Residents Should Vote on Whether to Create an Incentive Housing Zone

Tuesday night marked the last Community Planning Workshop with BFJ, the planning firm hired by Planning and Zoning to draft the Incentive Housing Zone Regulations. Here are some highlights: 

• BFJ made a correction to a prior statement made by them - Oxford needs to reach only 2 percent  not 3 percent (as previously stated by BFJ) to be eligible for a three-year moratorium on affordable housing applications. Per Brian Miller, Town Planning Consultant, with the two pending projects, Central Park and Garden Homes, we are eligible; however, these units must be built to be counted. Oxford only needs to reach a total of 89 affordable units (Turner Miller Group, memo dated May 3, 2011 to P&Z), a very low number.
• P&Z is leaning toward townhouses (10 units/acre) as opposed to multifamily homes (20 units/acre). Chairman, Bill Johnson also commented they should consider Single Family Homes. As listed on the proposal for the combined three sites, the townhouses show a maximum potential build out of 680 units, a 15 percent increase in our household population, and the multifamily show a maximum of 1,360, a 27 percent increase in population. Per P&Z,  there are other factors that need to be considered that may change the # of units. The Haynes Quarry will have the highest concentration with 380 townhouse units – 56 percent of the IHZ – mixed use (stores) most likely at this site.

Anna Silva Rycenga, Oxford's Zoning Enforcement Officer, made two very good recommendations to BFJ:  1. Traffic Study  - consider the impact on increase in traffic along the Route 67 corridor, and 2. Seymour Sewer Treatment Plan – the organization that oversees sewage treatment needs to be contacted, and Oxford's existing contract with Seymour needs to be reviewed to make sure the waste volume does not exceed what is allowable per the existing contract.

Frank Fish,  a planning consultant from BFJ, confirmed that Oxford can write affordable housing regulations, maybe like the town of Ridgefield. Fish mentioned that BFJ does this all the time, but Oxford hired BFJ to write IHZ Regulations.   

I believe an IHZ will dramatically change the quality of life in Oxford.  I believe that this should go to referendum. Residents should have the right to vote whether they want an Incentive Housing Zone or not.