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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds 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 Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 19, 2004 Medford moves to take parcel needed for road By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune The city of Medford says it will condemn a 10-foot-wide strip of property belonging to McAndrews Plaza if owners don’t agree to sell within 40 days. The city needs the property to improve the intersection of Crater Lake Avenue and McAndrews Road, but owners have refused to sell, staff said. The City Council gave staff the go-ahead Thursday to take the property by eminent domain in order to get the project started in spring. "We’ve already settled with all of the other property owners, so this is the last hold-out," said Larry Beskow, city engineer. The property along McAndrews Road is about 837 square feet and has been valued at $15,850 by an appraiser. Advertisement The new concrete intersection is estimated to cost between $1 million and $1.5 million. Both streets will be widened to create double left-turn lanes on northbound Crater Lake Avenue and eastbound McAndrews Road. The city has purchased property on all four corners for the project, the largest being 7,400 square feet from Providence Medford Medical Center, said Beskow. He said just because the council granted the city permission to take possession doesn’t mean the matter will go to court. The move just helps push the negotiations along, he said. "We’ve been working with these folks for approximately a year," he said. After the council’s decision, the city sent the property owners a letter and they have 40 days to respond. Attempts to reach the owners at the time the story went to press were unsuccessful. "I don’t even see condemnation as adversarial," said Cory Crebbin, public works director. "We’re using the public’s money and we don’t want to use any more than is fair." Shrubs, planters, signs and utilities will be removed in the spring and the project will get under way, said Beskow. He said most of the road work will be completed at night rather than during high traffic times. "Our goal is to have it done by the time school starts up again," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 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 © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers