Document text
Jacksonville ponders grant, loan By MELISSA MARTIN JACKSONVILLE - City leaders are divided over whether Jacksonville should accept a $583,500 state grant and loan to help build a commercial building where shop owners live upstairs and work below. The Oregon Economic and Community Development Department last week awarded the city a $250,000 grant and a $335,500 loan for the cottage industry building. The city would pay back the loan portion by selling or leasing the shops to owners of craft-style businesses such as a bakeries, breweries, glass-blowing or print shops. The plan is on hold, partly because of stalled negotiations for the 3.5-acre site below the Jacksonville Cemetery and partly because some council members want more information. "My concern is what if we couldn't sell the units, then the city would be in a tough spot," said Councilwoman Donna Schatz, an accountant. She's also concerned that the types of shops the city hopes to attract could not afford rent or mortgages on new units. "We already have enough absentee ownership in our downtown buildings and high rents," Schatz said. "A lot of businesses have trouble making it and we have a large turnover already." The city has advertised for a private contractor willing to invest in the project, which is estimated to cost $855,000. The plan's creation of 55 parking spaces connecting to the C and D street public lots would also earn funding from the Peter Britt Festivals, Oregon Department of Transportation and the Jackson-Josephine Regional Investment Board. The city had hoped to purchase property for the park from Genevieve Cochran for $250,000. However, she recently raised the price and negotiations failed. "The city had an opportunity to put down $50,000 (in earnest money) but they failed to do it," said John Dodero, a former member of the City Council who helped initiate the proposal. Despite the obstacles, the current City Council should complete the plan, Dodero believes. "I hope they are going to have the political fortitude to go through with it," said Dodero, a potter who works out of his Jacksonville home. "This is a model project because it addresses the historical issue and traffic problems," Dodero said. "It helps Britt out, and it's economic development for Jacksonville." The idea for a cottage industry center partly grew out of the Jacksonville Parking Commission's goals to create more spaces for vehicles in a town that hosts the Northwest's oldest summer concert series. About 60,000 people attend Britt performances each summer. Some residents prefer a ticket tax to the Parking Commission's solutions, which have included assessing businesses an annual parking fee based on square footage and number of customers. Dodero believes the business center and its added parking lot would benefit the town. "The beauty of that site, coming from the parking commission's perspective, is it's hooked to the existing parking lots and it also provides a west entrance to the whole parking facility," Dodero said. "It would be a real great connection." If the current City Council doesn't follow through with the proposal, the city would have to reject the state grant and loan, Dodero said. The council canceled an April 17 public hearing about funding after property negotiations failed. "There's a lot of people who don't want anything to happen in town because any change is bad," Dodero said. "But I believe you're either planning your future or you are a victim of it." The city must enter the future with caution, Schatz said. "I didn't want to see the city of Jacksonville put itself in that kind of a position if we borrowed the money and couldn't pay it back," Schatz said. "If we went ahead and did this without getting the backing of the community - not just their awareness, but their approval - and it soured, we would be in a bad situation. "Our credibility with the community is important. We need to get public input." Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.