Document text
Ashland ponders opportunities for infill The corner of Sherwood Avenue and Fremont Street where older homes sit on large lots are part of the study area for possile infill of new housing in south Ashland. Mail Tribune / Denise Baratta Thursday Oct 20, 2016 at 3:36 PM Oct 21, 2016 at 6:38 AM John Darling for the Mail Tribune Planners say Ashland needs more affordable housing, more and smaller apartments, buildings with more stories, and a better mix of business and residential uses. That has the city focused on a large triangle of land in southeast Ashland that's still stuck in earlier times, with big, one-story businesses and lots of vacant land that isn’t correctly zoned or has restrictive limits on density. The city has a vision to change that. It is shaping an Infill Strategies Project that would allow increased density and more flexible zoning on the triangle formed by Ashland Street, Siskiyou Boulevard and Tolman Creek Road, which would allow developers to build smaller and less-expensive apartments, second and third — and even fourth — stories, and create more pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with better amenities. The city Planning Commission last week heard an update on the plan from Fregonese Associates of Portland, whose principal is John Fregonese, Ashland's former planning director. It will be refined at a Nov. 22 meeting of the Planning Commission and go to City Council in December, at which time councilors can recommend changes. Properties fronting Siskiyou and Ashland Street are not attracting the mixed commercial and residential development now seen downtown and in the Railroad District. Mixed use allows residences to be built above offices and stores, which Fregonese’s report says generates more pedestrian traffic and demand for amenities such as restaurants, shops and parks. On the plus side, the southeast triangle does have two small parks, the YMCA and food markets — and 32 acres of developable land, including a considerable amount of property with pre-1980 buildings. Those buildings are considered “redevelopable,” the report said, and are well suited to “multi-use,” meaning mixed residential and commercial. Well established neighborhoods are within walking distance, and the area is served by Rogue Valley Transportation District, the study added. Ready access to mass transit is considered essential in the plan, because it contributes to long-term adaptation to smart energy and climate change. “It’s an examination, using modern tools, to test the financial feasibility of different building types,” Fregonese said in an interview from Portland. “The commission is interested in making Highway 66 (Ashland Street) more pedestrian friendly — and to use (the plan) as a vehicle for workforce housing. These are three- and four-story, with smaller units.” Some 80 percent of residences in Ashland are occupied by one or two people, predominately aging boomers and young people, he said. “We don’t need the size of units of the past. A house with children is pretty uncommon now. The small, single-bedroom and studio are becoming the norm, replacing the old 1,000- or 1,200-square-foot apartment.” Fregonese said he is “running the financials” and talking to developers to see if city actions could stimulate development. Community Development Director Bill Molnar said the vision could be controversial because of fears it would change the character of neighborhoods. However, he said, the city wants to avoid that through “redevelopment,” for example converting a site with an old asphalt parking lot into a multi-story building, with businesses on the ground floor and apartments above. “More and more, we’re looking at the demographics of a community,” Molnar said. “If you have a lot of single-person housing, with older and younger people — or people downsizing, this would bring more affordability, as units get smaller.” City codes now allow such housing — and it’s taking hold downtown and in the Railroad District — but “we haven’t got much,” said Molnar. “We are finding the barriers and impediments to it and taking a closer look at test sites (in east Ashland) ... . We’re going to need to change some zoning standards and increase the allowable density and height of buildings.” City Councilor Greg Lemhouse, the council liaison to the Planning Commission, called the plan “very innovative,” noting it would help address the affordable housing crisis and offer “creative housing” on property that’s now underused. The council, he predicted, will adopt some form of the plan, as it fits with other council goals, and will direct Community Development to bring changes to land use and zoning that would increase density. That, he said, “could open up a lot of options” without significant cost to the taxpayers. Molnar noted the plan has “a lot of overlap” with the city’s economic development strategies for local business expansion, as well as with the city’s climate and energy action plan, especially around increased use of existing transit and local services. — John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer. Reach him at [email protected].