Council conditionally approves vacation of New Bridgeway right-of-way pending construction of private access road

The Medford City Council unanimously approved Jan. 7 an ordinance to vacate a 23.5-foot-wide by approximately 567-foot-long portion of New Bridgeway east of North Ross Lane, with the vacation conditioned to become effective only upon completion of a private interior access road.

Planning Department staff Dustin Seabridge outlined the site context near Pioneer Marketplace and J.P. Stihl, summarized the property’s history of a prior road reservation and deferred construction agreement, and recommended approval consistent with planning commission findings. Seabridge and Public Works staff discussed a conditional approach to address the applicant’s desire for certainty while protecting public interests: the ordinance will not become effective until the roadway is completed, with a date-specific condition of Sept. 1, 2026 to allow summer construction.

Applicant agent Jay Harlan (CSA Planning) explained practical traffic and spacing constraints that make the proposed private interior access road preferable to a direct public extension, and said the engineering work is largely finished and permit filings to public works are expected promptly after council action.

Councilors asked technical questions about lot absorption, survey coordination with the assessor, and whether Public Works will review the privately constructed road to meet standards. Staff and the applicant confirmed Public Works will review the permit and specified that surveyor coordination will produce a memo for the city surveyor and assessor to ensure correct lot boundaries.

Garrett West moved approval; the motion passed in roll-call votes recorded as seven yes and later updated to eight yes when a councilor arrived. The ordinance contains a condition that it will not take effect until the roadway is built (target completion by 09/01/2026).