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Company withdraws rezoning requests for Oxford building

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Wednesday, April 23. 2014

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Facing a high probability its request would be rejected, the company planning to build apartments in and around the former Oxford building withdrew its rezoning request, Mayor Clark Hill announced Monday night.

The withdrawal effectively scuttles the project for this year. JES Holdings faced a June 1 deadline for applying to the state for the tax credits essential to making the project work.

JES asked the city to rezone the Oxford site from central business district to R-4 to rehab the former sewing plant into 35 one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments for low-income senior housing, asked for a variance in the units-per-acre requirement so it could put 18 senior living townhouses on the same tract and for a variance in the minimum square footage of the proposed apartments.

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Company selling 'insurance' for water lines

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Mark Beardsley

Wednesday, April 23. 2014

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Commerce officials sounded a warning Monday night about a company’s direct mail solicitation to city residents selling “insurance” to cover their water service lines.

“We’ve already had two people who said they gave their credit card numbers to them,” said city clerk Sandra Haggard.

“As a homeowner, you own the water service line that brings fresh tap water into your home,” the brochure advises. “You are responsible for the maintenance and repair of this line from the meter to your home. Changing soil conditions or simply the age of your service line can cause water service line emergencies.”

The company, HomeServe, suggests that such lines should be insured to “protect you from the cost of repairs” to the water service line.

“We do not endorse this,” said city manager Pete Pyrzenski. “We will look into this. It is kind of bizarre as to what they want to do for the residents.”

Recipients are asked to call a toll-free number or go to an online site. The fee is $5 per month.

Pyrzenski said the mailings appeared to target elderly residents.

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