attached are to village packet - ashland, oregon › files › documents_submitted_112007.pdf ·...
TRANSCRIPT
Attached are additions tothe Verde Village packet
received after theNovember 6 2007Council Meeting
Please refer to yourNovember 6tt 2007 packetfor all other attachments
1
CITY OF
ASHLAND
MemoDATE
TO
FROMRE
November 14 2007
Planning Staff
Dick WanderscheidRevised Verde Village Condition
After discussing the Verde Village Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy systemswith Christopher Dymond ofthe Oregon Department ofEnergy the Conservation Staffwould like torevise the condition we proposed as a condition ofapproval ofthe project Recognizing that it isn tfeasible to install a 3 kW PV system on the smaller homes and cottages we feel that the followingcondition is more appropriate
That each home that would be built to the standards encompassed in the applicant s Exhibit K be
provided with aPV system that is either 3 kW s in size or produces 15 kWh s I Sq FtI Yr whichever isless and also be provided with enough available south facing unshaded roofspace to double the size ofthe PV system
This revised condition should ensure that these homes will be outfitted with a reasonably sized system atconstruction but would also allow future owners the opportunity to increase the system size in the futureif they so desire Also this condition can easily be quantified and enforced by the City uponconstruction ofthis development
Electric Dept90 N Mountain 8tAshland Oregon 97520wwwashland orus
Tel 541488 5357Fax 541 552 2436TTY 800 735 2900 rl
1
CITY OF
ASHLAND
Memorandum
DATETOFROMRE
November 14 2007Mayor and City CouncilRichard Appicello Assistant City AttorneyDevelopmentAgreement forVerde Village
This morning I met with Attorney Chris Hearn concerning the letters from his firmconcerning the draft development agreement Generally Mr Hearn and Iagreed on
language to address most ofthe issues and concerns presented
1 Several typographical errors were discovered and will be corrected2 It was agreed and understood that the order set forth in Section 16 is
generally correct and follows a logical progression ofrequired approvals Theagreement does not expressly mandate the order specified be followed exactlyas it is only alist ofapprovals required Certain orders and dates are specifiedin Special condition 2 and the timetable of development for the projectPhysical construction ofPhase 1 cannot occur prior to Federal State and
County approval ofthe land exchange among other things11 13 07 Davis letter 16A
3 It was agreed and understood that the timetable ofdevelopment requirescompletion ofthe multi use path bya date certain Section 16 item 16 doesnot impact this requirement The Development Agreement already providesflexibility as regards the completion date with an allowance for 12 monthinternal timetable amendment consistent with outline plan amendment
procedures Ifthe Owner would like to convey the recreation parcel to theCity concluding the land exchange prior to construction of the multi use
path improvement then the improvement and restoration will need tobesecured with acontract and security instrument consistent with the timetableofdevelopment Language will be adjusted to address this issue11 13 07 Davis letter 16 B
4 Itwas agreed and understood that the conveyance ofthe affordable housingtract is required prior to anyvertical construction
1113 07 Davis letter 16 C5 Itwas agreed and understood that the requirement to complete the affordable
housing project within 5 years of approval ofthe DevelopmentAgreementwas acondition imposed by the Planning Commission Exhibit E Conditionland Exhibit F page 2 It was agreed that the Council could alter thisdeadline but for internal consistency condition 1 should allow for use oftheadministrative extension because this is an internal timetable deadline
11 13 07 Davis letter page 2 A
6 It was agreed and understood that the Council has the power toaccept or
reject an offered dedication or conveyance ofthe affordable housing tract In
the event ofarejection Owner will be required toconvey to another not for
profit organization to meet affordable housing requirements of the codeowner is not required to actually construct affordable housing Language willbe revised toclarify this intent
1
rA
