 Click here to watch a video detailing the Northgate project, produced by Portland-based design firm Newlands & Co. Inc. 
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Developers of an 84-acre commercial-industrial complex on the north end of Medford are facing possible requirements by the state highway agency, to help fund modifications such as a single-lane overpass and restrictive covenants imposed by neighbors in order to get the green light to build.
The Northgate Centre proposal will be considered today by the Planning Commission during a 5:30 p.m. meeting at City Hall, 411 W. Eighth St., Medford. The session is continued from the Oct. 18 meeting in part so commissioners could consider last-minute comments by the Oregon Department of Transportation and nearby industrial businesses on the project.
The Northgate Centre plan calls for a 417,500-square-foot retail center, a 219,300-square-foot office park and a 180,000-square-foot industrial and business park. The project area is the former Medco site near the old Big Y where highways 238, 62 and 99 intersect near the Rogue Valley Mall.
On Oct. 18, ODOT submitted two pages of recommended conditions for approval, including that the developers dedicate property and a proportion of the funding for a proposed flyover, or one-lane overpass, for left-turning traffic heading toward downtown from Highway 62.
The flyover would start about where the "Medford" sculpture sits across from the mall and sweep traffic over Highway 99 to Court Street about where Darigold is.
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The state highway officials concur with the city engineer's recommendation to cap at 18,509 the daily number of vehicle trips the project can generate.
"We're also concerned about congestion in front of the mall," said Art Anderson, ODOT area manager. The agency is asking the developers to include combining into one the entrances to the Rogue Valley Mall, Target and Red Lobster businesses.
In order for Northgate to go forward, the commission must approve a zone change of the majority of the project land from heavy industrial to commercial. Timber Products and SierraPine have expressed concern about the request to rezone because they say their mills, adjacent to the property, generate too much noise, dust and heavy trucks to be compatible with outdoor shopping boutiques.
But Greg Hathaway, the Portland attorney representing the developers, said the project is designed with a buffer area and situating of buildings so that it will be compatible. He said the heavy truck traffic has been taken into consideration in the traffic study.
"Diverse uses have existed in Medford for years," said Hathaway. He said he's been working with the two wood products companies on a restrictive covenant that would ensure Northgate couldn't file frivolous nuisance claims against the mills.
Erik Vos, business analyst for Timber Products said negotiations of a deed restriction, so Northgate couldn't sue the mills for doing business, are in preliminary stages and it's too early to say if an agreement can be reached.
Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com.
What's Next For Northgate Project
Several public meetings on the Northgate Centre proposal remain.
Suzanne Myers, Medford's senior planner, said the Medford Planning Commission today will consider an amendment to the General Land Use Plan map and a zone change.
The commissioners will make a decision on the zone change and will make a recommendation to the City Council on the map. Depending on the commission's decision today, the land use map amendment may be heard by the council Nov. 16, she said.
She said if the commission OKs the zone change it would not take effect unless the council OKs the map amendment. Any appeal of the zone change would be heard by the City Council. Appeals of council actions are heard by the state Land Use Board of Appeals.
The master plan must then be approved by the Site Plan and Architectural Commission, then individual buildings would be reviewed by that same commission.
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