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61 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, May 8, 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 7, 2004 Planners sign off on Wal-Mart Central Point commissioners give final approval to a supercenter; City Council is scheduled to review plan next week By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — Planning Commission members gave their final approval Tuesday night for a 207,000-square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter at East Pine Street and Hamrick Road. The decision, which was a formal acceptance of decisions made last week before an audience of 200-plus, comes just weeks after Citizens Advisory Committee members declared the project not a good fit for the community. The project will be reviewed in its entirety by City Council members April 15. Approval by Planning Commission members Tuesday came with stipulations to be met by developers representing Wal-Mart and included such items as lighting, specific trees and exterior walls that will complement a small town atmosphere. In addition, planning director Tom Humphrey suggested commission members include that the retailer would be obligated to participate in and be held financially responsible for a fair share of traffic mitigation measures to the East Pine Street corridor. Advertisement With approval of the project, commission members were affirming two decisions made last week: that the project was a permitted use in C4 zoning and that a conditional use permit would not be required. Becca Croft, a spokeswoman for the citizens group Central Point First, who plans to appeal the Planning Commission decision within seven days, pointed out last week that the project directly calls for uses, such as film processing, tire servicing and outdoor garden sales, that are prohibited in C4 zoning. Central Point resident David Painter echoed those concerns Tuesday. "The Planning Commission has blatantly ignored its own zoning criteria," he said. "It’s clearly a regional thing, not the community shopping center the city had planned for who knows how many years ago. My concern is that they are not even considering what is going to happen to the city in terms of traffic and other issues." Planning Commission chairman Chuck Piland said it was the job of the Planning Commission to interpret the city’s code. "I think that everybody here put their best effort into this," said Piland. "I think we have to be pretty subjective to the codes, more so than the City Council." Attendance at the meeting was just over a dozen, a fraction of the 200 who turned out last week. The project will be reviewed by City Council members at a specially scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. April 15 in the Crater High student center. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [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