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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... El Nino's effects remain uncertain for Southern Oregon ... Habitat for Humanity volunteers raise walls and hope for Medford family ... Gold Hill residents say city dawdled as streets flooded ... El Nino's effects remain uncertain for Southern Oregon ... OUR VIEW Our View: City should let SkyPark project move ahead Comment MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 14, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 14, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News Despite all the good things that have happened in downtown Medford over the past several years, one piece of the revitalization puzzle remains missing: residential development. That's why it's puzzling that the Site Plan and Architectural Commission has rejected a proposed housing development over "compatibility" concerns and that perennial objection to anything new downtown — parking. The SkyPark project would consist of 26 one-, two- and three-bedroom residential units elevated above the parking lot across from the Medford library on Central Avenue between Ninth and 10th streets. The Medford Urban Renewal Agency gave its blessing to the project in January, despite its unusual elevated nature, because the MURA board wanted to encourage residential development downtown. The MURA board is made up of the City Council members, so we trust the council will overturn the SPAC rejection when it considers the developers' appeal next week. Two major projects in Medford's downtown revitalization were originally supposed to include residential units: The project once known as Bella Vita, which became 1 West Main, is now all office space. The Commons as originally envisioned also included residential units, but the recession spelled the end of that plan and the project was scaled back. Now, a residential project finally appears and gets shot down because of its appearance and, of course, parking concerns. MURA has already build two parking structures; a third went up behind the new county human services building, and two new city parking lots are in the works, one just a block from the proposed SkyPark project. SkyPark will actually result in three more parking spaces than are there now, although 26 spaces will be reserved for residents. If there is a primary culprit in the battle for parking downtown, it's Rogue Community College. Students pour into town every day to attend classes — and, we might add, spend money downtown on coffee and food. That's a good thing, despite the parking hassles, and we'd bet downtown merchants would be the first to miss those students if RCC disappeared. We're not aware of a thriving city where parking is always easily available downtown. We do remember when downtown Medford had no parking problems. It was in the '80s and early '90s, when there were plenty of spaces — because there was little reason to go downtown. That has changed markedly in the past 20 years, the same time period in which the city has gone out of its way to provide more parking. It now needs to stop building parking lots and continue the work of building a more vibrant downtown. MailTribune.com Writer Posted May. 14, 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... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + Events Calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site 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. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501