Oxford has been awarded a nearly $2.1 million grant to support the plan to construct an Amtrak platform near Chestnut Fields, assistant city manager Jessica Greene announced. 

The grant was awarded through the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. The plans call for a low-level platform, three covered shelters, a passenger waiting area, restrooms, a ticket kiosk and a digital messaging board. 

Construction is expected to begin in 2026.

The city council also learned this week that a grant application it had supported was not funded by the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. The application was for Episcopal Retirement Services to develop a 42-unit senior housing development on 8 acres of land, which would have been bought from the city.

On Oct. 18, the council passed a measure that extends the option for ERS to purchase the Oxford Reily Road property for an additional 30 days while it investigates if it can apply for another grant for the project, which was approved by the city council in January.