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Eagle Point developer has big plans for vacant lot BY MELISSA MARTIN EAGLE POINT -- To the casual viewer, the vacant lot near downtown provides nothing more than a walking path for school children. But when Eagle Point developer David Freel looks at the grassy space, he sees an assisted living home for senior citizens, as well as the first doctor's office this city has had in several years. The City Council earlier this week began working on a plan to vacate the city's right-of-way on the property. A public hearing on the issue will be held at 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8. If the plan is approved, the city would forfeit its right to extend Nova and Kelso streets. In return, the developer would use the extra space for a doctor's office operated by Providence Hospital and Medical Center. "We're weighing the value in being able to maintain that right-of-way or is it better served, from a public standpoint, as a benefit to the community," says David Hussell, city administrator. It's unlikely that the city would extend Nova and Kelso streets because houses prevent that from happening, he says. The right-of-way is L-shaped and is 50 to 60 feet wide. If vacated, utility companies would still be able to use the parking lot or driveways when needed, Hussell says. If plans are approved, the Portland-based company Generations will begin building a 60-unit assisted living facility next year, says Mike LaNier of Richard Stevens Company in Medford. It will be similar to their other facilities, Alderwood in Central Point, Skylark in Ashland and The Orchard in Medford. Eventually, the Eagle Point facility will have an Alzheimer's unit, he says. The free-standing medical clinic staffed by Providence doctors would become the second phase of the project, LaNier says. While Eagle Point does not have a medical clinic, it has a chiropractor, Dr. Ralph Wehinger. He allows the use of his office twice a month for patients of Dr. Evelyn Phillips from the Providence Medical Clinic in Shady Cove. Today's Business Index Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA