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photo by Bob Pennell Russ Dale spruces up around the Jackson Creekside homes he developed in Jacksonville. The homes carry a feature usually found only in larger cities -- a common wall with their next-door neighbor. Building a little eccentricity Jacksonville's new condos don't thrill everyone JACKSONVILLE -- New homes going up in this historic town look like they could be set in Portland or Seattle. The two-story, craftsman-style homes have columns, patios and steep-pitched roofs and each shares a common wall with its next-door neighbor. After a 20-year building moratorium, Jacksonville is experiencing a flurry of activity, including construction of the condominium-like homes in Jackson Creekside on F Street behind Jacksonville Market. The first 10 homes are nearly complete. But Jacksonville's history of being a tough place to build won't be pushed aside without a fight. The 12 remaining units have been appealed by Jacksonville resident Carol Knapp. She's says she doesn't object to the type of housing, but believes the city should allow only nine more units, rather than the 12 requested. "With the higher density," Knapp says, "there are more structures covering the lots, less open spaces, more runoff in the creeks and more impact on the people downstream. "The purpose of zoning that part of Jacksonville for a planned unit development was to situate the homes in a way that creates more open space," Knapp says. The state Land Use Board of Appeals upheld Knapp's appeal. As a result, Jackson Creekside Phase II is scheduled to go back to the city's Historic Architecture Review Committee on Wednesday, and back to the Jacksonville City Council on Feb. 2. Meanwhile, Morgan Pacific of Medford continues to put the finishing touches on the 10 homes in the first phase. The homes are about 1,500 square feet, range in price from $160,000 to $180,000 and share a common wall. Condominium-like homes are becoming a growing trend in the Rogue Valley, says Jackson Creekside developer Russ Dale, who built the Chautauqua subdivision in Ashland, which also features homes with common walls. Both Central Point and Eagle Point have similar projects, with condominium-like houses. They are considered single-family dwellings and are sometimes called pad lots or zero-lot-line residences. "This is a first of its type for Jacksonville," Dale says. "In larger cities, because land is so expensive, what you have to do is create space for people to live in privacy and with sensitivity, yet with density to keep the cost down," says Dale. Dale says he expects many of the new owners to be "step-down buyers" who no longer need large homes nor want the hassles of upkeep of a bigger property. He says because of its proximity to downtown and shopping, he expects many homeowners to be one-car families who will walk more and drive less. That will cut down on the need for parking. Homeowners will pay a fee, about $40 a month, for gardening services. Dale owns 10 buildings in downtown Medford, including the old Woolworth Building. He's also developing the Waterstreet Project, near the Ashland Plaza, where homes will sell for about $250,000. Dale built Daisy Creek, the first subdivision in Jacksonville after the end of a 20-year building moratorium. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA