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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, May 11, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 20, 2004 Coffee outfit buys auction yard Livestock owners wonder where they’ll sell their stock; Dutch Bros. kiosk will go up if zoning change is OK’d By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune A livestock auction that has been a fixture in Jackson County for decades will probably sell its last cow next month. "I think the 13th (of May) might be our last one," said Bud Bever, who owns the seven-acre parcel at the corner of Table Rock and West Vilas roads that has been home to the Rogue Valley Livestock Auction since at least the 1940s. He’s selling the property to Ty Sullivan, whose company TJJ LLC has nine Dutch Bros. franchises in Jackson County and plans to build a new one at the Four Corners site. Bever said he has received calls from hundreds of livestock owners in the area who wonder where they will be able to sell their animals once the auction closes. Cindy Havice, secretary for the auction, said she’s had at least a dozen calls a day from people worried about the imminent closure. Advertisement "People keep asking me, ‘Where are we going to sell our little goats, our little sheep, our little calves,’ " she said. The closure will be particularly hard on smaller ranches because there are few places left to sell livestock. Havice’s father, Milan "Bob" Bever, moved to the Rogue Valley in 1955 and operated it for years before Clyde "Bud" Bever succeeded him in 1955. Havice said she’s worried about finding homes for the seven or eight cats that roam the auction yard. "They’ve been spayed and neutered," she said. Sullivan said he plans on demolishing the old livestock buildings sometime before July 1, when he expects to begin construction of the coffee stand. He wouldn’t disclose the purchase price for the property. "A whole lot of money," he said. Sullivan said the new building will be somewhat larger than the familiar 17 Dutch Bros. stands in Jackson County, but will still offer only drive-up service. Dutch Bros. recently opened one of the larger buildings in Grants Pass; the design has a gabled roof and bigger overhang. The Medford Planning Commission approved Sullivan’s site plan application on Friday. However, the approval is subject to a zone change which will be heard before the planning commission on May 13. The property, which is zoned as "airport development mixed-use," was annexed into the Medford city limits from the county last year. The current zoning doesn’t allow a coffee shop. Sullivan said he’s buying the property knowing the zoning is up in the air. "The zoning won’t be done for several weeks, but that’s the gamble we’re going to take," said Sullivan. "It’s an opportunity we can’t pass up on." At this point, he has no plans for the remainder of the property, which is north of Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. "I’m not a professional developer," he said. "I want to get selling coffee and paying some of the bills." Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times