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Medford sees grounds for coffee fees Council to review ordinance proposal on stands By Jessica Smith It could get a lot more expensive to set up an express espresso stand in Medford. Trying to close a loophole in local planning policies, city staffers are drafting an ordinance that would require owners of drive-up coffee stands to pay thousands of dollars in system development fees. The stands � considered temporary "mobile food units" � are now excused from such fees. At least one coffee cart owner said he�s willing to pay more to sell his java in Medford. "I have no beef paying the fees," said Dane Boersma, a Dutch Bros. co-owner. "It�s no big deal to me. I just want to get it taken care of." The Medford Planning Commission is expected to review the proposed ordinance at its April 26 meeting before making a recommendation to the City Council sometime in June. In fall 1999, the council discussed how the tiny coffee stores fit in with city codes, but took no action. Last summer, local restaurateurs asked the council to take a second look at the issue. Technically, the shed-like stands are temporary, portable structures. That excuses the stands from more stringent planning standards and certain fees, including system development charges and property taxes. "When we originally wrote up the ordinance, we really had less-than-24-hour carts in mind," said Mark Gallagher, a Medford planner. "Then the coffee stands just took off and started taking advantage of that, which wasn�t really the intent to start with." Critics say the rub comes when the "mobile food units" stay in one location, typically a parking lot, for years. There�s no official count, but it�s been estimated there are close to 30 coffee stands in Medford, led by Grants Pass-based Dutch Bros. with six. Because the coffee carts rarely leave their sites, the owners should be made to foot some of the same costs as a regular store, critics contend. That includes system development fees for sewers, storm drains, streets and other city services, they say. The proposed ordinance attempts to distinguish between coffee stands and truly temporary food units � like rolling hot dog stands. Under the proposal, hot dog stands and other temporary food units would be exempt from the new rules. Coffee stands, however, would be required to have a permanent foundation under the structure and a connection to the city�s sewer collection system. Existing coffee stands would have 12 months to comply with the new rules, once adopted by the council. Reach reporter Jessica Smith at 776-4481, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.