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62 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 18, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend March 17, 2005 Best Buy and Sportsman�s Warehouse hope to move into 29 acres at the northwest corner of Delta Waters and Crater Lake Highway, shown at right. But Medford Planning Commission members have rejected the application, citing traffic and access issues. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Development stalled A 25-building project slated for Highway 62and Delta Waters Road must overcome its initial rejection by the Medford Planning Commission By GREG STILES Mail Tribune Agents for Best Buy and Sportsman’s Warehouse will have to appeal their rejection to the Medford City Council to start building stores near the airport. Chris Galpin has proposed a three-phase, 29-acre planned unit development on the northwest corner of Crater Lake Highway and Delta Waters Road that would include professional offices and restaurants. Best Buy would occupy a 30,610-square-foot building and Sportsman’s Warehouse would go into a 45,200-square-foot space. A total of 25 buildings are slated for the Delta Center development that would be wedged between the Butler Ford Truck Store on the north flank of Highway 62 and behind a strip of shops and offices along Delta Waters Road across from Safeway. The project, however, was delayed last week when the Medford Planning Commission rejected the application, despite the city staff’s recommendation for approval. At issue was the primary entryway into the development off Delta Waters Road, across from the Olive Garden driveway. Advertisement "The objections boiled down to traffic and access," said Medford Senior Planner Jim Maize, who is preparing the commission’s findings in final orders for the commission to adopt when it meets March 24. Pending that action, Galpin and private planner Craig Stone will have 21 days to appeal to the City Council. A spokeswoman said Galpin and other family members in his employ were out of town and Stone declined to reveal his client’s next move. Both the applicant’s and city engineer’s reports indicated traffic wouldn’t be an issue. Although it’s rare for the Planning Commission to go against staff recommendations, Maize said less than 5 percent of the panel’s decisions are appealed to the council. "If it’s appealed," he said, "it will come down to whether the record supports the findings or something else." The first phase comprises seven buildings with a total of 126,513 square feet. The second phase calls for 13 buildings totaling 133,479 square feet. The third phase, exclusively office structures, contains another 86,000 square feet. Galpin previously agreed to hold off on the third phase, nearest the Old Medco Haul Road, for five years, allowing the Oregon Department of Transportation to decide the future of a proposed expressway behind Delta Center. Best Buy Co. Inc., of Richfield, Minn., operates 820 stores in 48 states and Canada and plans to open 60 retail locations in the United States during its current fiscal year. Best Buy opened three new stores, including one in Springfield, on March 11. It sells computers, wireless phones, mobile electronics, digital television and home theater technology. During the fiscal year that ended Feb. 28, the company reported revenue of $27.4 billion. Sportsman’s Warehouse is an outdoor products retailer based in Midvale, Utah, with 30 stores in the Northwest, Southwest and Great Lakes regions. The chain has been recognized as one of Utah’s fastest-growing privately held companies the past three years. Sportsman’s revenues grew approximately 50 percent in 2004, while opening 10 new stores. In 2005, Sportsman’s projects growth of 50 percent, eclipsing the $500 million mark. Its stores offer hunting, fishing and camping equipment, as well as clothing, footwear, optics, knives, and gift and souvenir items for outdoorsmen. The company aims to reach $1 billion in revenue by 2008, according to inboundlogistics.com. It presently operates stores in Salem and Portland and plans to open 15 more this year. The company involves itself in training and outdoor education with classes, seminars and demonstrations ranging from global-positioning equipment and handgun permit classes to dog training and backpacking. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [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. 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