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56 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, September 14, 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 August 22, 2004 Mayor helps Billings developer Peru wants farm owner to sell him 12 acres for golf course project By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune Ashland Mayor Alan DeBoer has stepped into the complicated negotiations surrounding a proposed golf course north of the city, urging a local landowner to sell property to the Billings Ranch Golf Group. The move could expand options for developer Mike Peru, who says he wants about 12 acres of farmland off Jackson Road as an alternative if a controversial bid for public property fails. "It’s a backup plan," said Peru, who’s financing the proposed $10 million, 18-hole course. "I’ve got to have a backup plan." DeBoer said this week he met with Peru and local landowner Simon Kechloian and is "absolutely encouraging" Kechloian to sell farmland adjacent to the proposed golf course site. "I think it’s in Simon’s best interest to have a golf course next to him," DeBoer said. Advertisement Peru said he’s waiting for Kechloian’s response to an offer to pay more than twice the value of land assessed at about $263,000, according to Jackson County records. Kechloian’s firm, Eagle Mill Development LLC, bought the property in 2001 for $220,000, records show. Kechloian did not return calls about the proposed deal. DeBoer said he decided to add the weight of his office to negotiations because of a proposed water exchange with golf course owners that could save Ashland $2 million to $4 million in sewage treatment costs. He also has previously endorsed the project as a benefit to the city and the region. "There’s a real advantage there," he said. "What a great opportunity." But critics who oppose Peru’s bid to use a slice of public property to complete the course said DeBoer’s involvement was an example of inappropriate political influence. Ra Wollenburg, a local neighbor who wants the golf course built solely on private land, accused outgoing politician DeBoer and Jackson County Commissioner Jack Walker of trying to "railroad" a deal with Peru. "It doesn’t surprise me ...," he said. "They’re going to do whatever it takes to get what they want. ... There’s no stopping this big train." Peru said Friday that he decided to seek Kechloian’s land in addition to nearly 6 acres of land owned by Jackson County near the Bear Creek Greenway. Previously, Peru said he needed the county property to provide enough space to complete the kind of championship course he wants. Now, however, he said that the character and location of the land are as important as its area. "It’s the way the land lays out. You have to have it flow," Peru said. That change irked critics, who said Peru just wants whatever he can get. "It’s all smoke and mirrors," Wollenburg said. "He’s so sleazy." Peru countered that he’s trying to make a sound business deal with potential public benefits. "It isn’t sleazy," he said. "It’s making something happen." County officials have yet to decide whether to lease to the Billings group part of a 9.2-acre parcel that includes land designated as an environmentally sensitive natural area in the Bear Creek Greenway Plan. The county Planning Commission is expected to consider next week whether an amendment to the plan is required and whether commissioners should approve the deal. Peru claims the area he would use is not included in the delicate natural area, an assertion shared by Walker. "You can’t tell it’s sensitive land," Walker said in a public meeting this week. "It’s just sitting there with a bunch of weird weeds in it." Walker said he’d like to see the land returned to the county tax rolls as financially productive property. In addition, he said the county would benefit from a potential lease agreement that would require Peru to maintain an Ashland stretch of the Greenway. Planning Director Ali Turiel said that Peru’s insistence on acquiring the public property could delay his project even longer. "If that area was removed, we wouldn’t be amending or even thinking about that land," she said. "He could pretty much be done." At issue is a philosophical dispute over the best use for public land. Promoters, including Peru, argue that the course will be open to the public and that the water-swap agreement with the city of Ashland will offer even more universal benefit. "What is the greater good than that use for the property?" Peru said. DeBoer praised the developer for pursuing the course, a project that the city could not — and should not — tackle. "It boils down to he’s the one willing to make the investment of $5 million to $8 million," DeBoer said. But critics contend that public property, especially delicate land, should not be granted to a private developer to create a for-profit golf course. Wollenburg said that if efforts to convince local officials to preserve public land don’t succeed, he and other critics will have to take it up with the state Land Use Board of Appeals. "What we’re going to end up having to do is wait until they do something and then appeal it to LUBA," he said. 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. 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