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Council approves conditional rezoning and annexation for 85‑acre North Point development; developer says radar found suspected graves
Summary
The Oxford Board conditionally approved rezoning and a non‑contiguous annexation for an 85± acre North Point Development on March 10. Developer Mark Hall told the board ground‑penetrating radar found about 123 graves and 30 markers in roughly half an acre; he pledged to work with state authorities and local historians to protect the site.
The Oxford Board of Commissioners approved a conditional rezoning and a non‑contiguous annexation for an 85‑acre project by North Point Development on March 10 after a public hearing and developer presentation.
Mark Hall, representing North Point Development, described the project as roughly 2.4 units per acre with a final lot count expected to be just over 200 home sites and significant green space and amenities. He said the developer submitted a traffic impact analysis to the North Carolina Department of Transportation and has coordinated neighborhood meetings.
During archaeological due diligence, Hall said consultants used ground‑penetrating radar on 30 acres and identified what the consultants interpreted as about 123 graves and 30 visible grave markers clustered in roughly a half‑acre. “When we found out that there was a potential of the cemetery, we stopped all work and brought in the consultants,” Hall told the board. He said the site should be protected and memorialized, and suggested creating a stewardship arrangement with the city and an HOA to ensure long‑term protection.
Hall said the site is not eligible for the National Register as his team understood it, but that it is on the state register and that the developer would coordinate with state authorities and local consultants to determine appropriate signage and protection.
Commissioners asked whether family members had been identified; Hall said identification had not been possible so far and the developer would follow state procedures and expert guidance. A commissioner noted that if graves date to the era of enslaved people there may be no surviving records to identify descendants; the board discussed outreach to local historians.
Following discussion, the board voted to approve the conditional rezoning and later approved the non‑contiguous annexation for the same property. The transcript records the motions as carried; the hearing record in the meeting transcript did not show a detailed roll‑call tally.
What’s next: Hall said he would return with final lot counts and construction timeline details in follow‑up meetings and that construction of roads could begin in about a year after approvals and plan finalization.
