Historic Commission OKs sign for Velvet Ditch seafood restaurant

Published 11:57 am Thursday, October 10, 2024

While the Oxford Board of Aldermen squashed Jared Foster’s plans to create an open space at his new seafood restaurant, The Velvet Ditch, off the Square last week, he did win one small hurdle on Monday.

The Oxford Courthouse Square Historic Preservation Commission granted a Certificate of Appropriateness on Monday for a new sign on the outside of the building located on the corner of South Lamar Boulevard and University Avenue.

Last week during their regular meeting, the Board of Aldermen denied Foster’s site plan when they overturned a previous approval from the Oxford Planning Commission. Some of the aldermen expressed concerns about safety issues when 200+ people could potentially leave the business at once. The restaurant, like most on the Square, will primarily become a bar after normal dinner hours.

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Foster is renting the former Abner’s building and has been attempting to create an outdoor dining/bar area to accommodate more customers. The plans were to remove the parking lot and put down turf with tables and a bar outside. The Planning Commission approved his plans in a 4 to 3 vote earlier this month.

Residents who live around the area appealed the Commission’s vote to the Aldermen.

Foster is not allowed to move forward with any of the construction that was included in the site plan that was overturned by the Board of Aldermen.

However, the building is currently under construction so Foster can soon open the indoor portion of the restaurant after inspections are complete.

It’s unknown if Foster plans to submit a new, different site plan to create an outdoor space.