Proposed Residential Building on Old Better Brands Site Gets OK From Oxford Planning Commission

By Alyssa Schnugg

News editor

alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

The developers of a proposed residential building that was denied in September by the Oxford Planning Commission took the suggestions of the commissioners to heart, reworked their design and got the approval they needed Monday to move forward with the project.

The location is the now-closed Better Brands warehouse on Depot Street, next to the historic Oxford University Depot and the Depot walking trails..

The applicant, Roy Decker with the Servati Group, was proposing to build a five-story residential building with 10 residential units that include six, two-bedroom units and four, three-bedroom units.

However, after the commission denied several variances in September for the project due to its mass and height, the Servati Group returned before the Commission Monday with a new plan that eliminates the fifth floor and offers six, two-bedroom units and three, three-bedroom units.

A portion of the existing building is located on University of Mississippi property, but the developer intends to demolish the building. An existing North East Mississippi Electric Power Association high transmission powerline bisects the middle of the property and it includes a 50-foot easement that prohibits any construction.

This building only contains residential uses; however, the ground floor will be designed in a way that parking areas could easily be converted to useable commercial space. Developers said they would like to have commercial businesses on the ground floor, but the many restraints on the property have prevented them from finding a commercial tenant.

The developers were also granted a variance from the city’s required 50-foot buffer for development adjacent to the walking trail. If the requirement was enforced, the site could not have been developed.

The commission approved a special exception from a step-back requirement; a special exception to allow residential in a TNB zone with first-floor residential use; a special exception from the structure height; and a variance from the required 50-foot buffer.