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--> --> The Tidings is reckless; the city is confused; only Galpin is offering any solutions By William Barchet Ashland Two recent headline stories on the front page of your newspaper were of concern to me because there were significant errors in each one. The most recent appeared on November 21, 2001 under the title "Trailer park residents to be evicted." In that article you stated that the owners of the park were Galpin, LLC and Adams Group LLC., implying that they were responsible for the evictions. Evidently, your reporter, Myles Murphy, failed to research the ownership and did not bother to contact Carlyle Stout III, the owners' agent. Nor did he talk with representatives of Galpin LLC or Adams Group LLC. This reckless journalism is a slap in the face to Galpin LLC, who is no longer the owner, and who recently offered to build 50 "affordable" homes in Ashland under the City of Ashland's affordable housing guidelines. The second story appeared November 14, 2001, under the title " Affordable housing debate erupts." In that article your reporter, Mr. Murphy, mis-characterized the proposed neighborhood as almost exclusively residential and quoted incorrect acreage sizes for the different zoning categories. In fact, the developer, Galpin, LLC, is proposing a well balanced mixed-use neighborhood consisting of approximately 23 acres of residential, 26 acres of employment-based zoning and almost 17 acres of streets and parkland. The residential portions of the neighborhood will include 50 homes under the city's affordable housing program, in cooperation with Habitat for Humanity, and the remainder will be at the modest end of the market rate spectrum. During an extensive public input process the project received wide public support. In fact there was no public testimony against the affordable housing proposal, only from two housing commission members. Not exactly what I would call an "eruption." This is by far the largest single affordable housing proposal in Ashland's history. Yet members of the City of Ashland's Housing Commission and Planning Department both recommend denial for entirely opposite reasons - the Planning Department evidently feels that it is more important to have a reserve supply of industrial land for 50 years rather than 50 more affordable homes now. On the other hand, the city's Housing Commission is saying that the city's affordable housing program is a failure and has its own draft guidelines that it is demanding the developer follow. Where was the Housing Commission when the current guidelines were adopted? The Planning Department is unwilling to present the new draft guidelines to the City Council for adoption in their present form because they are unworkable. It appears that Galpin, LLC is really the only one to step up and offer any constructive solutions. At the expense of "sensational" headlines, I believe the newspaper and the community would be better served with a more balanced, accurate, in-depth analysis of issues, rather than fueling a lynch mob mentality. William Barchet is project coordinator of Kaufman Crossing. Editor's note: The Tidings ran a correction the following day explaining that Galpin-Adams were no longer the owners, and that Web Title LLC was the new owner. Reporter Myles Murphy placed calls to Galpin, LLC and Adams Group LLC the day of the story but did not have his calls returned. They still have never been returned. Attorney Carlyle Stout III was never contacted as there was no reason to speculate the trailer park had been sold. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing