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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 22, 2005 Summerfield Park approved in Medford By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune The city is considering a proposal for a new hillside park in east Medford with a playground, picnic areas, open space and scenic vistas. "It’s going to be a nice view," said Pete Young, parks department project coordinator. The city Parks and Recreation Commission last week approved Summerfield Park, a 1.5-acre park on the east side of North Phoenix Road at Cherry Lane. If it passes other planning hurdles as expected, it would be built by developers and then bought and maintained by the city for public use. The park would be on an island of land created when Cherry Lane was rerouted as part of the Southeast Plan development. "Hopefully in the southeast area there’ll be two or three more of them," said Randy Jones, one of the area’s developers. Advertisement The Southeast Plan is designed to be a pedestrian-friendly community of about 10,000 residents on 1,000 acres east of North Phoenix Road, running from the ridge above Cherry Lane south to Coal Mine Road. "The idea is to place parks and walking paths throughout the southeast," Jones said. Jones estimated the park could cost 25 to 40 percent less than if the city built it because developers don’t have the same bidding requirements that face governmental agencies. Jones, who said the park could be finished as early as next summer, said it was premature to place a dollar amount on the project. Young said the park has a lot of support from neighbors, as well as city staff members. "We plan to do more of these developer agreements if we can," he said. John Galbraith, a landscape architect with Galbraith & Associates Inc. in Medford, said neighbors helped with the design. "The challenges that the neighbors had is the traffic," said Galbraith. He said the sloped lot above busy streets drew worries. "That’s one of the concerns neighbors had was balls rolling down and kids chasing them," he said. So the park was designed with a retaining wall and railing around the perimeter. The park must be approved by the Medford Planning Commission and the City Council. The project must be granted a conditional use permit because the area is zoned for residential use. Mark Gallagher, principal planner with the city, said the permit shouldn’t be a problem — objections to parks usually come from area residents, who in this case already have been involved in the project. "Conditional use permits for parks, there’s only an issue if you’ve got ballfields next to residential," he said. The park is one part of an enormous planned unit development that was approved by the City Council in 1998. It is dominated by homesites, but also includes a central 46-acre commercial area near the intersection of Barnett and North Phoenix roads. The development also calls for a government office, a school, a church and a retirement home. In 1990, the land was brought into Medford’s urban growth boundary. Jones said it could be 15 to 20 years before the 1,000 acres are entirely developed. "Marketplace conditions will determine that," he said. Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail Summerfield Park approved in Medford ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Salvia Divinorum Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s