Oxford schedules March 10 public hearings on Carterton Heights, Jones Road rezoning

Oxford’s Board of Aldermen has scheduled public hearings for March 10, 2026 to consider rezoning requests for Carterton Heights and Jones Road, the city announced in a Feb. 25 update summarizing the Feb. 24 Board meeting. The hearings originate from an Oxford Planning Commission review held Feb. 3, 2026 and will move forward to the Mayor and Council through the formal public hearing process after the Commission completes its recommendation.

At the Planning Commission’s Feb. 3 meeting, staff member Mr. Eady circulated a summary of proposed amendments to Chapter 40 and asked commissioners to review and provide feedback; Mr. Eady said “the Commission’s goal is to preserve the city’s identity as a residential community with limited commercial development in the town center area (i.e. – city greenspace).” The Commission listed multiple Chapter 40 sections under consideration for amendment, including 40-575, 40-712, 40-713, 40-841, 40-842 and Division 16 Residential Infill Overlay District, and plans to review Section 40-638(g) for “criteria for amendments to official zoning maps” during its March discussions.

Planning documents provided to the Commission include zoning-conformity observations that the record preserves verbatim: “the current square footage of the existing dwellings and lot widths will conform with the R-7.5 zoning criteria.” The same packet also notes that “many of the existing lots under consideration comply with the criteria assigned to the R-20 zoning.” The meeting excerpts supplied to this newsroom contain truncated passages and do not identify which parcels those statements describe; the Commission’s March meeting and the full Feb. 3 minutes or the staff summary circulated by Mr. Eady should clarify parcel-level application.

Commission deliberations show an explicit preference for lower-density development and environmental stewardship around sensitive corridors. The packet cites the Dried Indian Creek Corridor as an area where the Commission wants to balance development with environmental concerns, and it records the Commission’s conclusion that “it would be undesirable for the current residents to live next to a property with a commercial use.”

Public participation and notice steps are underway: the city will invite affected property owners to participate in discussions and offer input on the Commission’s recommendation, and once the Commission finalizes its recommendation it will be transmitted to the Mayor and Council for consideration through the formal public hearing process. At the Feb. 3 meeting Ms. Tice requested access to the city’s current zoning map and Mr. Pepper said he would send her a link to the city’s interactive zoning map on the city website. Commission member Mr. Griffin asked whether Oxford College intends to purchase the existing post office; Mr. Simon and Ms. Gafnea said “they knew of no plans for the college to purchase the post office.”

City records show the administrative trail for these items: the City of Oxford posted the Feb. 25 update announcing the March 10 hearings, and the city’s agendas and e-packets archive lists multiple recent items including Agenda Work Session January 26, 2026; Agenda Public Hearing February 2, 2026; Agenda Regular Session February 2, 2026; Agenda Work Session February 16, 2026; Agenda Regular Session March 2, 2026; and subsequent work sessions and regular sessions through July 6, 2026. Journalists and stakeholders should consult the Feb. 3 Planning Commission packet, the Feb. 24 Board of Aldermen packet, and the Carterton Heights and Jones Road rezoning application packets for maps, parcel IDs, and staff reports ahead of the March 10 hearing.

The Board of Aldermen’s March 10 decisions will determine whether the Carterton Heights and Jones Road applications advance under the zoning criteria referenced in the Commission’s packets and whether chapter 40 amendments under review will change development density or allowed commercial uses, particularly near the Dried Indian Creek Corridor.