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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 14, 2005 A ‘no go’ for J’ville growth? By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A state land official stunned planning members from the county and Jacksonville Thursday when he warned that the city might not have valid reasons for expanding beyond its current size. "We believe the city has not made a case for a UGB (urban growth boundary) expansion," said John Renz, regional representative for the Department of Land Conservation and Development. "Our position today is you don’t need to expand your urban growth boundary." He said he couldn’t get into details about what the problems are, other than indicating that state officials toured the city and found substantial amounts of land within its borders that could be developed. "There is room to grow," he said. The city has wanted to enlarge its borders, taking in 1,132 acres, of which 726 acres would be used as open-space buffers. Both Jacksonville and Jackson County planning commissions met in a rare joint session Thursday to discuss the proposal. "I feel like the wind has been taken out of our sails," said Bill Leep, a Jacksonville Planning Commission member, who, along with other city officials, has been working on the expansion proposal for almost two years. Advertisement City Administrator Paul Wyntergreen called the DLCD warning "grandstanding." He particularly blasted the lack of details from Renz spelling out why the city doesn’t have the grounds to expand. "He has no evidence, no discussion, no points to make," he said. "We’ve had a distinct lack of non-information." Disputing Renz’s assertion that there might be sizable amounts of land that could be developed within the city, Wyntergreen said much of these empty parcels are locked up by zoning restrictions or conservation easements. Reeve Hennion, chairman of the county Planning Commission, said he was concerned about moving ahead until the state came back with a report clarifying its position on Jacksonville’s expansion proposal, expected in about two weeks. Renz apologized to both planning commissions for bringing the information and not supplying details. "I’m just as much in the dark as you guys," he said, adding later, "I realize it’s ill-timed." He said the DLCD has become bogged down in Measure 37 claims, receiving 160 a month. "We don’t have the personnel to deal with them," he said. Renz said the urban growth boundary proposal for Jacksonville has grown well beyond its original scope, which was to take in an area that would ultimately allow for an alternative route through Jacksonville. "Paul just started tacking on lots of stuff beyond the bypass," he said. Wyntergreen said the buffer areas are being proposed to control developments that could result from Measure 37 claims. He said the city would require conservation easements on properties in exchange for limited development. The city also would have control over building and sign design that would preserve the views and historical feel of Jacksonville. A private planner, Craig Stone, criticized Renz’s organization. "The DLCD is a divided agency" which has many conflicting opinions about land-use planning internally, he said. Stone suggested the planning commissions ignore Renz’s warning, saying that he doubted that the DLCD would find anything out of line with the Jacksonville proposal. Responding to Stone’s criticism about the DLCD being a divided agency, Renz said, "There is much debate among professionals." Property owners propose bypass Three landowners south of Jacksonville have proposed building a bypass road through their properties in exchange for being included in the city’s new boundaries. Cascade Christian High School, Bottjer-Gambee Inc. and South Stage Land Fill Inc. would pay the bill for the bypass that would connect South Stage with Daisy Creek Road, said Craig Stone, a local planner who represents them. The property owners have more than 300 acres west of South Stage and east of Daisy Creek Road, although not all the acreage would be included within the boundaries. Stone made the proposal during a joint meeting of the Jacksonville and Jackson County planning commissions Thursday. He said much of the roadway is already completed because the area was formerly used as the county landfill. Aggregate trucks could potentially use the road as an alternative to traveling through downtown Jacksonville, said Stone. The bypass would not be in lieu of the northerly bypass that the city wants to create to ease congestion through downtown, he said. Stone didn’t reveal the kind of development the property owners would want if they became part of the city. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail A �no go� for J�ville growth? ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Distance Education Computer Security Cheap Website Hosting Discount Hotel Reservations dvd-r Online Pharmacy Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews High End Computers Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Advertisement s