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Advisory committee outlines timeline for proposed urban renewal district; council warned of legal transition limits
Summary
A Medford advisory committee told council members it expects to recommend boundaries for a proposed urban renewal district by August and highlighted a statutory restriction that prevents property from being in two districts at once, which will require a staged transition from the existing district.
The Medford City Council received an update on May 7 from the community advisory group working on a proposed urban renewal district and was told committee members expect to recommend district boundaries by August.
“ We are pretty much in line with being able to provide a recommendation by August to both Council and MIRA in regards to the recommended district,” said EJ McManus, a member of the community advisory committee. Committee work focuses on housing, workforce development and economic development, McManus said.
The committee is reviewing an “extended map” of potential boundaries, conducting a heat-map analysis of underutilized properties, and planning outreach to property owners and other stakeholders. McManus said staff will coordinate the outreach once the committee’s goals become clearer.
A city consultant raised a legal constraint that will shape how properties move between districts. “State statute prohibits any property from being in two districts simultaneously,” said Harry Wise with MURO, explaining that the city may have to narrow the existing district to release parcels into a future district and then add properties later rather than attempt an overlapping transfer.
Wise said the transition can be managed without triggering major amendment procedures if the city coordinates actions by the council and the urban renewal board. Committee members and staff also discussed aligning proposed boundaries with the city’s forthcoming downtown master plan and economic opportunity analysis.
No formal council action was requested; staff and the committee plan additional outreach and expect to bring a recommended boundary map to council and the MIRA board in August.
