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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Medford should strive to be more like Bend ... Poison in the well ... Gold Hill rallies to save IOOF Lodge ... Guest Opinion: Medford should strive to be more like Bend ... Poison in the well ... Gold Hill rallies to save IOOF Lodge ... TALENT Downtown activity prompts need for review board Comment By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News TALENT — Planning commissioners will take on additional roles as members of the Architectural Review Committee to deal with an increasing requests for new buildings and existing structure alterations in the city’s Old Town Design District. The City Council unanimously approved the role for six months when it met Wednesday evening. The review committee currently has no members and efforts to recruit more have not succeeded. “We are starting to get a lot of activity in the downtown core,” said Community Development Director Zac Moody. “(The lack of a committee) is starting to hold people up.” The design district was created to encourage compatibility of all new buildings and remodels with historic structures. Compliance with committee recommendations is voluntary. While most requests are for residential structures, there is some commercial activity and one major public facility, the new Community Center, which will need reviews. So far development staff have reviewed and approved applications as Type II land use actions, which are noticed to neighbors like any other land use action. Those decisions are subject to appeal. “I don’t want to sidestep the code,” said Moody, adding the process has worked on a temporary basis but is neither the most efficient nor appropriate way to review requests. Okaying a change of windows is easy in most cases, said Moody. But on requests with more discretion the director said he wanted a group in place to hear neighbors’ comments and decide whether a project is appropriate under the district guidelines. The upcoming Commonly Center will be one of those projects. “The big thing is to not hold up the homeowners for maintenance improvements,” said City Manager Tom Corrigan. The original intent of the committee was to help educate property owners on the district standards, said Mayor Bill Cecil, who previously served on the Planning Commission. “It was supposed to be proactive,” said Cecil. Development will continue efforts to recruit committee members. “It’s just really hard to get people to volunteer,” said Moody. Committee members should be familiar with either construction or historical structures, which makes recruitment more difficult, he added A new design code is needed that would also take in the Highway 99 business district, Moody told the council. A committee will be formed later this year for that task and Moody said that the group might transition into a re-instituted design committee. Tony Boom is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected]. By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501