Planning commission hears update on "Oxford Today" unified development code, historic preservation plan

Oxford Planning Commission members received an update on the city’s "Oxford Today" code‑rewrite project during the meeting.

City planner Zachary Moore told commissioners the project has three core tasks: produce a Unified Development Code (UDC), develop a Mile Square historic preservation plan and prepare new architectural design guidelines tied to local historic districts. "Oxford Today. Build, preserve, imagine," Moore said as he summarized the effort and the team working on the project.

The nut of the project is to implement goals from the Oxford Tomorrow comprehensive plan (adopted by council in January 2023). Moore said the UDC work will modernize zoning by combining use‑based and form‑based approaches, inventory and propose new landmark designations, and create design guidelines focused on the Uptown and University historic districts. He also said American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds are being used for the work with an economic‑development focus.

Moore listed the consultant team: McKenna (Abby Emison, AICP, and Adam Cook) leading the UDC work and Preservation Forward leading the historic‑preservation component. He described the process inputs the team is weighing: existing land uses, current zoning districts, the comprehensive plan’s future‑land‑use map, vested PUD/plan development approvals, neighborhood conservation overlays and the city’s historic assets.

Commissioners focused on where the new districts might be drawn, how transitions between taller Uptown buildings and adjacent houses would be handled, and what numeric controls (for example, heights and setbacks) would look like once staff and consultants produce draft code language. Moore described an iterative delivery schedule: initial chapters (1–4) first, then district language, and the consultants expect draft deliverables to arrive in stages with a larger draft later this summer. He identified a community meeting penciled for late May and a broader draft expected in August.

Several commissioners asked that staff and the consultant provide materials early enough for useful review and recommended either work sessions or a planning‑commission subcommittee to vet draft district language before the consultants finalize chapters. Moore said the consultants have built some flexibility into their schedule and that staff would arrange work sessions and targeted meetings with the planning‑commission designee as the project proceeds.

Moore and commissioners discussed specific topics the UDC will address, including: where Uptown boundaries might expand or transition into adjacent neighborhoods; the treatment of residential‑office (RO) corridors such as South Elm; how form‑based building types (for example, cottage courts, fourplexes and live‑work/makerspace options) will be tied to districts; and how parking minimums may change. He also noted the UDC effort will respect vested rights from existing PUDs and plan developments.

Moore closed by inviting commissioners to the next community meeting and by saying staff will post presentation materials and maps on the project website. He and commissioners agreed to schedule targeted work sessions so the commission can provide timely, substantive feedback on draft code language.

The Planning Commission did not take formal action on the Oxford Today materials at this meeting; staff and consultants will return with draft code language for commission review and comment.