11 13 07 Davis letter page 2 B
7 Itwas agreed and understood that Exhibit F is actually abinding timetable ofdevelopment and has a set order subject toapproved internal
amendmentsSection 16 is only a list ofapprovals required generally in logical orderWhile actual closing ofthe exchange may be delayed to accommodateconstruction ofpublic improvements without bonding physical constructiondoes not occur until federal state and county approval ofthe land exchangeThe project is not designed to go forward with a discrete phase one if the
exchange is never approved so construction cannot occur without approval11 13 07 Davis letter page 2 F
8 It was agreed and understood that the requested changes to the real propertyagreement Exhibit G can be generally accommodated
9 Itwas agreed and understood that the two remaining changes in theNovember 1 letter will be addressed with some mutually agreeable language
RA
2
r
EElCOt1MUlilTYDIIILQlIIfo INT 1K
RoGUE VALLEY COCBULDlN5 6
PO Box 1733Medford OR 97501T 541 a 734 2355F 541 a 245 6986
www rvcdc com
rvcdCOgrrtech ccm
BOARD
Floyd PIIWIow8Icl
MIcMeI TraIJce PrwIdent
RaeLym IlerkerscJwy
CIwaRowenw
00mI MIlr8nyAnu
FIIld llergerRIbeccII Brown
CIlIy ColeyJ8bber Fralln
SlIm FlIlgFredIuc8o
n Mldd lldo
llw8yne MurroyJohn Stder
STAFF
Andree MIrandeDItKtor FInance and
Oparaton
John WhMIerDInJotor Acqullllons and
CotIattuction
R na ZepedHomabuyer SeIVIces
CoordI
AlanaBookkHpar
LaynaManlllYouthboId CtnIINder
To MariaHanisSeuior Planner City of ARhlntl
November 8 2007
MariaI wouldlike to clarify a few things about the Verde Village project as it
pertains to the affordable housing in the development Before I begin I would liketo say what a wonderful oppcrtunity this is for Rogue Valley COC ourclientsand for ourcommunity To be in a position to provide 15 affordable homeownership opportunities for the community is awonderful thiug We are verypleased and honored that the Williamses are intending todonate land to ourlllglU i7ationand thankful that the City of Ashland supports affordable housingIwould like to address a few items that have come up in the publicmeetings with the PI nni8Commission and the CityCouncil
First is the issueofspreading the affORlable units throughout thedevelopment Since we are r1anni8 use a Land Trust to keep the homesaffordable for 99 years it is easier ifwe can group the homes all together Alsosince we arebuilding these with sweat equity in a Mutual SclfHelp program it ismuch more logics1 tokeep the houses close to one another We also aretrying todesign integrated units that will assist each other in keeping the energy usage to aminimum So I would like to see all the homes stay together in the development
Secondly Iwould like to ask that we are not required to put playgroundequipment on the open space that will be near the townhouses The liabilitypotential is too great for us tohave apublic playground onthe property
Lastly I would like toclarify our position on net zero energy for theaffordable hOllsing part ofthis development We intend to buildthese homes to beas energy efficient as we possibly can but we don tfeel that we should be held toanything but code for energy efficiency The most important thiug we can dowhen building affordable housing is keep it affordable With that in mind we
always buildwell insulated smaller energy efficienthomes with low flowplumbing fixtures and eneJgy star appliances so our fiunilies can afford theirutilities and weplan to go even further with these homes
If this project is approved we will immediately sign Solare Arohitectureand 18 nering to design our townhouses They will be designed tobe as greenas possible but we don tknow ifwe can afford the photovo1taic and other costlysystems required tomake them net zero We are looking at writinggnmts tohelp fund green engineered systems for water and energy but they are notaguanmtee Atthe very least we will design the building to be easily upgradeablein the future We just don twanttojeopardize the affordabi1ity ofthe homes withanet zero energy s1aDdard applied to the affordable homes
Thank you forall ofyour hard work on this project I lookfurward toseeing you onthe 21f RECEIVED
HOV 1 3 2007
C ctCornijJJili i De 31oPfJt
fithis institution 1s8nequ81 opportunltyprolllder
s inYai s f Re f d6ack Page 1 I
FromTo
Date
SUbject
Richard AppicalloBarbara Christensen Bill Molnar Maria Harris Susan Yates
11720075 10 44 PM
Fwd Re feedback
Richard AppicalloAssistant City AttorneyCity of Ashland OR541 4885350 PHONE541 552 2092 FAX
TTY 1 800 7352900
appicalr@ashland or us
This emailtransmission is intended for the recipient as indicated aboveThe information contained within this document is confidential Unauthorizeddistribution of the contents of this document in full or part is strictly prohibitedIf you have recaived this message in error please notify me immediately bytelephone at 541 552 2091
David Chapman DavidChapman@AshlandHome net 11 07 07 10 52 AMHello Risa
During the process of a Council decision on a land use issue we allneed equal accass to information and that controlled in part by thedisclosures of ex parte contacts The content of your note and myresponse needs to be included in the record so I am going to copyRichard Appicallo and Martha Bennett
Risa Buck is a member of our Conservation Commission and I am itscurrent Chair
You can tell from the above that we can not talk about the specificsof this project However in general the Council is very Interested insustainability issues We all have some holes in our knowledge but I amconfident that we will be able to discover what we need to know duringthe procass in order to make our decisions
We and the Planning Commission will need to do some exploringbefore we tackle the comprehensive plan As a start ns about time forthe Conservation Commission to address the Council We could take a lookat what should be presented
Thanks Rise for your observationsDavid
WasteNot wrotehi davidi had some thoughts my participation in the audienca of the citycouncil meeting last night
l lnYates Fif FRe feedback
it occured to me after listening to some of thecomments questionsconcerns from the councilors that It could bebenificial for the conservation department to give a quickpresentation 8 minutes each from larry cathy and robbin that wouldinform councilors about water electric and building conservationdefinitions and efforts that the city has been pursuingwithout this information It makes it more difficult for councilors tograsp some of the concepts of sustainabilityi think it would be helpful for the process and to be more informedif councilors had some knowledge about passive solar designorientation necessary for photovoltaics things like that also ifbrandon from affordable housing could explain the way funding worksfor this type of housing grants financing ectit might aid inunderstanding how why for example the verde village projectaffordable housing part would not be able to commit to the greenaspect of the project until approval by the city is reachedit also occured to me that once the councilors understand more deeplyabout sustainable practices and some of what is involved it mightbecome more apparent that the existing comprehensive plan falls shortin its ability to support sustainable developments and progress withinthe citylet me know what you thinkbestrisa
l
PaQll2
Penelope C MartensP O Box 664 Ashland OR 97520
Voice 482 1158 CeU 261 0898 Fax 482 7676
October 29 2007
Dear Ashland City Counsel Members
lbank you for the untold time energy that you all give as members ofour CityCouncil Despite negative press lately about communication problems YOU HAVE MYRESPECT Again I thank you
YourNovember 6th Agenda includes the review ofa future building projectcalled VERDE VILLAGE to be located near the current location ofAshland GreenHouses on Nevada St near Hellman currently owned by Greg Valri Williams
Ive been following this project closely After numerous meetings discussionresearch it s been blessed by the Planning Commission and referred to you the citycouncil for fmal approval
If you ve seen recent movies read scientific research heard experts lectureabout our need toprotect our planet s ecological future you too may be moved to doMORE about planetary warming that is practical not just lip service
Yes we ve established the Dept ofEnergy Conservation offer city tax creditsrebates for folks who buy or build green homes andor appliances Thats fine but
we need togo much farther
It is my deepest wish that we as a community and you as ourcouncil lookat the project called VERDE VILLAGE with an open positive attitude
VERDE VILLAGE if built will be astar in Ashland s crown As awhole
community of green built homes it will be ashining example for future home buildersdesigners developers planners ofthe state the nation even the world
Unlike non resident profit hungry developers who fly in rape the land pockettheir riches leave Valri Greg Williams whose family has lived in Ashland forover 100 years are one of us
The imagined obstacles to building VERDE Village have already been carefullyaddressed with the surrounding neighbors the legal counsel for the city Oregon s
Department of Energy many many green building experts as mentioned in thedocumented plans offered by Greg Valri Williams
IRECEIVED
OCT 3 0 2807
City of Ashland
Community Development
Please say yes to this project Help us establish Ashland as one ofthe fust citiesboasting a whole community ofhighly energy efficient homes Think about it We ll beknown for OSF AlFF SOU VERDE VILLAGE
Yours truly
Penelope Penny artens
ember ofthe Quiet Voting Tax Paying Law Abiding ajority ofConcemed AshlandCitizens
J
Nov 13 2007 10 47AM
IHP LASER JET FAX p 2
JACK DAVISCHRI E IiEASUSAN VOGEL S DOFFJENNIFER A BRIO ES
C CASEYWHITE
GESLA W
810M B CPVI Retlrad
SIONEYE AINSWORlli 1921 20D3DONALD M PINNOCK Retired
DAVIO V GllSTRAP Retrad
IAQAOrnlbdbP IioeCA I
AImAclnltldDPr tioaInOC MC PAlandttJ
I
IIIII
Established 1953
A Professional CorporatlCln
515 EAST MAIN STREETASHlAND OREGON 97520
541 462 3111 FAX 541 48B4455
YIWN davishearn com
November 13 2007
RI HARD A ICELLO
ANDL GAL DEPARTMENT
Vl FACSIM E TRANSMISSION 552 2092
Re Verde Village Development Agreement
lements my letter ofNovember I 2007 In addition to the matters raised thereCouncil consider the following
DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT
Sectio 16
A Th following would replace my reference to Section 16 in my earlier letter Pleasead asentenc that the order of the 28 items is not mandatory Many of these items are in theWI ng order d the occurrence of events in the future may impact the matters It is certainPh One wi I be developed while the exchange is still being considered for approval and therewil be no im rovements on the exchange property orPhase Two until the exchange is
co pleted
B Ite 16 should contain the language permitting a surety bond or cash deposit in lieu ofthose improvements
C In tern IS add of Phase Two after vertical construction
Nov 13 2007 10 47AM HP LASERJET FAXp 3
Pag 2
EXHIBIT E
iSeetio I 2nd Paralpanh
i
A PI e change of this approval to of approval by all applicable governmentent ies in the fourth and fifth lines
I
B Th last sentence will have to be removed The Owner is unwilling to accept theobi gation toSrovide
affordable housing ifthe land reverts Ifthe Owner conveys the property to
the ity the ity does not have the option to reject that offer This is consistent with thedec sion ofth Planning Commission
IEXHffilT F
I
Again lease add a statement that these steps will not have to occur in the orderind cated Th re is agreement that there will be annexation ofthe West parcel then closing ofthe xchange en annexation of the East parcel with donation ofthe land to the RVCDC Thatis e only or rtowhich the Willi8ll1llhave agreed
II EXHIBIT G
Sectio
am unt willJust to clarify please add the following sentence at the end The donation
equal to the difference between appraised values ofthe two properties
4 Sixty business days is three months and quite unworkable for the Williamson why the parties could not go through their approval oftitle reports and due
ding the properties at the outset so that this deal can be closed 30 days followingapproval from all government entities
ectio 5 a iii The same deadline should apply to delivery ofthe InvestigationDo wnents bviously there should not really be any investigation documents tobother withT underpi g for this new timeframe is the fact that neither party can withdraw from this
ex ange afte the Application has been submitted to the State Parks Department Allconditions
pre edent sho d expire by then
DAVIS lifARNSAIADOFF BRIDGESAPrchIsional Corp Qratlon516 EAST MAIN STREET
ASHLAND OREGON 9752J541 4B2 3111 FfV 54 488 4455
Nov 13 2007 10 47AM HP LASERJET FAX
II
p 4
Pag 3i
i
Seetio 12 b vi Though AFSG is currently the owner ofthe property the agreementd reeo ze that it intends to convey the property to another party as part of its development
pi prior to c nsummation ofthe exchange This agreement should contain the usual provisiontha it will be inding on the successors and assigns ofthe parties
I
I
Ag 11 please fnsider this letter as an addition to my earlier letter and to all submissions from
my er ers Hearn
Yo s truly I
DOFF BRIDGES p e
cc
Ii
Chrisfearnchearn@davishearn com
Greg illiams greg@verdevilllUe net
Valri illiams valri@ hlandgreenhouses com
III
jc
DAVIS HEARN
SAIADOFF BRIDGESA ProlellionM COfpClratlon615 EAST MAIN STREET
ASHlAND OREGONliT52Q
541 4823111 FAX 541 4B84455
City of Ashland Oregon Agendas And Minutes Page I of4
City of Ashland Grecon Commissions Committees Parks Recreation Commission
Monday June 25 2007
City of AshlandPARKS AND RECREATION COMMISSION
REGULAR MEETING
MINUTES
June 25 2007
Ado It Verde
1 11a7 eck I
y sclS15 0 ia
P1e Z
Executive Sessions
Employee NegotiationsORS 192 660 1 d
Real Property AcquisitionORS 192 660 2 e
ATTENDANCE
Present Commissioners Eggers Gardiner Noraas Rosenthal City Council Liaison Navickas DirectorRobertson Superintendents Gies and Teige
Absent Commissioner Lewis
CALL TO ORDER
Eggers called the regular meeting to order at 7 15 PM at Council Chambers 1175 E Main
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
Study Session May 10 2007Under Budget Review Eggers requested that the sentence referring to documentation be rephrased as
Eggers requested clarification about whether documentation existed for that arrangement and Bennett statedthat the City honored the agreement despite lack of documentation of a formal arrangementMOTION Rosenthal moved to approve the minutes as amended Noraas seconded the motion
The vote was 4 yes 0 no
Special Meeting May 15 2007Under Proposed Budget Recommendations Eggers requested that the sentence referring to her disclosureof meeting with public officials regarding the Parks budget read Eggers disclosed that she met with MayorMorrison and spoke with Councilor Hartzell who previously spoke with HardestyMOTION Gardiner moved to approve the minutes as amended Rosenthal seconded the motion
The vote was 4 yes 0 no
Regular Meeting May 21 2007
Under Subcommittee and Staff Reports Eggers requested that the sentence referring to commissioners
attending state and national conferences more accurately reflect that Eggers expressed reservations aboulthe value of the NRPA conference compared to the cost to Ashland taxpayers She also asked that theminutes reflect that she expressed support of training opportunities for staff and commissioners
MOTION Gardiner moved to approve the minutes as amended Noraas seconded the motionThe vote was 4 yes 0 no
PUBLIC PARTICIPATIONOPEN FORUM
http www ashland or us Agendas asp Display Minutes AMID 31 09 Print True 111152007
City ofAshland Oregon Agendas And Minutes Page 2 of4
None
ADDITIONS OR DELETIONS TO THE AGENDANone
UNFINISHED BUSINESSNone
NEW BUSINESS
PROPOSED LAND SWAP VERDE VILLAGERobertson reported that local property owners Greg and Valri Williams requested a land swap between the
City of Ashland and the proposed housing development Verde Village He indicated that the developerproposed trading 2 59 acres of private land appraised at 360 000 in exchange for 1 3 acres of City landvalued at 101 000 The City owned land was identified as containing the entrance road to the Dog Park a
section of the Bear Creek Greenway a grass covered area and the restroom adjacent to the property whilethe private land was reported to include a stream corridor for Ashland Creek wetlands and a new trail routefor the Bear Creek Greenway He said that a new entrance to the Dog Park would result from a new road
system if the proposal were to be approvedRobertson emphasized that the commission s responsibility was to consider whether the proposed swapwould benefit or hinder the Dog Park and or the Bear Creek Greenway and to answer question number twocontained in the staft memo Is the proposed land swap of equal or greater recreational value than the land
originally purchased with the Land and Conservation funds Robertson said that the proposal requiredadditional approval by both state and county representativesDiscussion Among CommissionersNoraas asked about maintenance requirements for the potentially swapped land and Robertson said it wouldbe a low maintenance area but would require sensitivity in the riparian area as well as some non native
vegetation removal
Eggers invited commissioners to ask questions of Kerry KenCairn landscape architect for the project whowas in attendance and spoke briefly about the projectGardiner disclosed his friendship with landowner Williams and said he had reviewed the project many timesHe stated that access to the Dog Park and the bike path through the creekGreenway area would be an
improvement over the current arrangement and would fit perfectly with the commission s goal of providingcontinued access to the creek and serving as stewards of the land Noraas said that the plan would providebetter recreational opportunities than the current situation and that the land some of which is located in a
floodplain did not appear to pose flooding problems Rosenthal and Eggers spoke favorably of the proposalin terms of providing increased recreational value over the current arrangementMOTION Noraas moved to recommend approval of the proposed land swap to the Ashland City CouncilGardiner seconded the motion
The vote was 4 yes 0 no
ULTIMATE FRISBEE REQUESTRobertson reported that Derek Volkart requested the use of the North Mountain Park playing fields in May2008 for an Ultimate Frisbee tournament called Cramp Up He invited Volkart to speak to the commission
Derek Volkart P O Box 3384 stated that the tournament had been held on SOU fields in past years but a
recent shift in the university s fields policy required organizers to seek other optionsDiscussion Among Commissioners
Commissioners asked Vol kart a number of questions about the game and the tournament Volkark providedan overview of the game and stated that the tournament typically draws up to 300 participants Robertsonsaid that if Volkart required both the softball and baseball fields in May a fence would stand between themand pose an obstacle to tournament play He reported that high school spring baseball was the commission s
http www ashland or us Agendas asp Display Minutes AMID 31 09 Print True II II 5 2007
City of Ashland Oregon Agendas And Minutes Page 3 of4
first priority with field scheduling during that time Rosenthal asked about the game s impact to turf especiallyin rainy weather and Volkart stated that players wore turf shoes or soccer cleats and field impacts were
similar to those of soccer games
Commissioners directed staff to work out the scheduling details with Volkart for the North Mountain Parkfields and to notify them of the outcome Robertson volunteered to speak with the schools about their field
availabilityRVTV CABLE TELEVISION CONTRACT RENEWALRobertson reported that the existing two year contract with Rogue Valley Television was set to expire Hereminded the commission of the services provided under the 5 150 contract including broadcasts and
tapings of the regular commission meetings and archiving of meeting tapes as well as 14 additional hours ofprogramming and said that the contract had not changed from previous years He talked about highlightingvarious Parks Department recreational and trail maintenance activities and said that the new PromotionsCoordinator would be able to work with RVTV to fully utilize their resources for the benefit of the departmentMOTION Gardiner moved to renew the contract with RVTV in the amount of 5 150 over the next two
years Noraas seconded the motion
The vote was 4 yes 0 no
07Q COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENTSRobertson stated that in June of each year the commission typically reviewed Parks salaries and determinedwhether to provide cost of living increases for all regular Parks staff members He said that COLAs were
generally tied with West coast CPI figures and indicated that the figure in May was 2 8 He reported thatParks staff requested that a portion of their COLA if granted be placed in an HRA VEBA program Iong or
short term pre tax deferment for medical expenses
MOTION Noraas moved to approve a 2 8 cost of living adjustment for the regular employees of theAshland Parks and Recreation Commission Further one third of the adjustment to be deposited on behalf ofthe employees in a Health Reimbursement Arrangement I Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association PlanHRA VEBAj account effective July 1 2007 and Don Robertson Director of Ashland Parks and Recreation
to be given authorization on behalf of the commission to execute all documents of the HRA VEBA and costof living increase Rosenthal seconded the motion
The vote was 4 yes 0 no
SUBCOMMITTEE and STAFF REPORTS
Teige reported that all summer recreation programs were in full swing including tennis and swimminglessons and the first Movie on the Range of the season was scheduled for Friday June 29
ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS
Eggers asked that Parks staff reinforce to the Fourth of July Committee the parking I food and liquid waste
requirements within Lithia Park
UPCOMING MEETING DATE S and PROPOSED AGENDA ITEMS
Study session set for July 16 at 7 00 PM Parks office 340 S Pioneer Topic to includeClimate Change Presentation
Regular meeting set for July 23 at 7 00 PM Council Chambers 1175 E Main Topic to includeAshland City Band Fundraising Request
ADJOURNMENT By consensus with no further business Eggers adjourned the meeting at 8 50 PM
Respectfully submitted Susan Dyssegard Ashland Parks and Recreation Department
http www ashland or us Agendas asp Display Minutes AMID 31 09 Print True 1115 2007
m l C3 j fl
lill NOV 15 2007 JIBy J
Mr Mayor and City Councilors
I intended to deliver the enclosed testimony during the public hearingportion ofthe Nov 6 council meeting but as you will recall most publiccomment was postponed until the Nov 20 meeting I cannot attend that
meeting so I am submitting mycomments in writing Thank you in advancefor giving my remarks your attentin and considerationThank you
7Tom Pyle
Good evening
My name is Tom Pyle My wife and I live at 2298 Camp Baker Road just outside
Phoenix I know you would prefer to hear from Ashland residents so I would open by
saying that changing our address to one in Ashland is very high on our list ofgoals for
the near future
My wife and I moved to Ashland in 1969 and raised our family here before
moving to our current home 30 years later We moved to the country because we thoughtwe wanted a taste of rural life the chance to have some open space abig garden and so
on
After eight years of an endless cycle of watering mowing and weeding I can
truly say rural life doesn ttaste all that great tome
I miss Ashland I was actively involved in community affairs while living here
and remain so concerned about the welfare of the city that I still watch the city council
planning commission and parks commission meetings on TV I think that says somethingabout my state of mind nowadays
My wife and I feel Verde Village would be an ideal place for us to live
We are both retired and on what amounts to fixed incomes Verde Village would
provide housing that is both affordable and suited to our preferred style oflivingsmaller houses on smaller lots with smaller gardens meaning less watering and fewer
weeds Also we would be within walking distance of our son and his family and
downtown Ashland as well as the dog park and bike path which we already use quiteoften
Community development staff conducted an exhaustive and very thorough review
ofthe Verde Village project and all its complexities The planning commission then
scrutinized the application and endorsed it by a near unanimous vote
It is my hope that the council will direct its attention to the major issues of
annexation zoning change and land exchange and save itself the trouble of delving into
all the details staff and the planning commission have already dealt with
As a former Ashland parks and recreation commission member and chair I have a
special interest in the proposed land swap and extension of the multi use path In my
opinion the city and its parks system would come out way ahead in the deal
The current parks and recreation commission has also enthusiastically endorsed
the land swap and long sought improvements to the multi use path This is one ofthose
everybody wins scenarios that we all hope for but rarely see actually happen
Also very rarely seen is aproject designed with so many energy and water
efficient attributes
Verde Village is a textbook example of the right way to go about building a
project the community can be enormously proud of
I hope you will give it your unequivocal endorsement so that it may soon become
areality
Yr