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Click Here 41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, January 31, 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 January 29, 2003 Jacksonville church asked to use alternate site By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune JACKSONVILLE — The Friends of Jacksonville are asking the First Presbyterian Church to consider building on an alternate site the church already owns. At a meeting Monday night, about 35 community members discussed the status of the church’s recently granted conditional use permit and the Friends’ appeal to the Land Use Board of Appeals. Members voiced concerns about the current location of the church’s 18,163-square-foot building project, which includes a sanctuary, an office and an education building. For several years, Friends has been fighting the church’s plans to expand onto the 10-acre site adjacent to the Pheasant Meadows subdivision, saying the project is not in compliance with the city’s comprehensive plan. The congregation meets at Cascade Christian High School because it has outgrown its 120-year-old, 125-seat sanctuary in the historic downtown. Though he respected the church’s desire to create a larger, more modern facility, moderator Rolf Pederson said there was an alternate site available. A 5.08-acre, irregularly shaped lot behind the cemetery on Pair-A-Dice Ranch Road was recently donated to the church by one of its members. Listing safety concerns and lifestyle impact for the Pheasant Meadows neighborhood if the proposed building plan goes forward, Pederson said the church needs to consider the community as a whole. "The church, as good neighbors, should find a more harmonious setting," said Pederson. The Rev. Larry Jung said on Tuesday that the donated lot is not suitable for the congregation’s purposes. "It has very difficult access, the easements are complicated and it has a strange configuration," said Jung. Additionally, Jung said the church needs to respect the purpose for which the property was donated. "The people will not be approached because the property was given as a donation to the church building campaign fund," said Jung. "It was not given with the idea that a church would be built on that property." Jung also said another concern is the property’s location, which is outside city limits. "We have always stated we want to have a visible presence in the community," said Jung. Former council members Joyce Coleman and John Dodero said during Monday’s meeting that the church’s location and size are incompatible with the community. Dodero said the issue would be best appealed through LUBA so the Friends could "negotiate from a position of strength." Trish Bowcock said Friends attorney Liam Sherlock had been directed to file the appeal and that legal costs were at $10,000 and climbing. Conde Cox stated concerns the church is only in its initial development stages if it remains on the 10-acre site at Pheasant Meadows. "Their initial application was for a 34,000-square-foot project including a recording and radio studio," said Cox. "They’ve scaled back and call it Phase 1 in their church bulletin. Do you want that, in that location?" Eric Morrell said the issue was clearly emotional and could be simplified in his mind. "I think this is a no-brainer that this can never benefit this community," said Morrell. The First Presbyterian Church is inviting residents to a meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Jacksonville Library multi-purpose room. In a recent guest opinion piece in the Mail Tribune, Jung stated, "We want our community to meet our new design team and update the community on the current planning and project status." Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 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 3 WEEKS FREE! 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