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Click Here 45 °F Forecast | Road Cams Tuesday, February 3, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 2, 2004 Downtown Phoenix already has received some improvements, including new sidewalks, lighting and benches along Main and Second streets. The city is hoping to establish an urban renewal district to finance more improvements and spur new development. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Phoenix revives urban renewal idea Street-sidewalk changes are in, and a mixed-use proposal could help put new life into downtown By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune PHOENIX — With plans on the horizon for what will become the first mixed-use project downtown, city officials hope to do away with urban blight and attract more development by establishing an urban renewal district. City planner Denis Murray said that while an urban renewal district had been attempted in years past, a recent proposal by Medford general contractor Bill Peck resurrected the idea. Peck, owner of the former Southern Oregon Marina property on North Main Street in Phoenix, is planning a development for which he hopes to break ground by May. The project would consist of a three-story building with a 9,000-square-foot underground parking structure and two, 10,000-square-foot levels for professional office space and residential units. Behind it would be townhouse apartments. Advertisement "I took the plans in ready to go and Denis says, ‘Bill, you’re way ahead of us. You’re going to need help in the way that urban renewal helps developers come into a new area,’ " explained Peck, owner of BPC Contract Services. Murray said creating an urban renewal district would not only benefit Peck but encourage other developers to build within the city and make much-needed improvements to downtown — an area, Murray said, that suffers from vacant buildings and inadequate infrastructure. "We have a real need to do some fairly significant public improvement and infrastructure improvements," said Murray. "The only way we can see to do that, from a financial standpoint, is to form an urban renewal district." The first step is to hire a consultant to help the city set up boundaries and lay out plans for improvements. The district must be approved by voters. Funding for urban renewal projects comes from freezing assessed property values in the district for 20 years. Increases in value are then directed to the urban renewal agency and withheld from other taxing districts. Murray said a consultant had been paid through a grant in recent years to help initiate urban renewal, but the consultant found significant flaws in area master planning and spent his time modifying plans. "Now we have a wonderful plan and we need funding to complete some of what’s in it," Murray said. Urban renewal money could help establish a mixed-use transit-oriented center and pay for parking improvements and sewer and water system expansions, among other improvements, Murray said. Improvements already made downtown include sidewalks, lighting and trees on Main and Second streets. Murray said the city was awaiting a decision on a grant application that would pay for a consultant to begin the process for an urban renewal district. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times