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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW City moves to acquire 'Acid Rocks' lots ... ODOT to begin paving and cable work on I-5 ... Governor orders flags lowered to half-staff following Sen. Bates' death ... City moves to acquire 'Acid Rocks' lots ... ODOT to begin paving and cable work on I-5 ... Governor orders flags lowered to half-staff following Sen. Bates' death ... CITY COUNCIL City moves to acquire 'Acid Rocks' lots Purchase will expand public trail network; council also decides to explore making Grandview a 'shared road' Comment By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Aug. 7, 2016 at 3:28 PM By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Aug. 7, 2016 at 3:28 PM » RELATED CONTENT • Right — or wrong? — of way • Hike Of The Week • Take A Hike » Social News Hundreds of people over the course of days and weeks take to the hills, hiking up past Strawberry Lane to the trails around Acid Rock Castle in Ashland's west hills on a well-worn path to spend time on top of these rock outcroppings which provide a near 360-view of the city of Ashland below. Now those rocks and trails, currently on privately owned property, are in the process of officially belonging to the people of Ashland. The City Council on Tuesday approved the purchase of two lots totalling roughly 46 acres at the end of Hitt Road. One lot is inside city limits, the other is under county jurisdiction. The Ashland Parks Commission approved the purchase earlier and asked for final council approval because the trails and land are adjacent to some and near other Parks and Recreation property and trails. Although this area has been a citizen-created recreation area, it was not owned by the city. It has only one buildable lot due to its steep terrain and huge rock faces. The negotiated price is $360,000, which is below market value, according to Parks Director Michael Black. The Parks Department land acquisition fund currently has a balance of $562,340. “The properties … provide needed public access to the Hitt Road Trail and connectivity to existing trails such as Birdsong and the Hald Strawberry property,” according to a Parks Department staff report presented to the City Council. “Aside from cultural and recreational access, public ownership will also afford the forestry division of Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission to work with the City to establish healthy forestry treatments on the property.” The council passed the proposal unanimously. Much more contentious at Tuesday’s council meeting was a discussion about what to do with an illegally installed guardrail on Grandview Drive and a proposal to create a “shared road” which would allow the city to narrow the driving lanes, create a 3-foot wide refuge area on each side of the road for bike riders and pedestrians, create a four-way stop, add signs, a crosswalk, improve lighting and ultimately lower the speed limit to 15 miles per hour for cars. The discussion of a shared road comes about due to a guardrail installed by a private property owner who is building a house below the road. The guardrail was not permitted by the city — but city engineers agree it was properly installed, meets city and Oregon Department of Transportation standards and actually makes the road safer. The private landowner spent between $10,000 and $20,000 dollars putting the guardrail in, according to his contractor, who says he hired a sub-contractor to put in the guardrail and they were the ones who should have obtained a permit. Ultimately, the guardrail is illegally installed on city property. The fact that engineers believe it’s a good thing puts the council in a dilemma. “There was not an encroachment permit applied for," said Councilor Carol Voisin. "It seems the law was broken and no one is above the law.” She said she is concerned about keeping the guardrail based on the failure to get a permit. “It’s a bad precedent.” City staff is recommending the council allow the property owner to file for a permit retroactively and pay a penalty for not getting the proper permits prior to building. Staff also suggests finishing the Grandview Drive project with the guardrail to make it safer going forward. The road is steep and narrow and many people use it as a walking path. Councilor Pam Marsh forwarded a motion to approve keeping the guardrail and doing the road improvements suggested as phase one of improving the road. Councilor Mike Morris agreed but said he remains concerned about the permit side of it. “I’m hoping some of the engineering costs to evaluate whether it was done properly could be absorbed by the person who installed the guardrail.” Councilor Greg Lemhouse took a harder stance, saying, “I think we put forward a dangerous precedent. We have our policies and rules and we have to follow them.” He continued saying he does not want the guardrail. “I would rather see the guardrail come out, I would rather not move forward. This is not the way it’s supposed to be done.” Councilor Rich Rosenthal also said he would not vote in favor of the road project that night but might re-consider with more information. “I hesitate to vote on something that wasn’t in the council packet," he said. "We don’t know how much this would cost and I can’t vote for it. I think this is a rush and I will vote against it.” Mike Faught from the Public Works Department contended that every engineer who looked at the project said it was safer with the guardrail and that the plan presented would make the road better for everyone. Councilor Morris backed up Faught’s position, saying, “We want engineers to support our position, but that’s not their job. If we make everyone tear out everything that’s not permitted, we’ll have fences and decks taken out all over town. To tear it out is pretty extreme.” Councilor Marsh suggested staff prepare a more comprehensive report with a full budget breakdown and short and long term plans for Grandview Drive so the council can reconsider with more information. The council agreed to look at it again. This is already the third council meeting where the issue has been discussed in recent months. The council did approve on second reading a fair housing ordinance which was passed prohibiting landlords from considering the age of a possible tenant and how they receive income, including student loans and scholarships. It’s the stated hope of the council that this will prevent students at Southern Oregon University from being discriminated against when trying to rent an apartment or house. The rental market is below a 2 percent vacancy rate and rental units are becoming harder to come by, if not impossible, which has put students in a bind finding a place to live where they attend school and often work. That ordinance will now be in effect in time for students returning for next fall term. Email Ashland freelance writer Julie Akins at [email protected] and follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ @julieakins. By Julie Akins For the Tidings DailyTidings.com By Julie Akins For the Tidings Posted Aug. 7, 2016 at 3:28 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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