Oxford Comp Plan Housing Economic Development
oxford comp plan housing economic development
Oxford, MS
Mr. Gross completed work as part of a comprehensive planning team led by Orion Planning for the City of Oxford, Mississippi. Oxford is home to the University of Mississippi (“Ole Miss”), one of the largest and most prestigious state universities in the South. Ole Miss is enjoying a renaissance, attracting increased enrollment and a high caliber of students from throughout the region and nationally. Many of these students come from affluent families who are willing to pay for higher-cost housing and amenities. An unintended result has been a rapid escalation in land and housing prices throughout Oxford and Lafayette County, which is now ranked as having the highest ratio of housing cost-to-income in the state. Much of Randall Gross’s work focused on assessing the city’s housing potentials and the opportunities and strategies for affordable housing. Economic development strategies to help diversify the local economy were also an important output of his work.