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Council returns failed annexation to the November ballot |
By Nicole
Clark, Newberg Graphic intern
E-mail Nicole at thegraphic@eaglenewspapers.com |
Voters will have another
opportunity to consider annexing two properties into the Newberg
urban growth boundary, the Newberg City Council decided Monday.
One annexation, the 14.74-acre Gueldner property, will be added to
the Nov. 6 general election ballot. The other annexation, the
29.92-acre NewB Properties site, will be voted on in May 2008,
provided that the first annexation is approved by the voters.
The annexations were originally brought before the public in May.
Measures 36-112 and 36-113 comprised a total of 44.66 acres across
Highway 99W from Providence Newberg Medical Center and between
Benjamin Road and Vittoria Way. The two measures failed by margins
of 54 percent and 59 percent, respectively.
However, applicant Jeff Smith wants to give voters another
opportunity to consider the annexation. In addition, “we would like
for you to give us another chance,” he said to the council.
Smith explained that he thought the developers did a poor job of
“educating” citizens on the benefits of the annexation.
Each of the two sites will have residential and commercial zones.
Developers plan to build single-family homes and commercial
buildings on the majority of the land, with the remaining acreage to
be used for parking and landscaping.
“We just assumed that (the benefits of the annexations were) sort
of obvious,” Smith said. “The citizens aren’t arguing about the
zoning. They’re not opposing the two residential zones.”
Marc Willcuts of Coyote Homes praised the annexation request, saying,
“This is an example of good planning over the years. I think it
makes a lot of sense.”
Not everyone present at the meeting was in favor of the annexation,
though. David Jensen and Vicki Shepherd, two Benjamin Road residents
actively involved in defeating the NewB Annexation measure in May,
shared their concerns about the potential increase in traffic as a
result of the newly-formed annexations.
“There is no bypass,” Jensen said. “(Highway) 99W will get more
traffic. It degrades the integrity of our city.”
“Increased housing along 99W will add to an already congested area,”
Shepherd said.
“The bypass is not something to be contingent on for traffic,”
Councilor Roger Currier said. “All I’m looking for is the best
quality product for the community out there. We need to support
these neighbors.”
Currier and Councilor Robert Soppe said they wished more people had
attended Monday’s meeting to make their views know on the
annexation.
“(I’m a little disappointed that) we hadn’t had a greater turnout
of those who were opposed to tell us why,” Currier said.
The motion to add the Gueldner property to the November ballot
passed 5-0; councilors Bob Larson and Bart Rierson were absent from
the meeting. The motion to place the other property on the May
ballot was approved 4-1 with Soppe casting the lone dissenting vote.
In addition to the residential and commercial development, Smith
and the other developers said the property would include a planned
extension of Crestview Drive to intersect with Highway 99W across
from the medical center. This project would be funded by the
developers, not by taxpayers.
“We didn’t get the word out and educate people (the first time),”
said developer Tim Speakman.
After four traffic studies, developers said they are better able to
educate the public. “We are going to be a solution, not a problem,”
Speakman said.
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Published
Aug. 8, 2007, Newberg Graphic
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