Mail Tribune News - Phoenix council defers LID decision
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Phoenix council defers LID decision Size of development east of I-5 is at issue By PETER WONG PHOENIX -- Some are leaning toward a smaller version, but City Council members say they want more time before they decide the size of a local improvement district for streets and other utilities east of Interstate 5. City planner Denis Murray said the next workshop to discuss the proposed district probably will be in a month. "We've put a lot of information before you tonight," he said at the end of a two-hour study session Monday. "I do not know whether we are ready for an open house or town hall meeting." The size of the proposed local improvement district will shape how much of the area east of Interstate 5 is developed -- and potentially how much property owners will be assessed for those improvements once help from outside sources is taken into account. The council heard a presentation of five alternatives -- from the entire eastside to a portion of the area south of Fern Valley Road -- from Murray and Scott Pingle of Kas and Associates of Medford. Council member Otto Caster said he had been inclined toward one large district, but it might make more sense to concentrate on a smaller area south of Fern Valley Road. Most of the area north of Fern Valley Road is undeveloped. But council members made no commitments to specific boundaries Monday. Murray said though the council can fine-tune its boundaries, its decision on the size of an eastside local improvement district will be important for the city and the affected property owners. "If you have been paying assessments for five years, and then you change the boundaries, you are in essence starting from scratch," Murray said. Council members did ask for one or more representatives of the Oregon Department of Transportation at its next workshop. ODOT has committed $2.45 million in 2002 for interchange improvements at Fern Valley Road and Interstate 5. They said they want to know how those improvements would tie in with any city work. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA