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80 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, July 12, 2004 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 Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People 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 April 25, 2004 Developer Mike Peru believes his proposed Billings Ranch Golf Course is the least invasive option for 170 acres of rolling hills and pasture on the north end of Ashland. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Private gain, public good Proposed Ashland golf course could have far-reaching public benefits — but some are wary of ceding sensitive public land to private interests By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Standing at the edge of the proposed Billings Ranch Golf Course north of Ashland, developer Mike Peru figures local residents ought to be happy he wants to build it. Of all the possible � and profitable � future uses for the 170 acres of gentle hills and green pasture owned by the John Billings family, a golf course is the least invasive option, he says. "You could end up with 3,000 houses here," says Peru, 62, who already has begun construction on a 72-home subdivision nearby. "I'm saying the golf course is a greater good than what this could be." If the proposed $10 million, 6,800-yard, 18-hole course Peru has in mind would fit on the private land, he'd simply build it. Although it’s zoned for exclusive farm use, such land can be developed as a golf course, provided required county permits are obtained. Advertisement Trouble is, it doesn't fit. And therein lies a saga that has golf course critics and proponents alike pondering the intersection of private gain and public good. To complete his course, Peru wants Jackson County officials to lease 9.2 acres of environmentally sensitive public land adjacent to nearby Bear Creek and the Bear Creek Greenway bike path. He also wants to build a bridge to access the property. That would allow him to create the kind of championship course that would attract talented golfers and tournaments that could pump an estimated $5 million to $7 million annually into the local economy. "I don't need that land," says Peru. "But I'd like to have it." In return, Peru has proposed a package of perks that could range from Greenway path repair and maintenance to an upfront cash payment and a share of golf course profits in amounts yet to be determined, internal county memos show. Already, Peru has contracted to pay $15,000 to the county Planning Department for staff time to work on the issue, documents show. At the same time, Peru has proposed a water-swap deal with the city of Ashland that would use the city's treated sewage effluent to irrigate the golf course in exchange for Billings' premier rights to cool, abundant water from Ashland Creek and the Talent Irrigation District. By many accounts, both arrangements could have far-reaching public benefits. Costs for repair and maintenance of the Greenway top tens of thousands of dollars per year, and Ashland officials are facing potentially expensive state Department of Environmental Quality mandates to cool the water released into Bear Creek. The water agreement has the potential to aid fish populations in Bear Creek and to reinvigorate Wrights Creek, which at times slows to a trickle, county planning staffers told Planning Commission members at a March meeting. "This has impacts that are far-reaching beyond the property itself," County Planner Raul Woerner says. Commission members were cautiously supportive, though all agreed public input was vital before any final decision is made. "It sounds like, at first glance, anyway, that this could be an excellent way to solve a number of problems," county Planning Commission Chairman Reeve Hennion says. "It could be a win-win for everyone." But some nearby residents and Greenway advocates are wary, both of plans that would cede environmentally sensitive public land to a private developer, and of the appearance that county consideration � and favors � are available to the highest bidder. "I think that's like having your own private government," says Ron Roth, a longtime Ashland restaurant owner who operates an organic garden near the proposed course. Roth says he’s most worried about environmental impacts on Bear Creek. Indeed, Steve Rinkle, a lawyer for the county, cautioned last year that a proposed conditional use permit for the project should not appear to have tacit approval, internal county memos show. "Steve is concerned that it does not appear that the CUP is wired for approval because the County has a financial interest in the success of this project," read a May 21, 2003, memo from County Administrator Sue Slack to Paul Korbulic, director of roads, parks and planning. "We will do everything we can to assure that the application review, staff's recommendation and subsequent hearings on the project are not biased by the potential of revenue for the Greenway." Peru had submitted a conditional use permit application that included about 10 acres of property owned by a nearby Ashland neighbor. He withdrew the CUP application in February when the neighbor, Gael Kubli, pulled out of the deal. Without Kubli's land, Peru turned