2008 Woodie Awards
Council debates zoning code
Legislators table discussion of land use on US Route 27
Rebecca Kelley
Issue date: 4/18/08 Section: Community
Oxford City Council moved to table the issue of changing the zoning of 3.26 acres in the northeast corner of U.S. Rt. 27 from residential space to business space.
According to Jung-Han Chen, Oxford community development director, when the large piece of land that included this plot was annexed, the zoning was accidentally not changed from residential to business.
"When the city initiated the original zoning change ... this parcel was over-sighted," Chen said.
Chen said that in the original annexation agreements, the land in question was intended to be zoned for business. However, the agreements were not worded that way upon annexation.
"We need to correct that oversight to reflect what the annexation had spelled out," Chen said.
Many local Oxford citizens expressed disapproval of the zoning changing and encouraged council to turn it down.
"I don't believe for one minute that this is just an oversight," said Oxford resident Orie Loucks.
Loucks said she believes that the land was originally annexed under the assumption that this small parcel of the land would be used for residential purposes, not business.
"We made a decision that looks like it will control commercial development on Highway 27 and, all of a sudden, we have an inadvertent oversight that changes everything that we thought was settled," Loucks said.
Community member David Gorchov said he believes the city is trying to portray this proposal as a clarification to the zoning, rather than a change.
"This really is a change, and it has to be viewed as a change," Gorchov said.
Gorchov said he does not believe the documents originally led the council to believe that the area would be used for business.
"The approvals were made based on the documents that planning and council had at that time that designated this as residential," Gorchov said.
According to Scott Webb, community member and local architect, council had already agreed in the original annexation that the land would be for business.
According to Jung-Han Chen, Oxford community development director, when the large piece of land that included this plot was annexed, the zoning was accidentally not changed from residential to business.
"When the city initiated the original zoning change ... this parcel was over-sighted," Chen said.
Chen said that in the original annexation agreements, the land in question was intended to be zoned for business. However, the agreements were not worded that way upon annexation.
"We need to correct that oversight to reflect what the annexation had spelled out," Chen said.
Many local Oxford citizens expressed disapproval of the zoning changing and encouraged council to turn it down.
"I don't believe for one minute that this is just an oversight," said Oxford resident Orie Loucks.
Loucks said she believes that the land was originally annexed under the assumption that this small parcel of the land would be used for residential purposes, not business.
"We made a decision that looks like it will control commercial development on Highway 27 and, all of a sudden, we have an inadvertent oversight that changes everything that we thought was settled," Loucks said.
Community member David Gorchov said he believes the city is trying to portray this proposal as a clarification to the zoning, rather than a change.
"This really is a change, and it has to be viewed as a change," Gorchov said.
Gorchov said he does not believe the documents originally led the council to believe that the area would be used for business.
"The approvals were made based on the documents that planning and council had at that time that designated this as residential," Gorchov said.
According to Scott Webb, community member and local architect, council had already agreed in the original annexation that the land would be for business.
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