafter."

Broken Arrow's population grew from 35,761 in 1980 to approximately 125,000 today. Its median age was 29; today it is 37-plus, and the number of homes grew from 12,661 to 48,629.

The city has also grown in both area and population. In 1980, Broken Arrow's city limits were 25 square miles; today they are 69 square miles. To sustain this expansive growth, every step required careful planning and dedication.

Daroga embraced the opportunity to address annexation issues early in his career.

"Our fence line changed," Daroga said. "We had 50 square miles, and now we're 102 square miles. Normally, people in county or city work don't get to see that every day. I was fortunate to see that and be a part of it."

He says planners typically change jobs every ten years or so, but longevity has given him the opportunity to work on a variety of projects.

"I would do a subdivision design review, and the next one would be a shopping center, an apartment complex, or a tiny little store," Daroga said.

Though the city's growth brought challenges, Daroga embraced them and found satisfaction in solving them.

"I think in retrospect that's what kept me going," Daroga said. "At one time, I saw them as challenges and headaches, but that turned into the satisfaction of solving those problems."

Now, in retirement, Daroga is looking forward to some home projects and travel.

"But as a planner, I'm looking at 2027 and what I'll be doing in 2028, and I don't have an answer. So, I have to create my own master plan for what I'm going to do," he said with a smile.

Daroga also plans to stay active by volunteering and helping his community continue to flourish.

"We're doing the Downtown Master Plan, and Broken Arrow is going to change in the next few years, and I'd like to have a part in giving my two cents worth of input," he said.

Ever the visionary, Daroga still drives around looking for ideas to make his adopted city even more successful.

"That part of my retirement will be the bigger challenge for me to let go of," he concluded.