Oxford Board of Aldermen Approve Limited Moratorium for Rezoning

The Oxford Board of Aldermen yesterday unanimously approved a limited moratorium for rezoning any current zone to RC (multi-family) and for special exceptions for residential in commercial zones until the Vision 2037 Comprehensive Plan is adopted on Oct. 6, 2015.

“A moratorium is never perfect, but it helps maximize the effectiveness of the tax dollars being spent on the Vision 2037 plan, and protects the developers and landowners from wasting their valuable time and resources on uncertainty until the plan is completed and adopted,” said Ward 1 Alderman Jay Hughes.

Currently, there are 223 acres of vacant and developable RC land in Oxford, and both the Oxford Planning Director and the Orion Planning Group for Vision 2017 strongly recommended the moratorium.

According to Hughes, the Board came to this decision in part because these requests to rezone other zonings to RC threatened to compromise the integrity of the surrounding land uses, and they erode the viability of the Vision 2017 comprehensive planning effort.

Hughes said the Vision 2037 consultants have concluded that the potential supply of RC multi-family units already on the books or approved for construction in Oxford exceeds demand by 3,286 units under a university high growth assumption – based upon data provided by the University of Mississippi. Consultants feel that too many overbuilt and vacant properties could result in significant blight and safety problems in Oxford.

Beth Harmon is Managing Editor for HottyToddy.com. Email her at beth.harmon@hottytoddy.com.