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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend April 28, 2006 Council to hold off on expansion decision By Meg Landers Mail Tribune The Medford City Council opted to wait for more information before pursuing an independent urban growth boundary expansion that duplicates a regional process already in place. A relatively large turnout of about 30 people, most from the development industry, forced the council's Thursday study session into the full Council Chambers. The council asked planning staff to supply details, such as staff time and costs involved for determining if there's a need for an urban growth boundary expansion. If pursued, the city's process would run parallel to the regional problem-solving process. The RPS process is a formal effort by seven cities and Jackson County, led by the Rogue Valley Council of Governments, to plan for the valley's population doubling to 270,000, which could happen in the next 40 to 60 years. Medford wants to add nearly 4,600 acres to its urban growth boundary in that time to accommodate tens of thousands of new residents. But some of the developers who own rural property don't want to wait for the RPS process, now in its sixth year and still a year or two from completion. Medford Planning Commissioners on Monday said they support the RPS process, but it needs to speed up, and a parallel process should be in place in case RPS falls through. Advertisement Suzanne Myers, senior planner with the city, said owners of 11 properties, totalling more than 1,000 acres, have filed requests with the city for inclusion in its urban growth boundary. Mayor Gary Wheeler said he was confident the regional process would succeed, and questioned Medford putting a lot of staff time into a parallel process. "We're going to start to overload staff," he said. "A lot of the RPS process is probably going to address this for us." Several council members said they might support the idea of at least starting the process by doing a buildable lands inventory and land needs analysis to determine if there is a need for more land, but they wanted more details. Following the meeting, developer Mike Mahar said he was pleased with the discussion. "I think they're heading in the right direction," he said. "Obviously the RPS process has taken a long time; that's what's frustrated many people." 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 Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s