Housing Commission recommends new affordable housing plan for Hester Road development
After receiving four proposals for affordable housing developments on Hester Road, Oxford's Housing Advisory Commission is recommending moving forward with one proposal focused on housing for adults with developmental disabilities.
Oxford’s Housing Advisory Commission (HAC) has voted to recommend moving forward with a new affordable housing development on Hester Road.
For several years, Oxford had been working with a developer to create a cottage community on two acres of city-owned land on Hester Road. Plans stalled last December, with Oxford City Council citing “untenable” proposed rental costs, and the city put out a new request for proposals soon after.
After considering the four proposals the city received, the HAC has recommended awarding a contract to EmpowerMe Living. The decision will require final approval from City Council.
EmpowerMe is a real estate company focused on making housing accessible for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, according to the organization’s website.. The organization ultimately beat out Habitat for Humanity, the HAC’s second choice.
EmpowerMe’s proposal stated that the Hester Road development would be used to house 13-20 units of single-unit tiny homes for developmentally disabled adults. Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene said during an April 17 HAC meeting that the development would probably be able to hold 16 units comfortably.
The units would be up for ownership, with a monthly mortgage between $650 and $900, depending on the unit size. Some committee members were worried this would be too expensive.
“If the intent is to attract for development of some disabled persons, but if they can't make that payment, then that's a housing opportunity that's not available to them,” said City Council member Amber Franklin.
Greene said some units will be set aside through fair housing for these individuals, but she was not sure what the exact number of these units would be. The current mortgage costs are just an estimate, Greene said, and rent should be manageable for individuals on SSI.
At the end of the meeting, the HAC motioned to bring EmpowerMe’s plan to City Council at their next meeting in May.
