Sumter County commissioners are seeking state comments on a plan to reclassify 395 acres in the Oxford area from agricultural to rural residential.
The change would make the land south of County Road 102 and east of County Road 103 easier to develop. The area is northeast of the busy commercial area of U.S. 301 and County Road 466.
About 82 percent of the parcels, or 60 properties, in the area already are zoned rural residential. About 18 percent of the parcels are zoned agricultural.
Commissioners voted Tuesday night to refer the proposed land-use change to the state Department of Economic Opportunity and other agencies for comment. After their review, it will come back to the county for approval.
Average lot size currently is 6.6 acres and the change would allow creation of 358 new lots of about an acre each.
The property is located in an area of increasing density such as a Villages planned unit development to the east.
“Additional low density development will be minimal compared to current surrounding uses,” a staff report stated.
Despite the potential for hundreds of new lots, the staff report concluded that the change will not significantly increase the demand for public services or roads.
Earlier this month, Special Master Derrill L. McAteer found that the change would not contribute to urban sprawl nor be detrimental to historical or environmental resources.
