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http://www.omniture.com --> Email Story to a Friend June 16, 2006 Wal-Mart gets final approval By Meg Landers Mail Tribune The Wal-Mart Supercenter received final approval by the Medford City Council Thursday — amid discussion of changing traffic study requirements for development. "Obviously there was some anguish," said Mayor Gary Wheeler, adding that he recommends the council revisit city code that addresses when traffic studies are required. "I think the whole council was somewhat conflicted on this. I would really like to have this looked at." The council upheld the approval of Wal-Mart's site plan and a decision that Wal-Mart did not have to conduct a traffic study. The votes reject appeals filed by the Medford Citizens for Responsible Development and South Gateway Center Partners challenging the project's compatibility with adjacent development and impact on traffic. Both groups said Wal-Mart needed to do a comprehensive traffic study and mitigate impacts. City Councilman Jim Key voted in support of the site plan but against Wal-Mart not being required to do a comprehensive traffic study. He said he believes the council is "in error" by not requiring a study based on congestion on Riverside Avenue at Barnett Road and Stewart Avenue. But Councilman Skip Knight, who supported the approvals, disagreed. "I think we're forgetting a little bit that when the new south interchange is in place that a lot of this traffic will be taken off Stewart and Barnett," he said. "This will alleviate a lot of the traffic concerns in this area." Councilman John Statler voted against both orders, and said the city should have sent the application back to the Site Plan and Architectural Commission. Statler said his interpretation of the code is that a comprehensive traffic study is required. "Sticking our heads in the sand does not help our constituents," read Statler from a prepared statement. "Significant developments like this should pay for the cost of development." Councilman Bob Strosser, who recused himself from voting because he said he could not be impartial and objected to the city's codes, said he thinks a traffic study needed to be done, and the codes don't allow the council to require one. Following the meeting, Strosser said the study that was done for a zoning change in 1991 was not valid because it was based on the area as a ballfield, not as a 205,000-square-foot retail store. He said this is not about Wal-Mart, it's about planning. The council directed planning and public works staff members to research the possibility of cleaning up ambiguous codes and requiring comprehensive traffic studies at the time of development. Advertisement s Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Casino Reviews