Our View: Growing up is inevitable - Opinion - DailyTidings.com - Ashland, OR

Ashland Daily Tidings (Ashland, OR — Wayback)

2014-12-22

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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 Home News Latest Stories Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake Police Reports Cheering on the champs Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition Education For a friend: AHS seniors team up to help former fellow student Ashland builds a bridge across the STEM gap Chicken pox hits Ashland Middle School AHS speech and debate team to compete in Medford Ashland: Lions Club steps up for vision tests Environment New TAP pumps bolster Ashland's options Most residents speak against gas pipeline proposed for Southern Oregon Home Help: Make your new house feel like home ‘Tis the season — for wild mushrooms Business Ashland's Safeway part of Haggen acquisition The Playwright pub will be serving again Saturday Mt. Ashland managers ponder opening this week Hats with a Past Employment in Oregon surpasses pre-recession levels Politics and elections State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Local rep to testify before U.S. Senate panel Tuesday Kent Bush: First Amendment doesn’t mean what you think it means Miller write-in campaign lands Ashland Parks and Rec seat State News In Portland, mindfulness classes ease stress of high school GMO label measure, losing by 809 votes, headed for recount Resent ballots, late results likely to trigger GMO recount Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Grand jury won't indict Ferguson cop in shooting Obituaries Death Notices Death Notices Bernard Eugene Krueger Death Notices Christina Lea "Mima" Jacobson Shareable Sports Latest Stories Raiders bring it home Weber's triple-double help SOU men survive OT thriller For fans who made trip, title game special Cheering on the champs NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! SOU tops Marian in NAIA football finals High school Shibley-Styer, Malcolm lead Grizzlies to comeback win over Henley Feinberg scores 17 in Grizz loss Grizzlies tripped up late in tourney loss to Ridgeview Grizzlies' comeback attempt falls short against Mazama Ashland girls win three duals in home swim meet Southern Oregon University Raiders bring it home Weber's triple-double help SOU men survive OT thriller For fans who made trip, title game special Cheering on the champs Shibley-Styer, Malcolm lead Grizzlies to comeback win over Henley Opinion Latest Stories Herb Rothschild Jr.: The Christmas spirit Our View: Good news this week The vaccination deniers Granlund cartoon: Christmas season Matthew T. Mangino: The future of the death penalty in question? Editorial Our View: Good news this week The vaccination deniers Other Views: Hunting helps the economy Our View: ACH's remarkable recovery Our View: Growing up is inevitable Letters Letters to the Editor, Dec. 17 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 16 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 11 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 8 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 5 Guest opinions Herb Rothschild Jr.: The Christmas spirit Guest Opinion: Heard the buzz about Bee City USA? Herb Rothschild Jr.: Fight Zionist suppression Guest Opinion: Life — and death — by choice Guest Opinion: The environmental tipping point Revels Latest Stories Dancing People Company celebrates the Winter Solstice 4 Things to do this weekend Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Best Bets: Dec. 18-24 'Homesman' plays grit and despair perfectly Theater ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Putting the music into 'A Christmas Carol' Meet the real Jacob Marley Music Rating old-timers’ albums from 2014 SOU presents all-percussion concert Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: This ‘Museum’ entry should be closed to the public Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas 'Homesman' plays grit and despair perfectly Movie review: Exiting Middle-earth with a triumphant flourish Movie review: A captivating film about a girl gone ‘Wild’ Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Looking Up: The stars from the North Pole Suzette Martinez Standring: Christmas light reflections Health Watch: Change up your treadmill workout In Good Faith: Fallen angels Marketta Gregory: Advent calendar Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED   » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW   Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland       ...       State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake       ...       Raiders bring it home       ...       Victorious Raiders parade trophy through downtown Ashland       ...       State police search for pursuit suspect near Hyatt Lake       ...       Raiders bring it home       ...           OUR VIEW Our View: Growing up is inevitable Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Dec. 12, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Dec. 12, 2014 @ 12:01 am »  Social News The City Council appears poised to allow taller buildings downtown — a move that is both smart planning for the future and an inevitable consequence of the city's policy against expanding its boundaries. A major revision of the city's land-use ordinance will go to the council for a vote in its meeting next Tuesday. Among other changes, the new ordinance would allow commercial buildings up to 55 feet in height, up from the current limit of 40 feet or three stories in commercial zones. Councilor Carol Voisin was the sole no vote on the ordinance's first reading Dec. 2. Voisin said her primary concern was that the move would change the look of downtown and destroy the city's small-town feel. Councilor Greg Lemhouse correctly pointed out that the height change is an inevitable result of the city's strong infill policy. City leaders have long resisted pressure to allow Ashland to grow outward, forcing new development within the existing boundaries. If the city wants a healthy, growing business sector, it needs to allow existing businesses to expand and new businesses to locate here. Building up rather than out is one way to do that. The infill policy also has helped drive housing prices out of reach of even middle-income residents. The median sale price of Ashland houses from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 was $377,000. The countywide median was $205,000. Four-story buildings aren't likely to make Ashland look like a big city. But the lack of affordable houses continues to make it look like an exclusive enclave for the wealthy.   DailyTidings.com Writer Posted Dec. 12, 2014 @ 12:01 am » 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. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs 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. 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