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Liberty Park project promises good things By Mail Tribune Editorial Board Updated: Jun 01, 2022 10:38 AM A A Medford Urban Renewal Agency board members have delayed closing a deal to purchase a one-acre site on North Riverside Avenue to get a better handle on possible soil contamination. By all means, MURA should take a closer look before committing public funds. But the overall project should proceed. The revitalization project offers an opportunity to enhance the struggling Liberty Park Neighborhood with the addition of a neighborhood grocery store operated by La Fiesta restaurant. New apartments also are part of the plan. Perhaps best of all, MURA is proposing a land swap with La Fiesta that would place the grocery store on the one-acre site formerly occupied by Pacific Supply rather than closer to Bear Creek as originally proposed. That would allow the city to build a pedestrian bridge over the creek to encourage creekside access. Medford leaders have talked for years about re-orienting businesses on Riverside to face the creek, transforming it into an inviting centerpiece for downtown. Incorporating the creek as a downtown asset was listed among goals adopted in 1999 at the end of a two-year planning process. Since then, much work has been done on the creek itself — removing a diversion dam, eradicating blackberries — but the creek remains hidden behind businesses that face Riverside Avenue. Liberty Park — the low-income neighborhood that was part of the justification for creating the Medford Urban Renewal District in the first place — is finally getting some of the investment it badly needs. Multiple housing projects, sidewalk improvements and now the prospect of a neighborhood market in an area that has no grocery store offer hope for a better future for the area. Access to Bear Creek would be a powerful statement by the city that the creek should be an asset, not an eyesore. Encouraging public use will not only enhance the neighborhood for those living nearby but also discourage homeless encampments. In addition to the market, the bridge and possible new housing, plans include improving a storm drain line so it no longer dumps untreated runoff into the creek. The MURA board was right to extend the option agreement for purchasing the Pacific Supply property. But soil contamination is common on former commercial properties, especially one that has been used for a car dealership and a repair shop in the past. MURA’s director noted that every site involved in the Commons project had contamination. The next step is to determine the extent of the contamination at the North Riverside property, get it cleaned up and move forward.