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Manor will get public hearing on expansion project plans By Jessica Smith After two failed attempts, the Rogue Valley Manor has won the right to be heard. The Medford City Council decided Thursday it will hold a public hearing on the Manor�s proposed expansion plan, which the city partially denied in 1998. In other action Thursday, the council met in closed session to review the performance of City Manager Michael Dyal, who was hired in May 1998. The press is prohibited from reporting the contents of the executive session, but Councilman Skip Knight characterized the review as "positive." Council President Sal Esquivel declined to discuss the council�s review of the city�s top executive officer, but he complimented Dyal�s management technique and his leadership at City Hall. "This community is very blessed to have the reins of the city in the hands of Michael Dyal," Esquivel said. Meanwhile, the council committed itself to taking more input from the Manor on its expansion plans. Twice since May, the council has denied Manor attorney Rob Patridge�s request to address the council about the Manor�s plans, which include an office complex, hotel, restaurant and a mixed use retail-residential building. The council rejected a portion of the plans in 1998, citing traffic congestion at the south Medford freeway interchange, considered one of the worst bottlenecks in the region. The Manor challenged the council�s decision before the state Land Use Board of Appeals. In June, LUBA sent the case back to the city to better explain its denial. Although the city could have used existing records to clarify its position, the council voted 5-1 Thursday for a new hearing. "We should bring this back to the table," said Esquivel. "We�re going to have to deal with this, no matter how you skin it." The council�s decision means the Manor won�t have to reapply to the Medford Planning Commission, as Councilman John Michaels suggested. His was the sole "no" vote on a motion to hold a new public hearing. Other council members agreed that the Manor deserved to have its project reviewed under the city�s new traffic policy. In 1998, a city policy prohibited developments that added traffic to the south Medford interchange during peak hours. Since then, the city has revised its policy to allow projects which generate no more than 25 vehicle trips during peak traffic hours. Although construction of the Manor�s commercial complex would add more than 138 vehicle trips, Patridge said the retirement center is willing to delay the project until a solution is found for the interchange. The Manor wants preliminary approval for the commercial center so the Manor can solidify its own plans, Patridge added. "We�re glad that the door is open and the council has embraced the fact that they should look at this issue," he said. Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA