Council approves fifth amendment to Double R Land Company development agreement, adds acreage clarification and farmhouse elevation requirement

The City of Josephine Council on May 12 approved the fifth amendment to the development agreement with Double R Land Company, which adjusts development standards for a cluster of lots in the Riverfield/Wildflower area and directs staff to verify commercial acreage referenced in the amendment.

Why it matters: The amendment modifies allowable home elevations and clarifies the amount and location of land reserved for commercial use along Highway 6. Council members raised concern that the draft amendment did not explicitly state acreage, and the approved motion added language specifying approximately 14 acres reserved for commercial use on the Riverfield side and about 19 acres on the Wildflower side (approximately 34 acres total as discussed), with final acreage to be verified by city staff prior to incorporation in the agreement.

Developer representatives said the parcels are primary-platted and that the acreage was shown on plats prepared in previous years; staff confirmed the reserved commercial tract already appears on existing plats. The amendment also limits the product on roughly 89 lots on the far north side of Phase 4 to smaller (40-foot wide) lots using a farmhouse elevation product for 85 homes as described in the motion.

Council voted to approve the amendment with an explicit instruction that staff verify and insert the acreage figures in the finalized amendment language. The motion carried 3-0.

Next steps: City staff will verify the acreage referenced in the amendment and finalize the amendment language for the official record and minutes.