MEDFORD, OR PUSHES BACK ZONING DECISION

Comment period on Medford Wal-Mart extended [Mail Tribune (Oregon)]

A decision on a proposed zoning change required for Wal-Mart to build a supercenter at the former Miles Field in Medford has been delayed after the Planning Commission granted more time for a citizens group to comment on the plan.

The local chapter of Citizens for Responsible Development asserts that a zoning change for less than a quarter of an acre on the 19-acre Wal-Mart property at 1360 Center Drive would require a traffic analysis under city code.

“Within eyesight is Stewart Meadows Village planned across the street on Highway 99,” said Bruce Bauer, president of the Medford Citizens for Responsible Development. “That’s a zone change, and the city required a traffic analysis and not Wal-Mart. We are wondering why.”

Wal-Mart argues previous traffic studies are sufficient because the new design for the store reduces the footprint of initial plans from 206,500 to 176,500 square feet, theoretically reducing traffic destined for the store.

City staff members said they recommended approval of the zoning change without a new traffic analysis because city code requires a study only when the change involves generating more than 250 vehicle trips a day.

The city Public Works Department also has the discretion to waive the study of certain intersections when the traffic impacts are deemed to be nominal under city code.

“This de minimis zone change produces a net increase of 169 net average daily trips to the transportation system,” said Greg Hathaway, an attorney for Wal-Mart. “As a result… a transportation impact analysis is not required.”

Stewart Meadows Village, a 72-acre residential, retail and office development bounded by Garfield Street on the south, Highway 99 on the east, Stewart on the north and Myers Lane on the west, involved converting all of the land from county zoning to city zoning.

Construction is scheduled to begin on the project next spring.

The zoning change at the Wal-Mart property is necessary because revised plans place the store on a piece of property that includes .13 acre zoned as industrial. Under city code, a retail store must be designated as commercial. The rest of the proposed store’s footprint is on land already in a commercial zone.

Medford residents have until 5 p.m. Thursday to comment on the proposed zoning change by writing to the Medford Planning Commission, 411 W. Eighth St., Medford, OR 97501 or .

The Planning Commission is scheduled to consider the zoning change again at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 14 at City Council chambers on the third floor of City Hall, 411 West Eighth St.

Citizens for Responsible Development is concerned that the store would exacerbate traffic at busy intersections in the area. The group wants Wal-Mart to fund street improvements to accommodate additional traffic the store would attract.

Plans for the store call for two entrances. The main entrance is earmarked for Center Drive. At a secondary entrance, near the intersection of Stewart Avenue and Highway 99, customers would be allowed to take only right turns into the store parking lot and out of it. Left turns would be forbidden because of safety concerns.

“This application has had a lot of thought put into it and clearly reflects community and agency comments that were made during our last submittal,” said Jennifer Spall, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman in Seattle. “We are very proud of this design and feel that we meet everything outlined in order to receive approval to construct the store.”

Posted by Tony Calero on Wednesday, July 16, 2008