A groundbreaking ceremony for a long-awaited, three-building development in downtown Oxford will be held at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24 and the public is invited to attend.

Village officials want to help local developer Dave Weckle celebrate as he begins construction of his first building on E. Burdick St.

“I appreciate the support the village has given (me) . . . Everybody that I’ve talked to or that has approached me, they’re excited (about this project),” Weckle said.

Village President Joe Frost hopes people will take some time out of their busy schedules to attend this event, much like folks would have done a century ago.

“When a building was built (back then), it was a big deal and the whole town turned out,” he said.

Weckle’s first building will be a three-story, 60-foot-by-60-foot structure at 32 E. Burdick St., the southwest corner of E. Burdick and Mill streets.

“We expect to have the shell done – ready for finish work – by November. We’ll be able to finish (it over) the winter,” Weckle said.

It will be a mixed-used building.

“I don’t have contracts in place, but (the ground floor is) intended to be a coffeehouse/bakery. The second floor is intended to be office (space),” Weckle said.

The top floor will be a residential condominium with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open floor plan and an outdoor L-shaped deck that’s approximately 1,500 square feet and overlooks both E. Burdick and Mill streets. According to Weckle, the condo was designed with the idea that he and his wife would occupy it, but “that could change.”

“Everything’s for sale,” he said.

This is the first of three, possibly four, buildings Weckle intends to construct on a total of eight existing properties along E. Burdick, Mill and Stanton streets.

Weckle was planning to erect a three-story, 26,700-square-foot, mixed-use building at 36 E. Burdick St., the southeast corner of E. Burdick and Mill streets.

But, that could change.

“We have been considering (constructing) two buildings (there), both approximately 60-by-60 with a little pocket park in between,” Weckle said. “That’s still real preliminary. I’d have to go back to (the) planning commission.”

Weckle also intends to erect a two-story building at 19 Stanton St., the northeast corner of Mill and Stanton streets.

Each floor will be approximately 6,000 square feet and he said the whole building will consist of residential condos, each with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.

“There might be eight or nine (units) in there. We’re not sure yet,” Weckle said.

“I think there’s going to be a big demand for the condos,” he noted.

Frost said having more housing that’s “within walking distance” of Washington St. will be beneficial to the businesses that line it.

“Residents buy things. They eat breakfast. They eat lunch,” he said.

Weckle first pitched the concept for this three-building development to the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) board at its May 2015 meeting.

The DDA approved the Planned Unit Development (PUD) agreement for the project at its November 2015 meeting. In August 2016, the planning commission approved the site plan. The village council followed suit by approving the PUD agreement in September 2016.

As part of the development, Weckle will create a 55-space paved public parking lot. Once complete, ownership of this lot will be transferred to the DDA and it will be maintained by the village.

“We’re just going to rough (the lot) in (this year.) It won’t be open to the public immediately, but it will have curb and gutter and it will have (the) base coat,” Weckle said.

He believes having ample parking available is critical to a downtown’s success.

“We’re fortunate to have good parking compared to other communities and it’s all free . . . Hopefully, it can stay that way,” Weckle said.

Weckle is building this parking lot at his expense and giving it to the DDA in exchange for it transferring ownership of three parcels (32, 36 and 38 E. Burdick St.), totalling 0.35 acres, to him. Weckle is using the three DDA parcels, plus the five he already owns on E. Burdick and Stanton streets, to create this development.

Frost is pleased Weckle’s development will put these three government-owned parcels “back on the tax roll” after a long absence, so they can once again generate revenue for the municipality and DDA.

“That’s a huge benefit,” he said.

The three Burdick St. properties became tax-exempt after the DDA purchased them in 2001 and 2002 for a total of $585,000. All three had houses and backyards when the DDA acquired them. The backyards were later split off and converted into public parking, while the houses were removed, leaving behind vacant lots that sat unused and untaxed for years.