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21 lots planned in new subdivision Wednesday Mar 29, 2017 at 4:51 PM Mar 29, 2017 at 5:28 PM Greg Stiles Mail Tribune @GregMTBusiness Franklin Place, a 21-lot residential subdivision on 4.1 acres west of Kings Highway, cleared the Medford Planning Commission last week. The Franklin family built a home on the parcel in 1910, which was destroyed by fire three decades later. Less than a week before the raid on Pearl Harbor, the family moved into a new 1,952-square-foot, two-story home. Duane Franklin, who grew up in the house, sold the property to Vision Homes owner Mark Wickman for $587,500 last November. In recent years, the house has fallen into disrepair. As a result, it will be demolished and the extension of Aspen Street on the west side of the subdivision will run through the former house site. Vision Homes generally builds custom houses, but that won't be the case in this subdivision. Wickman said he plans to use four plans and two elevations, maxing out at about 1,700 square feet. "It will simplify things," he said. "We bought an existing subdivision by North Medford High and it took us a month or six weeks less to build than usual. For somebody who does what I do, that was kind of a breath of fresh air. People were happy to get a nice house at a good value." It won't make a huge dent in the Rogue Valley's housing need, but Wickman thinks his approach will provide a reasonable option for buyers. So far this year, the city has issued 73 single-family residence building permits and another 26 for multiple-family construction. Wickman, who began building houses in 1995, usually subcontracts much of the work, but this time he plans to keep much of the development in-house. "We're going to do the framing, fencing and pads ourselves," he said. "For years, I've worked with the same group of subs for years. We had an understanding of what we were doing instead of shopping every nickle and dime." Wickman is hoping to get engineering work done by mid-summer and begin construction by late summer or early fall. "When it's drier we can get by with less rock in the road base," he said.  He anticipates homes will become available in 2018, but prices haven't been set. "It wasn't a bargain by any stretch," he said. "But with the market trending the way it is, it's going to be fine." — Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 541-776-4463 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GregMTBusiness, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/greg.stiles.31.