After receiving comments and suggestions from the public on the proposed zoning code and Land Use Map, City Planning Director Judy Daniel says she and her staff need a little more time before the Oxford Board of Aldermen vote on whether to approve the documents.

Daniel told the aldermen and Mayor Robyn Tannehill on Monday during a budget hearing that she would like to remove having the Oxford Planning Commission review the zoning code and map from its Aug. 14th agenda.

“You never really know where the ‘hot spots’ will be until you present the plans to the public,” Daniel said Monday. “The public comments received during the past month have led the staff to consideration of additional modifications to these documents before the public hearing process begins.”

The Aldermen agreed and expressed a desire to wait to resolve the areas of greatest concern before moving forward.

Daniel said the staff will need at least another week to complete the modifications. A work session will be held with the mayor and aldermen to consider the various aspects being proposed for changes.

“After that process, the zoning map and code will be considered by the Planning Commission,” Daniel said. “The Commission may hold a special work session in advance of their September meeting to gain a better understanding of the documents and the proposed modifications.”

Daniel told the mayor and aldermen that the changes now underway would be likely to alleviate the concerns expressed by many residents in several Oxford neighborhoods and expressed appreciation for the thoughtful comments received from these residents.

The city began working on the updated comprehensive plan, Vision 2037, in March 2015 after hiring the Orion Planning Group to assist with the process. The comp plan was approved last summer by the aldermen.

The new plan steers away from just developing land based on zoning and will focus on various types of land uses that include suburban corridors; suburban centers; traditional neighborhoods; urban corridors; urban centers and the urban core, which is the downtown Square.

The land use map indicates intent for general land use characteristics over a five-year perspective as a part of the planning process.