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Group: Let gridlocked area grow It wants new state rules for south Medford By Jessica Smith A regional planning group may have found the key to opening south Medford to development. The Rogue Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization wants to change the region�s transportation plan to allow development in south Medford while the state works to overhaul the congested freeway interchange on Barnett Road. "The situation we have right now prevents development," explained MPO manager Dan Moore, who also oversees the Rogue Valley Council of Government�s planning program. "This is the first step to fleshing out Medford�s comprehensive plan." Hearing today What: A public hearing on the Rogue Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization�s recommendation to change the region�s transportation plan to allow development in south Medford. When: 6:30 p.m. today. Where: Rogue Valley Transportation District Office, 3200 Crater Lake Ave. To lift restrictions on growth in south Medford, the planning organization wants the state to relax its standards to reflect the gridlock already experienced at the Barnett interchange. The recommendation would mean the south interchange would no longer violate state standards during peak hours, when cars wait longer to travel through the Barnett intersections. The recommendation, part of a larger process to update the region�s transportation plan, will be presented in a public hearing today. The Oregon Transportation Commission is expected to review the suggestions Dec. 13. Approval would mean that development could proceed in south Medford before the state decides on a way to fix the Barnett interchange and finds funding for the project, according to Moore and others. Tentative plans are to move the freeway interchange farther south, turning Barnett Road over to local traffic. But transportation officials say it could be five to 10 years before the state can fund its half of the project�s $30 million cost. The city of Medford has pledged to pay the remaining $15 million. "There�s a method to this madness," said Medford Councilman Skip Knight, chairman of the MPO. Because the state has a long-range plan to relieve congestion at the south interchange, Knight said, he supports freeing up land for development now. "We can�t stop development, but we can manage it," he added. "This would give us opportunities that haven�t been available to us." For a number of years, state standards meant to prevent gridlock at the interchange have put a stop to zone changes and development already approved in Medford�s comprehensive planning document. Specifically, the state�s guidelines have stymied development expected to add to traffic congestion at the interchange, such as the Rogue Valley Manor�s planned expansion. "As an agency, we�re not interested in preventing growth" in Medford, said Monte Grove, Oregon Department of Transportation area manager in Jackson and Josephine counties. The state is more interested in preventing sprawl in Phoenix, Central Point and other outlying areas to keep vehicles from traveling long distances to get to work, shopping centers, medical facilities and other services in Medford. Although development in south Medford would likely increase traffic on Barnett Road and the freeway interchange, Grove said his department supports the planning organization�s suggestion. "We would rather have congestion isolated to one area than spread out over our whole system," Grove said. "And this way, people know what to expect." Traffic delays in urban areas are understandable, but drivers don�t anticipate congestion in rural areas, he explained. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.