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MEDFORD Medford Urban Renewal may get renewed City Council wants to look into extending the agency or creating a new district Comment By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Mar. 7, 2016 at 4:45 PM Updated Mar 7, 2016 at 5:13 PM By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Mar. 7, 2016 at 4:45 PM Updated Mar 7, 2016 at 5:13 PM » Social News An urban renewal effort that started in 1988 may get a new lease on life if the Medford City Council decides it wants to continue to improve the downtown and fill empty storefronts. “We’re trying to find out whether it’s even possible,” Councilor Tim Jackle said. The council has directed city staff to look into extending the life of the current urban renewal agency or creating a new district. Possible projects could include filling empty auto dealership lots, creating affordable housing or helping build a convention center. Bill Hoke, city manager pro tem, said consultants who advise cities about urban renewal districts don’t come cheap, noting the last time he checked they were charging $550 an hour. Hoke said he’d report back to the council before hiring a consultant. “I need to get an idea what it’s going to cost,” he said. Urban renewal agencies are created to deal with blight in communities. When the Medford Urban Renewal Agency was formed, one of the rationales was to improve the Beatty-Manzanita neighborhood, just south of McAndrews Road. However, that neighborhood got only a small park and a few other minor improvements. Altogether, MURA has spent $67.3 million on projects, according to the city Finance Department. More than half the money was spent on downtown parking facilities. Some of the more notable projects include Pear Blossom Park next to the Lithia headquarters, Hawthorne Park improvements and the popular façade improvement program that helped remodel some downtown businesses. The urban renewal district is about two miles long, from McAndrews Road to just south of Barnett Road. The district is scheduled to keep operating until 2025 to pay off the bonds. However, city officials anticipate bonds could be paid off earlier, possibly by 2018. MURA gets its money from a portion of property taxes plus a special levy that brings in about $2.5 million annually. Jackle said any number of places could potentially benefit from urban renewal, though none has been formally endorsed. As an example, he cited the large, vacant area that formerly housed car dealerships on Central Avenue before Lithia Motors moved them to its auto mall on Highway 62. He said the lots could help attract another corporate building in the downtown. “Could you kind of capitalize on the positive growth that happened at Lithia?” he said. A convention center is being discussed for downtown Medford that might benefit from an urban renewal district, Jackle said. At this point, the council has more questions than answers, and many councilors are unfamiliar with the formation and operation of urban renewal districts, Jackle said. “It’s so early in the process to know if it would even work,” he said. “How viable is an urban renewal district in our time?” Councilor Kevin Stine said he joined the council when MURA was essentially over, so he’s not familiar with the workings of urban renewal agencies. “It’s very fresh to me,” he said. He said he might like to see smaller, more targeted projects but isn’t sure about supporting funding improvements to the empty auto dealerships. “I don’t think that’s my priority,” he said. Instead, Stine said he’d be more interested in developing a better housing market near the downtown, but he isn’t sure that an urban renewal agency is the best way to accomplish that goal. Councilor Dick Gordon also said the city could look at creating more affordable housing near the downtown. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 541-776-4476 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @reporterdm . Medford Urban Renewal District by Mail Tribune By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm MailTribune.com By Damian Mann Mail Tribune Follow @@reporterdm Posted Mar. 7, 2016 at 4:45 PM Updated Mar 7, 2016 at 5:13 PM » 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... 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