Retirees and those in need of assisted living will soon have another option in Oxford.

During their December meeting, the Oxford Planning Commission approved the final site plan for Oxford Farms senior living facility. The new facility will offer care for those still independent to residents who may need nursing care.

The facility will be located on the west side of South Lamar Boulevard, south of Oxford Pediatric Group. The three-story building will consist of 86 units with a total of 108 bedrooms.

Developers of the project requested several variances and special exemptions, which were all approved, along with the final site plan approval. One variance involved parking, which, according to the Land Development Code, requires one parking space for every two employees plus one visitor space for each four bedrooms. The project requested 98 parking spaces, which was more than the code allows, due to the facility targeting individuals and couples that more independent and have the ability to still operate their own vehicles.

Oxford Farms will be the sixth such facility in town that offers senior living and assisted-living care. It will join The Blake at Oxford, Hermitage Gardens, Oxford Health and Rehab, Elmcroft of Oxford and Providence Companion Care.

Ben Requet, the City’s director of planning, credited the efforts made by the Retiree Attraction Program of the Oxford-Lafayette County Chamber of Commerce, which has made Oxford a desirable place for retirees to move to.

“As the baby-boomer generation continues to age, Oxford and Lafayette County need to ensure that there is adequate infrastructure in place to allow this segment of the population to age in place,” Requet told the planning commissioners during their meeting on Monday. “Additionally, as Oxford continues becoming a regional healthcare hub, it is likely that the Planning Commission will review more requests for age-restricted developments, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and memory care facilities.”

Those efforts have also received national attention. Earlier this week, Oxford was selected as a top retirement destination by “Where to Retire” magazine. It is the only publication in the country geared toward helping people with retirement relocation decisions. Oxford is profiled in the magazine’s January/February issue, which is available now.

Magazine editor Annette Fuller said Oxford’s qualities are important to today’s retirees.

“Greatness gathers in Oxford, from Ole Miss football to famous authors to restaurants touting James Beard Award-winning chefs,” Fuller said. “Galleries, eateries and an 1872 courthouse in downtown’s Oxford Square, which also hosts a homegrown radio show.”

One retiree was quoted in the issues as stating Oxford is “full of people like us” and “we’ve never made friends faster than we did here.”