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Oxford tables 527‑acre Perry Farm rezoning after airport safety and jurisdiction concerns
Summary
After a developer presentation on the 527‑acre Perry Farm neighborhood, residents and airport officials raised safety, noise and federal‑grant concerns tied to the Henderson‑Oxford Airport. The Board of Commissioners voted to table the rezoning for 30 days pending FAA notification and annexation clarity.
The Oxford Board of Commissioners on March 11 opened a public hearing on a developer request to rezone roughly 527 acres known as Perry Farm from AR‑40 to a residential mixed‑use conditional district, then voted to table the request for 30 days while the city and developer complete FAA notification and clarify annexation authority.
The developer, represented by Cindy Schwarzkopf of Kimley Horn, described a three‑phase plan that would include a mix of single‑family lots and a reduced count of townhomes, roughly 25 percent open space (developer estimate: about 132 acres) and a phased buildout the team said could take five to eight years. Schwarzkopf said the traffic impact analysis (TIA) was coordinated with NCDOT and identified intersection improvements including new turn lanes and a traffic signal at Salem Road and Oxford Loop.
Airport officials and multiple residents told the board they were deeply concerned about the proposal’s proximity to the Henderson‑Oxford Airport. Amanda Welsh, airport manager, said aircraft use the airport at all hours and that flight patterns bring aircraft as low as the developer’s plan indicates: "This airport is the only source of income that my household makes," Welsh said, describing frequent overflights and community programs the airport supports. Pilot and aviation advocates warned that low approach altitudes can pose safety and noise problems for dense housing beneath established flight paths.
John Carver, the Granville County representative on the Henderson‑Oxford Airport Authority, said he had spoken with the state Department of Aviation and was told the developer should file an FAA notice of proposed construction (Form 7460) so the FAA can review proposed heights and operations. Carver warned that the airport authority’s recent federal grants (he cited roughly $9.5 million in improvements) carry grant assurances that could be jeopardized if notice procedures are not followed.
Developer representatives told the board they would submit the FAA form and that they had already conducted preliminary outreach to the FAA; the team also said they planned to limit building heights to about 50 feet across the project. Counsel and county representatives, however, urged the city to clarify whether rezoning and annexation were being handled in the correct sequence and to consider airport height protections similar to county ordinances.
After extended public comment and commissioner questions, a motion to table the rezoning until annexation/rezoning jurisdiction is clarified and the city has confirmation that the FAA notice was submitted passed on a voice vote. The board directed staff and the developer to return at the April meeting, with the developer seeking to have rezoning and annexation considered together.
What happens next: The board’s action paused formal local approval. The developer said it would submit the FAA form and work with the city to align rezoning and annexation on a future agenda; the FAA review window was described by engineers as commonly 45–60 days though timing can vary.
