Our best face forward

HelloOxford celebrated it’s one-year anniversary this month. One of the first articles we published in 2024 was “Pretty, Good! On municipal planning, art and revitalizing local economies.” At the core of that discussion was how art “…makes our public space welcoming, encouraging people to spend time in its presence, which can help to alleviate “dead zones” particularly in downtown cores.”

While I would like to think that the article provided a push for the Town of Oxford’s new Downtown Façade Beautification Program, it’s not a new idea — the Town has taken steps over the decades to make our community more attractive and welcoming, from participating in the Communities in Bloom initiative to enacting the 2018 Commercial Development District Improvement Plan Bylaw (CDIP), the latter of which provided local businesses with an annual, phased-in discount on their commercial taxes over a period of up to 10 years to assist with the expense of developing commercial infrastructure within the Town of Oxford: (“…includes, but is not limited to, construction of a new building, remediation of the property or expansion or renovation of an existing building…”).

The 2025 Beautification Program is a partnership between the Town of Oxford and the River Philip Foundation which covers new cladding, windows and doors, lighting and signage, up to a maximum of $50,000 (50% of the total project cost):

…administered by the Town of Oxford and is supported by the River Philip Foundation, which is providing funds to improve the commercial streetscape on Main Street and Water Street, zoned under the Town of Oxford Bylaws in the “Downtown Commercial” area.

The façade improvement program is to help improve the overall look and feel of the downtown and to spark additional investment in the downtown by business proprietors. Better façades will provide many benefits:

• a more appealing environment for both residents and visitors who shop in the Town
• protecting and enhancing the historical value of Oxford’s built environment
• improving property values for building owners
• increasing revenue for business owners

The first visible clue that the beautification program was in the offing came in mid-September, when workers began removing the existing siding from Diyaa Salaam’s building on Main Street.

Posted to social media, photos of the building sparked comments from the community about the interesting decades-old façade that was revealed, with colours and a vertical striping motif. The 100-year-old building, which features ground-floor commercial space and second-floor residential, has been home to several businesses in its history. Presently the ground floor is occupied by Salaam’s own Pizza L’Amore, the Black Craft Tattoo studio, and a knife-sharpening business.

In 2021, the Oxford Pharmachoice (to the right of Salaam’s building) was upgraded with new siding, going from white to blueberry blue, with new light fixtures and an updated sign. The Pharmachoice upgrades were supported under the 2020-21 “Wild Blueberry Capitol Beautification Program”, while GJDE Enterprises on Water St. made use of the 2018 CDIP Bylaw to partially address commercial taxes over a ten-year period.

As for other local businesses who may participate in the Beautification Program, little is known of any actual plans. Days Gone By Antiques & Collectibles owner Norman Wade is looking into pursuing upgrades to his Water St. business, but one challenge to the plan is a common one of late: a hard time finding tradespeople and contractors to provide quotes. GJDE Enterprises intends to apply for the program to add a fountain feature between the “old” store and the “new” building beside it, in front of the outdoor patio that will one day see patrons enjoying the café / bistro concept planned for that space.

Another piece of the downtown puzzle, and perhaps the most significant in terms of making the area attractive to customers and residents, is the development of the properties to the right of the “blueberry corner” lot owned by the Town at Main St. & Water St., through the empty lots beside the Antique store. Purchased several years ago but never having been developed, the properties (five street front lots, which include the blue cinder block building) were recently sold to Casey Realty Ltd., which already owns five of the seniors residence complexes in town.

Hello Oxford spoke with company representative Mikhial Mansour about what plans he might have for that stretch of prime downtown real estate, which backs onto the Black River. Mansour says the first priority is to evaluate the building to see if there is any possibility of saving the structure. If it’s too far gone, it will be demolished and then a combination commercial / residential development will take shape.

Mansour has a positive view of Oxford, saying he sees it as business-friendly. The 2025 Beautification Program, he says, will figure into the calculation as to whether 9 Water St. can be saved. Second-storey apartments will make a good investment, says Mansour, since “not everyone wants to own a home.” It’s early days yet for the company’s plans on Water St., and we’ll cover future activity on the property closely.

What are your hopes for the Water Street development? With five lots of ground-floor commercial space available, what would you like to see in downtown Oxford to complement our existing business district? What kind of apartment needs do Oxford residents have? Let us know at <info@HelloOxford.ca>!