Residents of Old Taylor Road might not have to travel far much longer to buy everyday necessities. Initial steps to construct a Dollar General were taken during the Oxford Planning Commission’s regular meeting on Monday.

A request for a special exemption by the developers, Blackburn Holdings, LLC., was approved to make the store one story. It will be located at 2994 Old Taylor Road, directly across from The Mark Condominiums and next to Falkner Flats.

The application for the special exemption stated other existing commercial buildings, such as Thacker 564 and High Point Coffee, are one-story buildings and their proposal would be consistent with the ‘character of the neighborhood.’ The developers also stated the lack of retail options on Old Taylor Road and a Dollar General would fill that need and reduce traffic flow.

“Limited retail options exist in the portion of the City, and a Dollar General will provide surrounding neighborhoods with the opportunity to access everyday necessities, thus potentially reducing the number of trips taken on Old Taylor Road,” the application read.

The Planning Department staff did not agree with the reasoning behind wanting to keep the Dollar General one-story but did support the request due to limited options available to residents on Old Taylor Road. The approval came with one stipulation;the building must be substantially similar to the elevations provided with their request submission. A site plan is currently being evaluated by the city and, depending on the size of the site plan, the Planning Commission could discuss constructing the Dollar General further before the project begins.

Oxford currently has four Dollar Generals, all of them located north of Highway 6. The closest location to Old Taylor Road is the Dollar General in the Larson’s Cash Saver strip mall.