Arguing that the city does not have a shortage of commercial land as reported, two local timber companies urged the Medford City Council to deny a policy change that would pave the way for the 84-acre Northgate Centre complex to go forward.
The public hearing was still under way at press time late Thursday on a Comprehensive Plan change needed before the project could proceed.
The developer, Craig A. Stone and Associates, requested the rezoning of 62 of the 84 acres for a retail center/office park/industrial and business park proposal on the former Medco lumber mill property.
"Medford is virtually out of retail land," he said, adding that the site is a prime shopping location. "This property is at the axis of a number of state highways and city arterials."
The property, forming three of the four quadrants created by the intersection of Highway 238 and Central Avenue, was annexed into the city in recent years and has retained its general industrial zoning, used for heavy industry.
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They also said Highway 238, which bisects the project area, is a major thoroughfare for hundreds of freight trucks daily, and the addition of numerous left-turns into the project, as well as many pedestrians trying to cross the highway, is unsafe.
Greg Hathaway, a Portland attorney representing Northgate, said the plan has been recommended by the Medford Planning Commission with 15 conditions, ranging from a cap on the average daily trips the project can generate and transit improvements to a deed restriction with a "no whine" provision to prohibit frivolous lawsuits pertaining to nuisance complaints. He said the truck traffic was taken into consideration.
"Everybody has concluded that all the standards are satisfied, including the truck traffic in this neighborhood," he said.
Erik Vos, business analyst for Timber Products, said there are too many unanswered questions.
"There are many things that are vague," he said. "What if Northgate doesn't happen? What if it gets sold? What changes can they do after the fact ... if this rezone goes through?"
He said Northgate's proposed mitigation, including a berm, trees and a deed restriction, weren't sufficient, and wanted insurances that the costs would fall on Northgate's developers if the mitigation measures weren't enough.
In October, the City Council adopted an economic report calling for a reduction fo industrial-zoned land and an increase in commercial-zoned land. Timber Products contends the report is flawed and filed an appeal of that decision with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals on Oct. 31.
If the council approves the change to the Comprehensive Plan, the next step will be for the developer to submit a master plan to the Site Plan and Architectural Commission in a public hearing.
Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail mlanders@mailtribune.com.
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