to the county property he's seeking now. But the land is designated as an "area of special concern" in the Bear Creek Greenway Plan. And the bridge Peru wants to build is not permitted in the plan. As it stands now, the only way county officials can lease the parcel and authorize the bridge is to change the Greenway plan. This month, Peru petitioned county commissioners for an amendment to the plan and agreed to pay $15,000 for staff time to consider it. It's set to arrive on the commissioners’ docket in the next week or so. The $15,000 payment, an unusual agreement, means county Planning Department staff would add the Greenway change to the list of departmental priorities, says Woerner, the county planner. Peru's proposal to swap water rights for the city of Ashland's effluent appeared to offer significant public benefits, arguing in favor of quicker consideration, he says. "The ability to petition the board or the commission has always been in there," Woerner notes. "If you have a funding source, it always becomes a little more attractive for us." That arrangement � and potential approval of the land lease — worries Ra Wollenburg, 58, a systems engineer who lives near the proposed course. "Greasing the skids? They're pushing it with both hands!" Wollenburg says. He believes Peru should limit the course to the Billings' land and suggests that the developer eliminate a planned driving range or make other modifications to make it fit. "Why do they have to come over and take our Greenway (land) away?" says Wollenburg, who adds that he's a golfer who would support the course on private land. "My concern, right now, is why should we, right now, the people of the United States, represented by county government, give away to a private party our land to accommodate their building?" In removing his property from consideration in February, Kubli also says he liked the idea of the course, but opposed the notion of leasing the county land to the Billings group. Wollenburg and Kubli both object to a 1997 agreement in which county officials negotiated an easement to build the Greenway across nearly 1.94 acres of Billings land. In exchange, the Billings family negotiated an agreement to lease 8.28 acres of county land for $1 a year for 40 years, with the understanding it would be developed as a golf course, county documents show. "The real story of this project is Jackson County's illegal government giving of our best park land!!!" Kubli wrote in a January statement. "Shame, shame." Peru counters that county officials certainly don't have to approve the current proposed land lease deal. However, he adds that the land in question is unused, inaccessible and ill-maintained and that the proposed bridge and improvement will be a boon for golfers and path-users alike. "It will be a better piece of property," he says. "We're going to restore the creek, take the blackberries out � We'll actually create habitat." Considering the possible benefits from the water trade with the city of Ashland, Peru admits he can't quite understand any hesitation. "This ain't brain surgery," Peru says. "This is pretty simple stuff. Ninety-five percent of this belongs to the Billings family and they're willing to do a lot to maintain the integrity of this land as a community asset. Are there some negatives? I'm sure there are, but I don't see them." Of course, Peru and the Billings Ranch Golf Group LLC, which he has represented for six years, stand to benefit financially. There would be profits from the proposed golf course, driving range and 20,000-square-foot country club. In addition, the value of the houses in Peru's fledgling subdivision would be enhanced by the presence of a championship course. Existing Jackson County golf courses boost assessed value of nearby homes by between $7,000 and $40,000 apiece, County Assessor Dan Ross says. The competing needs of all involved parties are sure to be hashed out at an open house scheduled for May 19 in Ashland. It's an initial meeting to determine what concerns community members might have about the proposed golf course project. Woerner says he expects to hear about issues ranging from the land lease arrangement and the size of the proposed country club to the potential for competition with an existing city-run golf course and the impact of pesticides and herbicides on Bear Creek and surrounding properties. Indeed, conversations about those effects have not even begun, says Donna Rhee, an Ashland resident working with a local watershed partnership. "We're all kind of worried because that's a really downward sloping site leading toward a stream that has shown some kind of improvement," Rhee says. "We have every reason to plea for responsible stewardship for this project." Woerner encourages public comment of all kinds. For more information, call 774-6918. Peru says he welcomes public questions and the chance to move forward with the project that has been 25 years in conception, and two years in informal negotiations. "I think I can address everybody's concerns," Peru says. "I'm so flexible, I should be in the circus." Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, 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. 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