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Land may get bank, not dry cleaning Traffic study under way on plan By JIM DAVIS A bank may be coming to a southwest Medford property instead of a dry-cleaning plant that neighbors had feared. Wayne Weldon, who owns Weldon's Cleaning Centers and the property at Stewart Avenue and King Street, is negotiating with a bank for the land, said Clark Stevens, who is representing Weldon. "We're doing a traffic study to see if the bank would meet the test for traffic capacities," said Stevens, who declined to name the bank. In order to place a bank or any other business on the property, Weldon must first get the property rezoned from residential to community commercial. A public hearing on the zone-change application was on the agenda of the Medford Planning Commission Thursday night, but has been postponed until Nov. 11 so the traffic study can be completed. Four rental homes now stand on the 0.66 acres at Stewart and King, which borders the South Oakdale Historic District. Neighbors and residents who objected to the project when it was proposed as a dry-cleaning plant remained unsure about the idea of a bank. Roberta Nichols, whose mother owns land bordering the site, said she wants to see details before she makes a decision. "You can't say you're for or against it until you know the details," Nichols said. "There's no city report or anything available to review." Bill Haberlach, who lives near the property, said his neighbors' opinions are divided. "They're relieved that it's not going to be a dry-cleaning plant," Haberlach said, "but there are still some true believers who would prefer for the land to remain residential." The neighbors have been concerned about plans for the property for more than a year. Weldon's approached the city of Medford in 1998 with a proposal to change the zoning from residential to community commercial with the idea of placing a coin-operated laundry and dry-cleaning business there. The company had already obtained approval of a land-use plan map amendment several years ago, a preliminary step in the process. The company said it wanted to build a 7,000-square-foot or smaller building on the property. Last fall, the Planning Commission denied the zone-change application, citing traffic concerns. Weldon's appealed the project to the City Council, which upheld the Planning Commission's decision. Meanwhile, neighbors who were following the issue said they heard that Weldon was actually planning to build a regional dry-cleaning plant at the site to be a center for his Medford-based cleaners. They were concerned about additional traffic, lights from the business and the idea of a chemical-based business being so close to homes. Stevens said Weldon's is no longer planning to use the site for a dry-cleaning business. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA