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Central Point sets street closure hearing By SUSAN JAY CENTRAL POINT -- A public hearing is set Thursday on the first major step toward bringing a Rite Aid Pharmacy to town -- the closure of Ninth Street between Pine and Manzanita. The City Council plans the hearing at 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall, 155 S. Second St. City planners have recommended the closure as part of the development. Without it, Rite Aid could not build its store and have space for adequate parking, said Tom Humphrey, city planner. Rite Aid has submitted plans to the city to build a 13,000-square-foot store. The building and parking spaces are expected to take up the entire city block bordered by Pine, Ninth, 10th and Manzanita streets. "We have the property under control per agreements, and are proceeding to put a Rite Aid store there, but we have to get approvals first," said Jon Hummelt, president of Hummelt Development Co., the developer for Rite Aid stores in Oregon. Rite Aid Pharmacies has 3,600 stores nationwide and 75 in Oregon as of November. To make room, owners of an income tax office and an apartment building on Pine Street between Ninth and 10th plan to move, Humphrey said. Some houses will likely be torn down, while businesses eventually could occupy others, he said. The Blaska Central Point Tax Service office has already received a tentative site plan approval for its move to Fourth and Oak streets, Humphrey said. With Ninth Street closed, Rite Aid could move its building further west at the site, leaving more room for the city's 10th Street right-of-way. The extra room is needed to widen 10th Street for more traffic and bike lanes, Humphrey said. The 10th Street widening is necessary to avoid a bottleneck at the intersection with Pine Street resulting from increased traffic from Rite Aid and other developments north of Pine Street, Humphrey said. Rite Aid has hired a consultant to assess the traffic patterns and recommend the best design for widening 10th Street, especially since the store is looking for access off all three streets, 10th, Pine and Manzanita. The former Ninth Street would become the driveway into the new shopping area. Closing one block of the street would essentially create a mini shopping center, by consolidating the pizza parlor, coffee and liquor shops into the same shopping area as Rite Aid, Humphrey said. Market studies show that when this happens, the businesses benefit from traffic created by the new store. The city hasn't heard from anyone voicing major complaints or concerns about the vacation. If the street vacation is approved, Rite Aid will then go before the planning commission sometime in April for a site plan approval. Developers hope that with smooth sailing, Rite Aid could break ground this summer. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA