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July 14, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels July 8, 2004 Talent building still booming By Buffy Pollock Tidings Correspondent TALENT - City planners are juggling a steady stream of new housing they say could be a combination of overall demand throughout the valley for new homes and the lingering effects of a four-year building moratorium lifted over two years ago. Mike Sutherland (right) Kyle Quinlan and Carl Edwards raise the frame of a new home Wednesday in a development at the corner of Rapp Road and Talent Avenue. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings Adding to the mix of four subdivisions approved last year, Talent Planning Commission members will review plans for a fifth today, the first in this calendar year. Kamerin Springs Estates would site a 53-lot development, made up largely of single-family homes along two parcels of Lithia Way, bound by Highway 99, Talent Avenue, Arnos Street and Creel Road. While development within the city is going strong, but is expected things to taper off at some point, City planner John Adam believes. "This is the first one of the year," Adam said of the Kamerin Springs proposal. "By this time last year I believe there were already four in the pipeline." Pending approval of Kamerin Springs, the five subdivisions combined would create more than 200 new homes. The other four subdivisions, all at various stages of planning and requiring final approval before construction can begin, include a mix of planned use developments and standard subdivisions. Four approved last year include: o Willow Springs Estates, a 43-lot development along the outskirts of town off Suncrest Road near Interstate Five. o Old Bridge Village, a 53 unit project along Wagner Creek, following a planned-unit development process and featuring mixed housing types, some residential-commercial mixes, park space and a greenway. o Heritage Station, a 32-lot subdivision at Talent Avenue and Rapp Street, will feature a mix of housing styles, including single family homes at the back of the project, away from Talent Avenue, and various styles of town homes, including some with commercial uses downstairs bordering Talent Avenue. o Oak Valley Estates, off West Valley View road, will add 29 new homes being advertised by local real estate agents as a 55-plus adult community. Adam believes the growth is Talent's portion of what is happening all over the valley. "It probably has a little to do with the fact that the real estate market is hot right now everywhere," he said. "People are looking to build and developers are responding to that. This has to be some kind of record." Adam said commissioners are expecting residents to voice concerns, as is usual with such a large amount of development. "There are a large number of folks not pleased by having development in their backyard," he said. "There is a general feeling that there's too much development in Talent, and it does seem like a lot, but every town is obligated to take in its share of residential and commercial development since we're all in this together," he said. While the city is experiencing rapid growth, the same growth would have happened had the moratorium not been in place, according to Mayor Marian Telerski. "For four years we didn't grow at all," she said. "The normal progression of growth could not occur, so rather than happening gently, it all happened at once." Telerski said she wanted to see the town gracefully manage its growth spurt and focus on improving infrastructure to accommodate growth and make improvements to quality of life for new and existing residents. "(Talent) is still small enough so that people do get to know each other on the street," she said. "I've lived in Talent for 14 years and I've stared at a cow field across the street and it's not a cow field anymore - it's houses - and I'm eager for those houses to be done. I wanna meet my new neighbors. We have a sidewalk and there are already so many walkers and little kids with training wheels. I just love sitting on the front porch. We're still going to be a small community." The Planning Commission meets tonight at city hall at 6:30 p.m. DailyTidings.com Home Page Valley&State | Backpage | O&E | Sports | Archives | Weather | Classifieds Columnists | Faith&Beliefs | Obituaries | Revels | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2004 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams