Whetstone Industrial Park Urban Overlay Amendments: CSA Planning partnered with REMI Northwest to bring about Whetstone Industrial Park urban overlay amendments for the purpose of encouraging regional economic growth. CSA Planning represented the City of Medford and Amy’s Kitchen in demonstrating a need to adjust lot sizes to reflect current trends in business financing methods. Furthermore, the amendments solved a technical problem with zoning and boundaries in the industrial park. The amendments accommodated new environmental constraints for vernal pools. CSA Planning Principal Jay Harland provided public hearing advocacy for the City of Medford before the White City Planning Commission and Jackson County Board of Commissioners. The project involved outreach to the Vernal Pool Stakeholders group.

City of Medford Southeast Plan:  CSA Planning was involved in all phases of planning and project management for the Southeast Plan, the region's largest designated TOD community. CSA's work included preparing legislative plan updates for the City of Medford, coordination with stakeholders, review of existing plans and preparation of recommendations for plan and code revisions to achieve the stated goals of the project. Additionally, CSA Planning prepared findings of facts and defensible conclusions of law to adequately address objections and to support the final outcome.  Objections were raised during the proceedings, but the findings of fact conclusions of law were not appealed to LUBA. Click here to download a PDF document about the Medford Southeast Plan.

US Cellular Community Park: CSA Planning represented the Medford Department of Parks and Recreation before the Site Plan and Architectural Review Commission and earned site review approval for the city's new 132-acre sports park. CSA Planning's work involved public outreach with neighbors, specifically Rogue Valley Manor residents concerned about field lighting. Under Project Manager Jay Harland’s direction, the city completed a comprehensive sports field lighting analysis and resubmitted the site plan. The city and neighbors reached agreement about conditions and the site review commission granted approval for the final phase of the Medford sports complex, avoiding protracted litigation.

City of Medford Economic Element Update: CSA Planning, REMI Northwest and Johnson Reid LLC completed an update and replacement of the Medford Economic Element consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 9 and its implementing rule OAR 660 Division 009.  The team conducted a technical analysis of employment land supply through 2028.  Through research and calculations, the planning project forecasted deficits in employment lands in the next 20 years and suggested ways to meet needs by changing map designations within the existing UGB.  The Medford Economic Element received a commendation from the Department of Land Conservation and Development for the project approach. The DLCD identified it as one of the best Goal 9 updates in the state. “I especially appreciated the linear narrative starting with historical context and the separate technical appendix, making it easy to follow the line from context and facts, through analysis to reasonable conclusions,” wrote Tom Hogue, policy analyst for DLCD’s Economic Development Planning. The Medford City Council adopted the economic element update December 4, 2008.   

Oregon Shakespeare Festival: We helped secure the site design and use review and conditional use permit for one of the most respected theaters in the country.  We paved the way for a new indoor 344-seat theater across the street from the Elizabethan Theater. In a city that encourages alternative transportation, our concept plans included a well-lit and wheelchair accessible pedestrian route that links to existing sidewalks throughout downtown. Founded in 1935, the Tony Award-winning Oregon Shakespeare Festival is among the oldest and largest professional non-profit theatres in the nation. The festival presents 11 plays during a nine-month season, with more than 780 performances annually before 400,000 people.

Northgate Centre: CSA Planning completed the project design, findings of fact, analysis and conclusions for Northgate Centre, an 84-acre project near the newly-constructed Highway 238 and North Central Avenue. One quadrant of Northgate Centre will accommodate Alba Village, a collection of shops and restaurants that Medford residents have been requesting. Architecture will be modeled after buildings in Alba, Italy, Medford's sister city. The second quadrant will be the Office Park, a mix of professional and business offices, restaurant and support services in a campus environment. Northgate’s third quadrant is the Business Park, a campus planned to accommodate small manufacturing and shipping/warehousing businesses and function as an incubator for business start-ups. The fourth quadrant (one of two fronting the railroad right-of-way) is being planned by others as an industrial subdivision. The project will be served by extensive pedestrian facilities and free trolley services connecting to the nearby Rogue Valley Mall. Watch a video about Northgate.

Ashland Library: Craig Stone was the lead planner for the City of Ashland’s permit approval to restore the historic Carnegie Library building. CSA Planning provided a way for Ashland to preserve a downtown treasure while conserving resources by rebuilding on city-owned land. The project had five components: amending the Ashland Land Use Ordinance to reduce setback requirements; amending the Ashland Comprehensive Plan as it applies to the library property, from a multiple family residential to a downtown designation; changing the zone to retail commercial and applying the downtown overlay district to provide flexibility in design; guiding the city through site review; and obtaining a demolition permit to remove the 1953 addition.

Economic Analysis: We partner with Regional Economic Models Northwest to study the economic impact of potential projects. For example, a REMI analysis showed that by 2015, Northgate Centre will produce 1,800 permanent jobs (more than 700 of which are projected to be living wage jobs) $95 million in annual personal income, $5 million per year in local property tax revenue (of which roughly $2 million would be in municipal revenue and nearly $14 million in annual state revenue.) Northgate Centre is projected to produce more than $4 million in street systems development charges revenue for the city. Learn more about our partner company REMI Northwest.