Oxford planning panel backs 16-unit "New Roots" neuroinclusive micro-home community on Hester Road

Oxford’s Planning Commission on [date not specified] voted to approve a staff recommendation to advance the New Roots Micro Home Community — a 16-unit, neuroinclusive micro-home subdivision at 5234 Hester Road — to city council with waivers and conditions.

The commission approved the preliminary subdivision and preliminary/final plan development with staff-recommended conditions and three waivers: reductions to some parcel setbacks (north/east from 25 to 20 feet, south from 25 to 10 feet), an open-space waiver (projected open space about 13% versus a 20% code minimum), and a request to waive three required parking spaces (code requires 32 spaces for 16 units; three garages account for three spaces). The motion to approve was made by Commissioner Bracken and seconded with staff recommendations; a roll-call vote recorded unanimous approval from the commissioners present.

Why it matters: developers and the city framed the project as an innovative approach to a statewide shortage of accessible, affordable homeownership for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Developer and operator Inclusive Housing Resources will help manage long-term occupancy and the homeowner association (HOA), and Empower Me Living said the model protects homeownership assets for low-income buyers who rely on means-tested benefits.

Staff and developer presentations

City planner Sam Perry (staff) presented site history and context, noting the city owns the parcel and that a previously approved plan did not proceed. Perry outlined the design: a single private street with a hammerhead turnaround that meets fire-department turning templates, 16 detached micro homes, a central open space with a detention basin, and significant grading and fill to achieve sanitary sewer and stormwater connections. Perry told the commission the grading will substantially alter the site, including up to about a five-foot elevation change to achieve gravity sanitary flow, and emphasized that engineering solutions exist to stabilize slopes.

Perry also summarized conditions and waivers in the staff report. Key numeric details in the record include a recommended landscape planting total of 61 new trees (or preserved equivalent), an estimated open-space coverage of roughly 13% (below the 20% requirement), and a shortfall of three parking spaces versus the code-required 32. Perry said staff has previously granted waivers on narrow infill parcels and tied the project’s waivers to a recently approved affordability development agreement the council adopted in October 2025.

Developers and design team

Gina Gamm of Inclusive Housing Resources described her organization’s long history providing housing for people with developmental disabilities and said Inclusive Housing Resources will initially manage the HOA and ensure long-term affordability. Emily Kendall, cofounder of Empower Me Living, said the project is intended to create accessible homeownership opportunities for adults with IDD. Kendall cited regional need and argued that a homeownership model can protect assets for people who rely on means-tested benefits.

Architect Emily Levers of MSP design presented four standardized unit types (about 520 to 940 square feet) with universal-design features: zero-threshold entries, curbless roll-in showers, enlarged bathrooms to accommodate caregiver access and turning radii that exceed minimum accessibility widths. Levers said standardizing finishes and unit types is a strategy to hold construction costs down and make ownership affordable.

Public concerns and city assurances

Several neighbors raised concerns during the public comment period about site density, stormwater runoff and grading impacts on adjacent properties, and parking pressure on Hester Street, which has on-street parking on both sides. Teresa Watts and another adjacent homeowner said they feared increased runoff and reduced tree buffers, and urged either a smaller project or relocation to another city-owned site.

Jessica Green, assistant city manager, told the commission the development agreement negotiated with the applicant (entered in October) includes enforceable controls: the units cannot be rented, there is a 20-year affordability period, deed restrictions and resale rules tied to income qualification, and the city is pursuing ARPA infrastructure funds subject to a Sept. 30 deadline that is driving the project schedule.

Commission discussion and vote

Commissioners praised the proposal’s goals while raising technical concerns about stormwater modeling, grading and parking adequacy for residents and caregivers. Commissioners asked staff to continue engineering review and consider options for landscaping, fencing and design alterations that reduce risk around the detention basin. After discussion, Commissioner Bracken moved to approve the staff recommendation with waivers and conditions; the motion carried on a unanimous roll-call vote of commissioners present.

What the approval does and what comes next

The Planning Commission’s action forwards the preliminary subdivision and plan development to city council; final plat approval and recording of lots will require council review and completion of conditions, including HOA documents to be reviewed by the law director. Staff said the development team intends to submit permit documents in February and begin construction in March to meet funding deadlines, though final engineering details (grading, stormwater designs, ADA parking design and precise tree mitigation measures) remain to be finalized.

Key quotes from the record

“These units cannot be rented. There’s an affordability period of 20 years,” Jessica Green, assistant city manager, said while summarizing enforceable controls in the development agreement.

“We are creating affordability…by standardizing components within the houses,” Emily Levers, MSP design architect, said, explaining the unit packages and how standardization helps cost control.

“We have had waivers of the 20% (open space) on other projects, but again, this is a very narrow property,” staff planner Sam Perry said while describing why staff recommended waivers.

The immediate next step is council review of the plat and the development agreement. The commission’s approval includes conditions staff highlighted (tree protection/planting, HOA formation and legal review, engineering/stormwater requirements, lighting and landscape adjustments) that must be satisfied before final platting and construction permits are issued.