Journal-News.com

Low income housing, student rental properties and families in the Mile Square were topics of a discussion among citizens and the Housing Advisory Commission at a roundtable discussion Tuesday.

The HAC called the meeting to get input from community members and property owners about the housing market in Oxford, including issues and goals the commission should consider regarding housing policies.

Much of the discussion revolved around the possibility of reducing the number of student rentals in the Mile Square while attracting more homeowner families, a goal listed in the city's Comprehensive Plan.

Council Representative Prue Dana said there is some grant money available for potential homeowners in Oxford, but more needs to be made available.

"HAC was formed initially to get grant money for this area. We have money that is a housing trust in the city budget," Dana said. "To put together a business plan is probably where we want to go."

However, many at the meeting expressed doubt, largely because of higher house prices and a student environment in the Mile Square.

"Prices will never come down to the price of an owner-occupied," said local realtor Tim Myers. "You're going to need subsidies to get it back to owners who will buy and occupy it. The only way to change things over is if a community comes in and buys blocks at a time and turns rental into owner-occupied."

Myers also suggested the city set a cap on the number of rental permits that could be issued.

Donna Gross said that in her experience leasing properties, families coming into Oxford don't want to be in student-dominated areas like some parts of the Mile Square.

"The first thing they say is, 'I do not want to be next to undergrads,' " Gross said. "They will not live next to them, no matter how we try to market it to them."

Dana pointed out that there are some portions of the Mile Square with homeowners, especially the northwest quadrant, and that many college towns maintain a mix of owner and student rental housing.

"When the students dominate ... it's like a neighborhood street becomes a dormitory hall," Dana said. "But there is a possibility for mixed neighborhoods. We can co-exist. I really do think that."

Miami University has offered monetary incentives to employees who live in the Mile Square; however, Miami has pulled back on these incentives recently, Dana said, noting that the city would be discussing this with the university.

The other large issue on

the table was a need for affordable and subsidized housing

for low to moderate income families in Oxford.

A 2006 study by the League of Women Voters of Oxford showed a "disconnect" between local wages and housing costs, and that much of the city's traditional source of affordable housing had been converted to student rentals.

The study also showed that a low percentage of workers at major employers reside in Oxford. Only 15 percent of Square D and 30 percent of McCullough-Hyde Hospital employees live in Oxford.

HAC chairwoman Laura Henderson said a goal of the Comprehensive Plan is to have a diversity of incomes in town rather than neighborhoods devoted solely to affordable housing.

"We want to keep people in the city and we want a mix of people," Henderson said. "We don't just want low and moderate income housing, we want a range."

Rental owner Mike Ramsey said affordable housing in the Mile Square was unlikely because of the housing prices inflated by the possibility of student rental income.

"I think you could build some low-income housing here, but you have to take ground on the edge of town." Ramsay said. "I don't see anybody turning over Mile Square property for it."

Contact this reporter at (513) 523-4139 or sstrader@coxohio.com.