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TALENT One-armed roundabout could get Wagner Street extension City exploring possibility before ending urban renewal district Comment By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Mar. 23, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News The city will take another look at the urban renewal vision of extending Wagner Street through Talent Irrigation District property to connect to West Valley View Drive. City Council and the Talent Urban Renewal Agency’s board of directors in a joint study session Wednesday opted to explore the possibility of the connection before they consider early termination of the current urban renewal area or look into other options. “That’s the primary project, but that is not complete,” said Councilman Ryan Pederson, who also sits on the agency board. A one-armed roundabout on West Valley View that links to a new extension of Main Street was completed last year to improve traffic flow from Highway 99 to downtown. Part of the larger vision included the link to Wagner Street from the roundabout through TID, which has its headquarters and a work yard on the site. “The right thing is to get that one done,” said Councilor E.J. McManus. Board and council members agreed that Mayor Darby Stricker, who has already talked with TID Manager Jim Pendleton informally, should continue discussions on the possibility of obtaining land for the connection. Stricker said TID had fielded an offer from a potential purchaser, adding that TID does not want to split the property. “I would like to open that discussion one more time before we make that decision (to sunset the urban renewal agency early),” said Stricker. Pendleton was out of the office and unavailable for comment. City Council directed the agency in 2008 to make plans to end its work in the current area in December 2016, but there has been no decision to take that step. Nevertheless, TURA has arranged its projects and financing obligations to end at the 2016 date. The city and other taxing districts would gain more revenues if urban renewal ended early. About $3 million in tax revenues would be available for projects if the district continues to its planned end in December 2019, TURA Director Marla Cates said. The Wagner extension has been designed, but engineering plans would not be done until land is secured and a project approved. Other options were also brought up Wednesday. Possibilities Cates mentioned included low-income housing and infrastructure to support rail service in town. Loan programs are also possible, and the agency could look at working in new areas. Councilwoman Joan Dean said urban renewal might be used on the southern part of Highway 99. Sherman Lamb, TURA board chair, said it might be used to develop an area north of Colver Road proposed for inclusion in the city. That could be a possible site of TID relocation, he said. TID already owns property north of Colver, but it is zoned exclusive farm use and would need to go through the land-use process to allow other activity, said City Manager Tom Corrigan. “Once you give up a taxing district, good luck in getting it back,” said Corrigan. Creating a new taxing area for urban renewal is a big process, he added. 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 Mar. 23, 2015 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... 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