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Jacksonville hears church arguments By MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE -- Lights beaming into living room windows, cars speeding through narrow streets and growing memberships were some of the concerns Pheasant Meadows residents raised about a proposed church in their neighborhood. "The nature of the church is to recruit and grow, and I don't know where it would stop once it got started," Jacksonville resident Lynn Grimes said. Grimes was one of 38 people who signed up to speak at the Jacksonville Planning Commission's hearing Wednesday night to consider a conditional use application from First Presbyterian Church. About 150 people, many of them standing and spilling out the doorways, filled the meeting room at Jacksonville Elementary School. The Planning Commission is considering a request by the oldest congregation in Southern Oregon to build an 18,163-square-foot building on 10 acres on Middle Street. Craig Stone, the planner representing the church, said the congregation's 253 members, 150 whom live in Jacksonville, no longer fit in their current site, a century-old historic landmark that seats 125 people. The Planning Commission will accept written comments until 5 p.m. on Oct. 13 and will review Jacksonville Presbyterian's written rebuttal during its Oct. 20 meeting. Commissioners are expected to deliberate and make a decision then. "When I look across the street from my home, I see an orchard, an old barn on top of a hill, a vacant field where couples walk their dog, children riding their bicycles and a new mother pushing her infant in a stroller," Lenae Fox told the Planning Commission. She lives in a $300,000 home on Singler Lane, directly across the street from the proposed church. "But when we look in the future, we could see speed bumps, speeding cars and a parking lot. "Please look into the future and help protect this Jacksonville neighborhood." Pheasant Meadows resident Pam Levado encouraged the Planning Commission to consider the narrow streets and lack of sidewalks and curbs in the 40-home subdivision, which was designed to preserve Jacksonville's historic appeal, she said. "The church should find a place that's better suited and won't disrupt our neighborhood," Levado said. Her daughter, Mickey Buckholtz, told the commissioners that she often brings her 2-year-old and 4-year-old sons to grandmother's house and fears for their safety if the church were built. "The streets are so narrow and there are no sidewalks. I don't want either of my boys to get hit," she said. Resident Jim Riggs, who lives across the street from the proposed church, showed photographs and a map to demonstrate his concern about a drainage problem that leaves his yard with eight inches of standing water after a heavy rain. He said driveways and landscapes are flooded throughout Pheasant Meadows because the city's storm drain system can't handle the runoff water. "I support the proposal if the drainage problems are addressed," Riggs said. "I look forward to sitting in my back yard and watching all of you go to church." Stone told the Planning Commission that the church plans to install two drainage systems, one to capture its own runoff water and pipe it into the city system and a second one to help resolve neighborhood drainage problems. "The church wants to be good neighbors," Stone said. Many church members spoke in favor of the new building, including Jim Oakes, a Jacksonville resident for 28 years. "This sleepy little town has mushroomed," Oakes said. "We enjoyed a new grocery store, bank, boutiques, elementary school, city hall and full-time police chief, Britt and art galleries. Now it's time for a new church." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA