OXFORD — Efforts to reduce density in certain parts of the city led to zoning code changes dealing with nonconformities approved by Oxford City Council at its meeting Tuesday.

The section dealing with nonconforming rental units drew the most comment, although it included “uses, buildings, lots and structures which are subject to regulations limiting their use, restriction, reconstruction, extension or substitution.”

One provision of the ordinance reduces the number of renters allowed in reconfigured properties, defined as “interior or exterior modifications to change the layout of a building or to make substantial/structural repair or alteration.”

Council member Kate Rousmaniere, who served on a city committee to look at the issue, said they attempted to use the process to deal with reducing density.

Rousmaniere said a 2007 modification of the original 2003 ordinance called for a 20 percent reduction in residency in exchange for allowing reconfiguration of rental units. This new revision increases that to a 30 percent reduction.

“We wanted to encourage reconfiguration, but we also wanted to deal with issues of density,” she said, noting that the 2008 Comprehensive Plan also brought out resident concerns about improving properties in the Mile Square.

Peter McCarthy, speaking from the audience, urged council to not use the 30 percent figure because it cuts into rental income and is bad for business.

“It’s bad for the business of being a landlord,” he said. “That’s seventy percent of the Mile Square. We should be representing that majority, not attacking us.”

Council member Bob Blackburn said the city should leave the reduction at 20 percent because Miami students are more interested in larger bedrooms and larger kitchens so that the same overall space will be taken up with larger rooms, leading to a natural decrease in the number of tenants.

He said he is opposed to legislating a decrease, however, but insisted use of the 30 percent decrease will go against the idea of encouraging improvements and make people want to live in the Mile Square.

“You get junk,” Blackburn said.

Mayor Richard Keebler said those larger rooms can work both ways and potentially encourage landlords and tenants to put more people into them and said the reduction in allowed tenants on the permit was a useful tool to reduce density.

The ordinance applies only to legally-existing nonconformities and do not apply if the reconfiguration or changes bring the building into conformity with the zoning code. It also notes that the goal is to encourage reduction of nonconformities in the short term and elimination of them in the long term.

Approval of the ordinance came on a 6-1 vote of council with no amendments, with Blackburn dissenting, which left the 30 percent reduction provision intact.

That was one of nine ordinances on Tuesday’s agenda for second reading and action. Most dealt with issues to streamline and clean up details in the zoning code which had created confusion.

One of those, proposed by the city’s Economic Development Director, G. Alan Kyger, dealt with sales on city-owned property by non-profit groups. The ordinance says that the city manager will approve such use but any plan to sell alcoholic beverages must be approved by City Council.

Mayor Keebler explained that currently any such sale, including something like sale of Girl Scout Cookies, requires council action but this ordinance allows consent by the manager. Therefore, bringing any request for sale of alcohol on city property before council is not really a change.