Developer cites added costs in request to bypass city utilities

A request to allow a proposed 22-lot subdivision, called Brantlee Ridge, south of Oxford to use individual wells and septic systems rather than connect to city water and sewer was tabled by the Lafayette County Board of Supervisors following a lengthy discussion about development costs and the city’s requirements for extending utilities beyond its limits.

The request, presented to the board by County Planner Tristan Riddell, concerns approximately 84 acres of land located just south of Oxford’s city limits off Old Taylor Road. The property is zoned rural residential low density, and the developer is proposing 22 lots, each approximately 3 acres.

The developer is seeking a variance from the county’s land development regulations, which require developers whose properties are near existing municipal utilities to make a good-faith effort to connect to those systems. Riddell said the city of Oxford had issued a will-serve letter indicating it could provide water service to the property.

Last month, the Planning Commission voted 4-0 to recommend denial.

However, the discussion took a broader turn when Joey Moore, the project’s engineer, explained what he described as an unusual financial burden created by the city’s requirements for developments connecting to its utility system.

The city of Oxford requires developers who connect to either water or sewer service to comply with additional city development standards, including curb and gutter, landscaping and storm drainage systems.

That requirement, Moore said, creates a significant expense for developments outside the city limits that otherwise would not be subject to those standards.

“We run a feasibility study based on just those additional costs that would be incurred in the end, which would be by Lafayette County residents because they would be the ones that those costs be passed on to,” Moore told supervisors.

Moore said the additional requirements would increase the cost of developing the proposed subdivision by approximately $76,000 per lot.

He said storm drainage infrastructure accounted for about 40% of the additional expense.

The developer is proposing to install individual wells and septic systems for each of the 22 lots, along with a dry hydrant system that would allow firefighters to draw water from a pond on the property.

Moore said the proposed arrangement is similar to systems used in other rural subdivisions in Lafayette County, where municipal water is not readily available.

“The average three-acre lot right now in Lafayette County is going for about $84,000,” Moore said. “So, in order for (BLT Land Development) to be competitive and break even, he’s got to tack on another $75,000 to that price.”

Moore said the developer wants to keep the subdivision at a lower density, preserve trees and avoid clearing additional land to accommodate more lots.

He described the property as a unique situation because it is close enough to Oxford to be within reach of municipal water but far enough outside the city that the additional requirements create a substantial financial burden.

The discussion also raised questions about the relationship between county development regulations and the city’s authority over developments outside its municipal limits.

Moore said developers can find themselves caught between two sets of regulations, particularly when county and city requirements differ.

Supervisors also discussed the county fire department’s concerns about the proposed dry hydrant system.

Riddell said the department had recommended installing a water system capable of supporting fire hydrants rather than relying on a pond and pump system.

Moore questioned why a dry hydrant system would not be acceptable for the proposed development when similar arrangements have been approved elsewhere in the county.

The board ultimately tabled the request to allow additional discussion with the fire department about its requirements and the proposed water system.