Document text
SUNNY Temp: 55 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Tuesday, June 4, 2002 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Cyberchef E The People Golf Job Network Headbone Zone Wellness Connection Movie Times Newspaper in Education Oregon CarZone Outdoor Journal Personals Prime Times Real Estate Tempo A & E TV Times W3 Magazine CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Destinations Automotive Communities Employment Entertainment Publications Real Estate Recreation Shopping Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Jobs @ Mail Tribune Email Story to a Friend June 3, 2002 Committee to look at adding acres to Medford growth map By MELISSA MARTIN Mail Tribune The 500 acres of star thistle and orchards bordered by Foothill, Coker Butte and Delta Waters roads could still be added to a 50-year growth map. A committee that advises planners about how the Rogue Valley should grow will take a field trip to the site this month before voting on whether to add it to Medford’s growth boundary. Real estate broker Laz Ayala, orchardist Dunbar Carpenter and builder Noel Moore are among nine property owners asking the Medford City Council to reconsider the acreage listed as a no-growth area. The council referred the request to the Resource Land Review Committee, the group that advises planners in the Regional Problem Solving process, or the designation of growth and no-growth areas through 2050. For the past two years, planners from Ashland, Central Point, Eagle Point, Jacksonville, Medford, Phoenix, Talent, White City and Jackson County and Rogue Valley Council of Governments have been working on a regional growth map that would satisfy state land-use laws. When it’s completed, the map will dictate what property owners can and cannot do with their land for the next 50 years. John Eads, Regional Problem Solving project coordinator, asked the council last week to support whatever the resource committee decides. "You’re going to get some people who own resource land and say, ‘You should take my land. It’s not good farmland,’ " said Eads, who presides over land-use appeals as Jackson County’s Hearings Officer. "But you should take the recommendation of the Resource Land Review Committee." But Medford City Council members said they believe elected — not just appointed — officials should have a say in the planning process. "I feel the elected officials should have the final voice," said Councilman Bill Moore, who represents Medford on the Regional Problem Solving policy committee. "I think we need to talk about it and listen to the property owners," Moore said. "Regional Problem Solving is something I’ve advocated for many years. But I think the City Council should have the right for veto or endorsement." Councilman Bob Strosser agreed that City Council members need to discuss the resource committee’s decisions before sanctioning a map. "I think it’s wonderful to have a group of knowledgeable people evaluating these things," Strosser said. "But I still think it’s the responsibility of the council to look it over. It’s going to take all of us to make it the best we can." Medford Planning Director Rob Scott said it may not be as simple as the City Council having the final say in whether property owners can develop their land in the future. "There are other factors out there we have to pay attention to — statewide goals dealing with resource lands," Scott said. "It’s not something you can ignore. The Regional Problem Solving statute calls for assessment of resource lands." This will be the resource committee’s second look at the Foothill Road/Delta Waters/Coker Butte acreage that is a mix of subdivisions, orchards, star thistle and farm homes near Abraham Lincoln Elementary School. "That’s one of the controversial areas, and the property owners do not agree with us, so we’re going to have to work that through," said committee member Howard Heiner, a retired international forester who lives in Ashland. Phoenix forester Michael Meredith said he will have to dig out his old notes. "I need to examine that area again and refresh in my mind because we went through the process 1½ years ago," Meredith said. Talent small woodlot owner and committee member Dieter Rilling said he is unfamiliar with the Foothill Road acreage. "That’s why it’s important to take the trip," said Rilling. "Usually on these field trips, we gather data and go back and discuss it." The committee also includes Bill Yocum, Bureau of Land Management; Dan Thorpe, Department of Forestry; Larry Menteer, Jackson County watermaster; Jim Johnson, Department of Agriculture; Doug White, Department of Land Conservation and Development; Nancy Kincaid, Department of Land Conservation and Development; Eric Dittmer, Southern Oregon University; Richard Roseburg, Oregon State University; Ron Henri, Bear Creek Orchards; Terry Helfrich, Bear Creek Orchards; Mike Naumes, Naumes Inc.; James Miller, Talent Irrigation District board president; Walter Fitzgerald, Central Point rancher; Central Point resident Doreen Bradshaw; and Medford residents Steven Ziegler and Tam Moore. Reach reporter Melissa Martin at 776-4497, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S