Aldermen Hear Request for Shopping Center District

The Oxford Board of Aldermen heard the first of three readings for a zoning change on nearly 25 acres of land Tuesday night, from single-family zoning to a Shopping Center District.
The land (pictured below) is located between South Lamar and Highway 7. Public comments will be heard April 1.
Because Highway 7 South is being widened from two to four lanes, the district meets the requirement of having a changed character. The change also serves public need, according to city documentation, because an increasing population is building more family homes, and that demands added commercial services.
The area is, according to planning commission documents, “a gateway into Oxford,” and sits right against property zoned for single-family homes. The land to the north, east and west is presently vacant.
For these reasons, the zoning change comes with several conditions.
Only one curb cut will be allowed and the shopping center will have a single sign that is no greater than 20 feet in height. The stipulations also discourage long strip-mall style buildings, metal roofing or siding, and painted concrete block and artificial stone.
Materials for building facades and signage will be completed in complementary colors, according to the city’s comments.
Previously, the rezoning request was from single-family to general-business zoning, but after public comments and concerns, the applicant amended the request to the more restrictive shopping center designation. The first reading before the Board of Aldermen occurred at the Feb. 18 meeting, but the board sent it back to the Planning Commission for a recommendation on the amended version.
If the Board of Aldermen approves the zoning change, the architectural design for buildings and a site plan would still be subject to approval by the Planning Commission.
– Gretchen Stone, associate editor, HottyToddy.com, gretchen.stone@hottytoddy.com