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Medford will annex 22.87 acres City Council approves a boundary change to make way for growth on the southwest side of town The City Council has approved a 22.87-acre annexation near Lozier and Meadows lanes in a boundary change that paves the way for future growth in southwest Medford. Property owner Robert Blackford may build on about 14 of those acres, including single-family homes planned for about five acres and multiple-family dwellings planned for about nine acres, said his agent, Clark Stevens of the Richard Stevens Co. The annexation also includes 8.6 acres the city has purchased for a park and .35 of an acre of existing residences, where some homeowners did not want to be brought into the city limits. Stevens defended the annexation, citing Medford's need for more apartments. "There is currently less than a 3 percent vacancy rate for multiple-family residential," Stevens said. "A normal, healthy rate is 6 percent." Meadows Lane resident Kaye Carpenter, who chose not to annex into the city, asked the City Council about the proposed development. The developer has not filed an application yet, Medford senior planner Rob Scott answered. But current zoning allows for 180 apartments on nine acres and 30 homes on 5 acres. Two Prune Street residents wrote letters to the city opposing the Lozier Lane annexation, citing concerns that development would bring increased traffic. Two council members echoed those concerns and voted against the annexation. "Main Street and Lozier Lane are really busy right now," said Councilman Ed Chun. "We don't have the infrastructure to support this." Councilman John Michaels asked whether the city needs the acreage in its buildable lands inventory. "I'm not comfortable voting for this without those answers," he said. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.