Oxford Board Weighs Overlay Zone to Allow Smaller Lots on Route 26

The Oxford Select Board held a workshop on a possible zoning change that would let lots along Route 26 be as small as 5,000 square feet, down from the current 15,000 square foot minimum. The code enforcement officer and a board member proposed an overlay district rather than rewriting the whole zoning ordinance, and the board gave direction to draft a proposal for a future meeting.

Key points

• The change is driven by a pending sale of a roughly 40 acre parcel on Route 26 that needs smaller minimum lot sizes to go through.
• Staff proposed an overlay district, similar to the airport and groundwater overlay districts, instead of creating a new zone or changing the townwide minimum.
• A board member warned that at 5,000 square feet, and with the state's 2.5 affordable housing density bonus, hundreds of homes could theoretically be built on the parcel.
• Board members discussed drawing the overlay boundaries along roads, from the Skeetfield Road and Route 26 area to Roller Rink Road, to avoid spot zoning.
• A resident raised concerns about the area turning into a mobile home park; officials said mobile home parks are regulated separately and that roads, setbacks and infrastructure would limit density.
• Officials said setbacks would likely need to be reduced along with lot sizes to keep lots buildable and limit variance requests.

Next steps

• Staff will draft a proposal with overlay boundaries and possible setback changes and bring it back to a regular Select Board meeting.
• If the board agrees, the proposal would go to the Planning Board for a public hearing and then to a town meeting vote.
• Property owners in and within 500 feet of the affected zone would be notified by certified letter of any zoning change.

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