Document text
Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 24, 2006 Though Manor officials first said there were no plans for housing around its Centennial golf course on North Phoenix Road, shown here under construction Thursday, they now are advancing an effort to convert the land�s zoning. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli MANOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION Plans would add senior-housing units By DAMIAN MANN Mail Tribune The Rogue Valley Manor would more than double in size if a proposed $300 million, 1,352-unit housing complex is built around its new championship golf course. The manor has 819 existing housing units in southeast Medford for residents 55 and older. Manor officials have begun a process that could change the golf course’s zoning from farmland to residential on 427 acres west of North Phoenix Road. They have paid $24,000 in application fees to the city and $4,000 to the county. Steve Rinkle, corporate attorney for Pacific Retirement Services Inc., said traffic studies and other analyses already have been completed in anticipation of government requirements for the project. Because much of the legwork has already been completed, Rinkle hopes the Manor will receive approval by the end of the year. Advertisement "We would want to start sooner rather than later," he said. With a growing need for senior housing, Rinkle said there should be little difficulty filling the new units if the zoning change is allowed and the project goes through. "We think there is significant demand," he said. "There is no one else (locally) that provides this kind of senior housing." About 200 acres around the golf course would be developed into roads, single-family houses, a small shopping area, townhomes, apartments and affordable housing. "It further expands the type of senior housing that we are currently able to offer," Rinkle said. The Centennial golf course — the largest in Jackson County — is situated on 204 acres and is expected to open in May. Over the five-year construction period, the equivalent of 1,996 people would be employed, Manor officials say. As part of the development, Rinkle said Pacific Retirement Services will offer affordable housing. The Manor will open a 62-unit facility for seniors in Central Point. By the end of the year the nonprofit corporation will have 25 facilities that provide affordable housing. Seniors who qualify for affordable housing pay 30 percent of their adjusted gross income, minus medical expenses, for rent. Pacific Retirement Services is ranked sixth nationally in the number of facilities that serve seniors, according to the American Association of Homes and Services to the Aging and Ziegler Capital Markets Group. In 2004, Manor officials said they had no plans for the undeveloped space around the golf course because it was zoned as farmland. Rinkle, who worked for the county last year before joining PRS, said he couldn’t comment on past discussions because he wasn’t around when the golf course was being planned. However, in the past two years the demand for senior housing has skyrocketed, said Rinkle. With so many baby boomers retiring, the senior population is increasing, said Rinkle. Also, new retirees tend to be more affluent and healthier today. The Medford area has also gained more notoriety as an attractive place to retire, he said. In the past the city of Medford has steadfastly opposed expanding its urban growth boundary to include the golf course property. On Jan. 30, 1996, Bianca Petrou, Medford assistant planner, sent a letter to the county that criticized an attempt to enlarge the city’s boundaries to allow expansion of the Manor’s existing Quail Point Golf Course. The letter stated, "this proposal is simply a subterfuge for urbanizing land that was excluded from the city’s urban growth boundary after carefully weighing the city’s projected needs against the statewide planning goal of preserving agricultural land." Medford City Manager Mike Dyal said, "About the letters, that was years ago. We have a different set of circumstances now about how we face the future." The city has been working on a regional plan that anticipates a doubling of population. Dyal said that as part of this plan the city is looking at a number of areas for growth. Medford Planning Director Rob Scott said the Manor’s golf course area has been looked at as a potential urban reserve for future city expansion. "We’ve identified it as a property desirable to the city," he said. The City Council will hold a study session at noon, Thursday at the Lausmann Annex, 200 S. Ivy St., to discuss the Manor proposal and other possible expansions of Medford’s boundaries. Commissioner Dave Gilmour said the Manor proposal has been in the works for years, but has until recently met opposition from the city. "Medford officials have changed their minds," he said. While the burden will be on the Manor to prove their case, Gilmour said the county will only have minimal say on this issue. "How Medford grows is up to Medford," he said. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail MANOR UNDER CONSTRUCTION ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s