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Liberty Park property needs second look By Damian Mann May 30, 2022 12:15 AM A A Medford Urban Renewal Agency wants more soil testing before buying Riverside Avenue property Andy Atkinson / Mail Tribune La Fiesta on North Riverside Avenue in Medford is part of an area being planned for revitalization in the Liberty Park neighborhood. Plans include a market near the restaurant, a pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek and an apartment building. Contaminated soil has prompted the Medford Urban Renewal Agency to conduct more environmental review before embarking on a Riverside Avenue revitalization project. The MURA board on Thursday unanimously approved extending the option agreement timeline to buy the one-acre Pacific Supply property for $1,275,000, which previously was set to expire June 7. “I just don’t want to overpay for a property that has problems,” said MURA board member Mike Zarosinski. He said he was concerned about protecting the city from purchasing something that it might later regret. A proposed revitalization of properties from 908-920 Riverside Ave., which includes La Fiesta Restaurant, could bring more badly needed housing to Medford and create a neighborhood market as well as a pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek. The various properties involved in the revitalization include 1.7 acres owned by La Fiesta Restaurant as well as administrative offices of Kids Unlimited. A preliminary environmental review found staining and hydraulic fluid in the ground around the Pacific Supply property, which is not uncommon in the downtown area. A former car dealership and repair shop previously were located on the property. “Those are all not terribly concerning, but we need to dig in a little deeper,” said Harry Weiss, director of MURA. Weiss said the city has purchased other properties in the past, particularly in the downtown core, and has paid to clean up environmental problems. He said one of MURA’s functions over the years has been to take problem properties and improve them, citing the Medford Commons as one example. “At the Commons project, every site had contamination,” he said. Weiss said the Pacific Supply property was appraised at $1.45 million last year, but the owners agreed to take a reduced price. The MURA board held a public hearing on the property purchase agreement Thursday night, but no members of the public spoke or provided written comments on the proposal. Weiss said the city conducted preliminary environmental reviews of the property, including soil and water samples. Those reviews indicated additional analysis was needed to determine the extent of contamination. Weiss said the property owner indicated a willingness to extend the option agreement to allow more time for the environmental analysis. Once it knows the extent of the contamination, MURA can make a plan to clean up the property, Weiss said. MURA has been in the process of revitalizing the Liberty Park neighborhood, and it hopes the area around La Fiesta could accomplish a number of goals toward that effort. The city wants to build a pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek on the properties. La Fiesta originally proposed a 17,000-square-foot market on its property next to Bear Creek. MURA proposes an eventual land swap to enable La Fiesta to build the neighborhood grocery store closer to Riverside on the Pacific Supply property, freeing up the area along Bear Creek. This would allow construction of a possible apartment complex next to the creek and the pedestrian bridge. MURA hopes to attract a developer to build the 45 units. Another goal is to reposition and improve a storm drain line so it doesn’t dump untreated runoff water into the creek. One of MURA’s biggest goals is to redevelop the Liberty Park neighborhood with $18 million that will be used to leverage state and federal grants for a variety of projects. Some of the money has been used to convert a hotel into housing for fire survivors and the homeless. MURA has bought and demolished several nuisance buildings in the Liberty Park neighborhood north of downtown, and the city has been installing new sidewalks on some streets. A flagship project proposed by MURA is a $48 million low-income apartment building on a 3.25-acre Central Avenue property next to Les Schwab. The four-story complex would have 115 one- to three-bedroom units, and MURA has an option agreement with Rubicon Investments and Edlen & Co. to apply for financing from federal, state and conventional sources to get the project off the ground. Reach freelance writer Damian Mann at [email protected].