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Neighbors dislike orchard worker housing plan Bear Creek says no decision made on site, numbers By Tony Boom PHOENIX � Orchard neighbors are uneasy about the possibility that Bear Creek Corp. will build housing for 100 temporary workers on Amerman Road east of Phoenix. But company officials say it is only one of five sites under consideration. "We are looking, and have made no decision, at different sites around the valley, and that is where it stands," said Bill Ilhe, senior vice president for corporate relations at Bear Creek. Business expansion has brought a need for more housing for temporary workers, Ilhe said. Ilhe declined to say what other sites the firm is considering or how many workers might be housed. County planner Brad Rowe says that an architect has talked with him recently about regulations governing housing for 90 to 100 farm workers on lands zoned for farm use in the area, but he added he did not know if the architect represented Bear Creek. Such a facility would require some form of administrative review or perhaps a conditional use permit, Rowe said. Housing now at the orchard has been unoccupied during the two years since Reter Fruit Co. sold the orchard to Bear Creek Corp., according to Vern Buseman, a resident on Royal Crest Road. The site includes half a dozen cabins and one larger house. "I�m 100 percent against it because when Reter had the orchards ..., I was broken into twice," said Buseman. He isn�t sure who broke into his property. Buseman has called the county commissioners to protest the plan. He also checked with the county Planning Department, which told him that only residents living within 750 feet of a project would receive notice if a hearing were held. "That�s about two or three property owners," said Buseman. "I don�t understand the reason for that size residence when they don�t employ that many in this orchard," said Buseman. He�s also concerned about the lack of sewer hookups in an area where residents rely on septic tanks. Residents are considering circulating a petition against having such a facility in the neighborhood, said Debbie Watkins, a resident on Payne Road near Amerman Road. Family safety is a concern for Watkins. About six years ago her daughter was chased by two workers as she walked through a field, she said. Watkins doesn�t want a large group of men who are away from their wives and families living nearby. She would prefer to see workers bused to the site from in-town residences. "I have no problem with five or six families moving in, but I have a problem with single men," said Watkins. "I gets catcalls in Spanish when I walk by them on Payne Road. It�s very discomforting. It doesn�t feel right." Watkins raises horses and rides them on roads through the orchards. "Those are public roads out there; it doesn�t belong to them," said Watkins. Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.