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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels August 25, 2004 LUBA nixes county law By Damian Mann For the Tidings A state appeals board overturned Jackson County's new land-use law Monday, casting a legal shadow over hundreds of building permits issued since March. "We got a thumbs down," county Planning Director Ali Turiel said Tuesday. "It's toast until we can rectify it with a new ordinance." Property rights group Oregonians in Action, Medford land consultant Richard Stevens and Ashland resident Chris Skrepetos all filed appeals to the ordinance. LUBA agreed only with the two legal concerns raised by Skrepetos. The board upheld Skrepetos' argument that the county cannot retroactively approve land parcels that were illegally partitioned in the 1980s. The challenge affects fewer than 100 parcels in Jackson County. In response to the decision, the county threw out its 2004 ordinance, reverting to its more restrictive 2000 ordinance. Turiel said the hundreds of permits issued since March 12 under the new ordinance will be honored by the county, but could be subject to legal challenges by third parties. The county has required permit applicants to sign a notarized document that warned them of the potential pitfalls if the appeal were successful. Those pitfalls could be considerable - property owners could be forced to dismantle buildings or homes built on farm or forest lands. Turiel, who noted the planning department has lost one-third of its staff to turnover recently, expects a new ordinance could be adopted by the end of the year. Skrepetos, who battled a proposed golf course resort in Ashland in the '90s, also disputed new rules governing potential destination resorts because they don't specify where those resorts might be. The county has recently developed a proposed map to satisfy this challenge that will indicate areas around local lakes as well as along the Rogue River that could be potential resort areas. "Mr. Skrepetos is an exceedingly exacting reviewer of statutory provisions," said Turiel. She said adhering strictly to state laws could actually encourage rather than restrict development of resort destinations. Skrepetos couldn't be reached for comment Tuesday. 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