I thought this data was interesting and worth sharing with the Board. My apologies if it has been posted here earlier.
In 2024, the number of building permits issued within Oxford’s city limits increased by about 60% compared to 2023. In 2023, 496 permits were issued for residential construction, representing 1 million square feet of development with a total valuation of $137 million. By 2024, the number of permits for residential projects nearly doubled to 793. This accounted for 1.4 million square feet and a valuation of $210 million.
Commercial construction activity also saw an uptick during the year. In 2024, 119 commercial construction permits were issued, a slight increase from 116 permits in 2023. But the total square footage of commercial projects rose from 457,235 square feet in 2023 to 669,823 square feet in 2024, with the valuation increasing from $59.4 million to $90 million.
That’s $300 million of construction just inside the City in 2024.
Take in mind, these are only the numbers for the City and there is quite a bit of construction ongoing outside the city limits in Lafayette County, not to mention construction on the Ole Miss campus. Clearly between the three there was over a half billion of new construction In LOU during 2024. It is no wonder that the traffic coming into Oxford is bumper to bumper on Hwy 7 and Hwy 6 every workday between 7 and 8 AM, as construction here is probably now #2 behind the University in terms of employment.
One thing this all highlights to me is the need the State and MDOT (and the Feds if they are still giving out infrastructure money) to invest more in infrastructure in Lafayette County. After all, the State itself hasn’t grown in decades, where could the need be more urgent for infrastructure improvements? Hwy 7 needs to be four laned sooner rather than later and Hwy 6 probably needs to go to three lanes (six lanes total) inside the City.
At any rate, just found these stats interesting. I think growth is great, especially if we do it right and maintain what makes Oxford special, but the infrastructure is falling way behind the pace of residential and commercial construction here.
In 2024, the number of building permits issued within Oxford’s city limits increased by about 60% compared to 2023. In 2023, 496 permits were issued for residential construction, representing 1 million square feet of development with a total valuation of $137 million. By 2024, the number of permits for residential projects nearly doubled to 793. This accounted for 1.4 million square feet and a valuation of $210 million.
Commercial construction activity also saw an uptick during the year. In 2024, 119 commercial construction permits were issued, a slight increase from 116 permits in 2023. But the total square footage of commercial projects rose from 457,235 square feet in 2023 to 669,823 square feet in 2024, with the valuation increasing from $59.4 million to $90 million.
That’s $300 million of construction just inside the City in 2024.
Take in mind, these are only the numbers for the City and there is quite a bit of construction ongoing outside the city limits in Lafayette County, not to mention construction on the Ole Miss campus. Clearly between the three there was over a half billion of new construction In LOU during 2024. It is no wonder that the traffic coming into Oxford is bumper to bumper on Hwy 7 and Hwy 6 every workday between 7 and 8 AM, as construction here is probably now #2 behind the University in terms of employment.
One thing this all highlights to me is the need the State and MDOT (and the Feds if they are still giving out infrastructure money) to invest more in infrastructure in Lafayette County. After all, the State itself hasn’t grown in decades, where could the need be more urgent for infrastructure improvements? Hwy 7 needs to be four laned sooner rather than later and Hwy 6 probably needs to go to three lanes (six lanes total) inside the City.
At any rate, just found these stats interesting. I think growth is great, especially if we do it right and maintain what makes Oxford special, but the infrastructure is falling way behind the pace of residential and commercial construction here.
Last edited:
