By Betsy Brewer Brantner
Contributing Writer

Kate Martin presented a potential design for King’s Cross Development at the Oxford Borough Council meeting on Oct. 6. She emphasized that what she presented was a preliminary design and details could be changed.

Residents have been patiently waiting to hear what is planned for the properties that were destroyed in the tragic fire and, according to Martin, they can expect a project that is nothing short of amazing.

Everyone still remembers the devastating fire in Oxford’s downtown that broke out on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. It impacted six properties on South Third Street. The gaping hole that has been left still brings shudders to passersby. Labeled as one of the worst fires in the borough’s long history, everyone is ready to move forward.

Wilson King, now the owner of the damaged properties, is diligently working with Martin to make the most out of the new construction. The buildings affected were mixed-use structures with retail and commercial establishments on the first floor and residential apartments on the floors above. From Martin’s summation to council, the new project is also expected to continue to house commercial structures and apartments.

Oxford Mainstreet, Inc. (OMI) spearheaded the project to complete a renovation of the old theater building, but then that building was one of the properties that was destroyed in the fire. The project received a $2,140,166 Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant award from the Pennsylvania Office of the Budget in 2022. The borough is the public grantee for this award. The RACP grant will now be allocated to help rebuild the Oxford Theater, and that project is still moving forward again.

Also secured is a grant for Niblock Alley. The Niblock Alley Redevelopment Grant is a public-private partnership, and the alley will be redeveloped as a borough‐owned road, with dedicated parking spaces, installed sidewalks and numerous pedestrian amenities like lighting, benches, and trash receptacles, as well as stormwater improvements. Safety will be enhanced by stabilizing the railroad embankment and installing a decorative fence between Niblock Alley and the railroad. 

Additionally, there are planned improvements to the Broad Street Bridge including structural and aesthetic improvements, the addition of a separated, raised sidewalk to increase safety for pedestrians, and decorative wrought iron fencing for increased aesthetics and safety. 

The borough was awarded $1 million in funding from the Chester County Department of Community Development (CCDCD) Community Revitalization Program (CRP) in August 2023, a $300,000 award from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development's (DCED) Multimodal Transportation Fund (MTF) Program in March of 2024, and a $854,356 award from the PA Department of Transportation MTF Program in August of 2024. The borough is now working with property owners to prepare for final design and project bidding.

New businesses continue to come to Oxford, including the following:

•  The Yoga Cove

•  Ashanti Naturals has moved their location from N Third to Artisan Row

•  Outback Trading Company

•  Jackson and Haines Menswear

•  Presence Bank moved from their old building to the center of town

•  Oxford Escapes Spa on Locust Street

•  Flowers Café

•  Araceli’s Hair Salon 

•. Volunteer City

Opening soon is Don Rollo, which is a cinnamon roll business moving into where the Whisky Shack was location on S. Third Street. The new location of the Whisky Shack will be at the corner of Market and Third Street and an ice cream place is expected on Market Street. Paperwork has been approved and that business is expected to open soon. DuBarry has also reopened recently.

The waterline improvements on Niblock Alley will certainly help the larger buildings in Oxford,’s downtown, making it possible for space to be rented to businesses that could require a lot of water. It is thought that some of those buildings could house smaller eateries or brew pubs.

Another new site in the borough is Artisan Row where Ashante Naturals moved. The Yoga Cove and OMI are also located there.

When Martin shared the early plans for King’s Cross Development with borough council and the public, she said, “Nothing is carved in stone. Wilson wants to create a town center where the fire happened, and a place for culture, food and shopping. He plans to parcel off the area for the theatre. After the portion for the theatre and Artisan Row, it will leave us with just under one acre.”

Martin added, “For the building on South Third Street, we are currently proposing four stories. We want the bigger part to be inviting. We are thinking of a gathering place with a farmers market. We are dedicated to making it a beautiful place that will support a green environment, including a rain garden and plantings. It will be beautiful, safe and well-lit.  Artisan Row would be looking out on a courtyard. We plan to have some parking there as well. The space hasn’t been finalized yet. The theatre is handicapped-accessible which would include a lovely walkway to the theatre by steps and  a ramp. We plan a mix of apartments which would include studios, one- and two-bedrooms and a common space. We are also planning three flex spaces and a mid-size market with a limited supply of goods, and fresh food. We also plan to have a café or small restaurant.” 

Martin also saw the collaboration with the Niblock Alley as very important.

Oxford Borough Manager Pauline Garcia-Allen also emphasized the importance of the public-private partnership, too.

The borough is currently awaiting approval of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance so the land-development process for this project can move forward. The ordinance is expected soon.

Oxford Mayor Phil Harris proclaimed October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

A representative from the Chester County Domestic Violence Center also applauded the Oxford Police Department as one of the first police departments to work with the center.

Oxford Borough Police Sgt. Chris Coverly also spoke on the subject saying, “Domestic violence comes from all socio-economic backgrounds. Most reports of this come in as a 911 call. Most victims will not come out and report an incident. It can happen anywhere, walking down a sidewalk or in the home. It is important to note that these events are very dangerous for the police officer answering the call. Having someone to advocate for the victim is very important. The advocate helps the victim figure out what kind of help they need, whether it is finding a shelter or going to a hospital. As police officers we collect information.”

Coverly added, “There is always something deeper going on, and that partnership between the advocate and victim is important. We work with the advocates and make sure they have the information on how to reach us, and the advocate can lead the victim to available resources.”

In other police department business, Jaime Cruz was sworn as a full-time police officer with the Oxford Borough Police Department.

Union Fire Company representatives were on hand to update the borough council on what is happening with the fire company. Allen Fowler is the president of the Union Fire Company No. 1 in Oxford, and he spoke before council saying, “I want to stress that your Borough Manager, Pauline, has been a tremendous resource for us. She responds quickly, supports our fire company, and has coached us through some very important things. We have a great partnership with her. We also thank council for attending our quarter meeting. We were impressed with the great participation. We have had a great exchange of information. We have looked at different business approaches and because of that, saved some money. We have set up contracts and reduced our costs by 12 percent. We needed to get a full-time person, and we now have two full-timers and part-timers. Two people are not really enough.”

He added, “We are also working on applying for a grant for apparatus. The timeframe to build equipment is usually two years. Apparatus are very expensive, so we ordered it four years in advance. We are hoping to get the grant and supplement that with a loan from FEMA. We will see what we can save this way. A ladder truck in 2024 was $900,000, and in 2030 it will be $2 million. We do have the opportunity to buy good used equipment, too.” 

Fowler also explained it isn’t always easy to find full-time employees, and there is a shortage of volunteers. Fowler said that they have created a program to bring people into the company. One is the offer of a tax credit on the property taxes, and there is also an opportunity to achieve certain points to get money at the end of the year.

“We can bring people in as juniors in high school, and they have to commit to keep their grades up as a part of that,” he said.

Gary Vinnacombe, Deputy EMS Chief, told council that the new hospital opening up in nearby Penn Township has helped them greatly.

“We do have more costs since we have two full-time employees and a full-time administrator. We were volunteer,” he said. “We have a lot of mileage on our ambulance too.”

In other business Council at the meeting, borough council approved the following:

• A Union Fire Company No. 1 agreement in the amount of $135,766.26 to provide fire protection and response services to the borough for calendar year 2026;
• A Union Fire Company No. 1 Ambulance Division Agreement in the amount of $142,270 to provide ambulance transportation and emergency services in the borough for calendar year 2026;
• A Southern Chester County Emergency Medical Services, Inc. - Medic 94 contract in the amount of $48,556.56 to provide advanced life support paramedic response services in the borough for calendar year 2026;
• An agreement for deed-in-lieu of condemnation between the borough and East Penn Railroad;
• An agreement for deed-in- lieu of condemnation between the borough and ADNAN59 LLC;
• An agreement for deed-in-lieu of condemnation between the Borough and Wilson R. King and 33-35 South Third Street, LLC;
• Waterline improvement and tapping fee credit agreement between the borough and Wilson R. King, 33-35 South Third Street, LLC, and Jumbuck, LLP;
• The authorization for the borough solicitor to proceed with preparing the necessary documents for the condemnation of a portion of Tax Parcel No. 6-4-231 owned by EBHI Investments, LLC, and Tax Parcel No. 6-4-232 owned by Jeffrey A and Cheryl M Hamm;
• A Pennoni proposal in the amount of $271,500 for engineering services for the Niblock Alley Redevelopment Project;
• A Gannett Fleming proposal in the amount of $39,000 for engineering services for the water main and related improvements as part of the Niblock Alley Redevelopment Project;
• A B-Safe Proposal in the amount of $1,279.38 and an annual recurring fee of $734.04 for improvements to the security system at the Oxford Police Department;
• Approval of a Housing Partnership of Chester County request to the borough to withdraw liens on 323 South Street;
• A letter of support for the Housing Partnership of Chester County request to the Oxford Area Sewer Authority and Oxford Area School District to withdraw liens on 323 South Street.

The next Oxford Borough Council meeting will be held on Monday, October 20 at 7 p.m. in the Borough Hall.