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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 22, 2005 North-East plan spurs praise for affordable housing By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune County Counsel Mike Jewett admonished county commissioners Wednesday to avoid showing any support for a proposed affordable housing project northeast of Medford. "We may have already caused ourselves a LUBA (Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals) problem in the last 10 minutes, and I hope you stop this," he said. Jewett’s comment came after both commissioners C.W. Smith and Dave Gilmour had voiced support for affordable housing during a discussion of a proposed 1,350-acre subdivision, which includes affordable housing, on 400 acres northeast of Medford. Commissioner Jack Walker suggested meeting individually with the developers of the proposed North-East Plan. Jewett cautioned commissioners that they needed to avoid any potential conflicts because they could eventually act in a "quasi-judicial" capacity in deciding the merits of the project. Advertisement Cal Martin, an agent representing the North-East Plan, submitted a letter to commissioners indicating he would ask the city of Medford to annex the property, which is currently under county jurisdiction. "We feel this is really important to Jackson County and the city of Medford," he said. He gave a presentation that was not part of a public hearing or a scheduled agenda item. Gilmour, after the meeting, said he does support affordable housing and that he, like the other commissioners, has met privately with Martin. He said he appreciated Jewett’s concerns, but said commissioners need to meet with the citizens of Jackson County while being cautious not to make a full endorsement of any particular plan. However, he did have favorable comments to make about Martin’s proposal. "I think he has a decent plan there, but he has to make the case before Medford," said Gilmour. Commissioners would have to announce that they had contact with Martin or other agents involved in the project before they made any decisions, said Gilmour. Walker also told Martin during the meeting that land-use laws prevent the commissioners from taking any action on the proposal. He said Martin should first take his case to the city of Medford. After the meeting, Commissioner Smith, referring to Jewett’s comments, said, "Mike was doing his job and doing his job well. He always errs on the side of caution." After the admonishment from Jewett, the commissioners avoided discussing the proposal further. Smith said, "I said, ‘thank you for your letter’ and that was it." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail North-East plan spurs praise for affordable housing ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Student Loans Online Pharmacy tcg student loan consolidation Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Salvia Divinorum Online Casino Advertisement s