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MONDAY February 23, 2004 - Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card Valley&State Backpage O&E Sports Archives Classifieds Faith&Beliefs Obituaries Revels December 17, 2003 Golf course on course New homes next to the proposed Billings Ranch Golf Club will begin dotting the landscape at the beginning of the year, and developers hope construction of the golf course could begin soon after. The housing development - 52 custom homes and 20 townhouses - falls within city limits and already has won approval from the City of Ashland, according to Kim Lewis, son-in-law of Billings Ranch owner John Billings. Scott Rich removes concrete forms from new street curbing Tuesday at the Billings Ranch development. Denise Baratta | Ashland Daily Tidings Meanwhile, Jackson County is reviewing a land use permit application for the 170-acre, 18-hole golf course that would fall outside the Ashland urban growth boundary. The golf course would be built on the Billings property and on portions of two other pieces of private property and on county land, according to county documents. Sewer, water, electric and cable services have been installed for the housing development. The start of housing construction is planned for January, Lewis said. "It's very exciting to see the progress being made," he said. "People can see the physical changes of the housing development." If the planning process for the golf course went smoothly, construction could begin in the spring, with the course ready for play in the summer of 2005, according to Lewis. However, the planning review process will not be simple, he said. Developers need to win a conditional use permit because the golf course land is zoned for Exclusive Farm Use. Once a cow ranch, the land has not been profitable as a farm for at least three decades, Lewis said. Bear Creek, with its associated riparian area and the Bear Creek Greenway bike and pedestrian path, also winds through a corner of the proposed course. The Bear Creek Greenway Committee will submit comments on the proposal, according to Karen Smith, who works on greenway issues as special projects manager for Jackson County Roads, Parks and Planning Services. "They want to make sure the riparian area of Bear Creek is protected and it's safe for users," Smith said. "This is just one of many issues that are going to have to be addressed." If the project were approved, the county would need to negotiate for compensation for use of the county land where the greenway falls. That compensation could include an agreement for maintenance of a section of the greenway path by the golf course operators, according to Smith. Developers hope to build two bridges over Bear Creek within the greenway area. A golf cart path would cross the greenway path itself to reach two fairways on the north side of the greenway. Golfers will not hit over the greenway path, but protections from errant golf balls still would be needed, according to Raul Woerner, county planner III. "If we were to approve it, there would have to be screening," he said. Lewis said the golf course plan includes protections for the riparian area and wildlife habitat. Developers will keep and deepen the picturesque Billings Pond, and the golf course will feature a few other ponds, he said. "We expect a lot of wildlife will still be there," Lewis said. The plan sets aside a rookery for blue heron with a 300 foot radius undeveloped area around a nest site, according to county documents. Developers also have submitted a herbicide and pesticide management plan, as well as a traffic design report, Woerner said. In addition to fairways and greens, the development includes a parking lot, driving range and putting green, a total of four bridges, a 6,000 square foot maintenance building and a 24,731 two-story clubhouse that includes a restaurant, lockers, showers, a pro shop, offices, a tournament room and golf cart storage space, according to county documents. With city services unavailable outside the urban growth boundary, the golf course would need an on-site sewage treatment and disposal system, potable water from a well and irrigation water from Talent Irrigation District, documents state. The golf course will be open to the public with private memberships available, Lewis said. The county mailed out notices about the application to neighbors on Dec. 10. Anybody may request a public hearing on the issue. County planning staff determine whether there will be a hearing before a preliminary decision is made, according to Woerner. After a preliminary decision is made, citizens may request a quasi-judicial hearing and the final decision would then be made by a hearings officer, he said. Any appeals after that point would be heard by the state Land Use Board of Appeals, according to Woerner. Comments from interested residents are due Wednesday, Dec. 24 and should be mailed to Roads, Parks and Planning Services, County Offices Bldg., 10 S. Oakdale Ave., Room 100, Medford, OR 97501-2902. 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 Site Search: A new improved archive search is coming! Look for it in mid-February! .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - ODOT Road Cams