05222025 PUBLIC HEARING FOR PLANNING COMMISSION

Agenda Shady Cove Planning Commission Public Hearing Thursday, May 22, 2025 6:00 PM Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/9093902742?omn=98975795870 Meeting ID: 909 390 2742 I. Call to Order A. Roll call. B. Announcements by Presiding Officer. 1. This meeting is being digitally recorded. 2. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Planning Commission will be June 12, 2025, at 6:00 PM both in Council Chambers and via Zoom. 3. The meeting date is subject to change. II. Public Hearing A) Public hearing to consider a Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment and Zone Change for property located as 22023 Hwy 62. Open Public Hearing. A Public Hearing to accept public testimony and consider the request to change the Comprehensive Plan Map designation from Commercial to Public, and Zone Change from General Commercial to Public Uses, on a single parcel of City-owned land, comprising 2.30 acres. The property is located at 22023 Hwy 62, Shady Cove, Oregon. Assessor’s Map and Tax Lot: 34-1W-15BC 100. Owner/Applicant: City of Shady Cove File Number: ZC 25-01. 1. Read Public Hearing Open Statement. 2. If you would like to speak before the Commission, please email ahead of time to planning@shadycove.org, sign sheet on the table or via Zoom raise your hand. 3. Jurisdiction Question. 4. Conflict of Interest. 5. Ex Parté Contact. 6. Site Visit. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the Planning Department at planning@shadycove.org. Notification 72 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to the meeting (28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title II). Shady Cove Planning Commission Agenda May 22, 2025 Page Two of Two  7. Staff Comments. (Slaughter) 8. Applicants’ Testimony/Proponents Testimony/Commission Questions 9. Opponents' Testimony/Commission Questions. 10. Rebuttal. 11. Final Staff Comments. 12. Close/Continue Hearing. 13. Deliberations/Discussion/Decision III. Subject of Workshop None IV. Department Reports A. Planning Report V. Public Comment VI. Commissioner Comments VII. Adjournment  CITY OF SHADY COVE PLANNING COMMISSION PACKET PLANNING FILE NO. ZC 25-01 CONSIDER PROPOSED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT FROM COMMERCIAL TO PUBLIC AND CHANGE OF ZONE FROM GC (GENERAL COMMERCIAL) TO P (PUBLIC USES) FOR PROPERTY LOCATED AT 22023 HWY 62, SHADY COVE, OREGON PUBLIC HEARING: THURSDAY MAY 22, 2025, 6:00 P.M. INDEX Staff Report Subject Property Map and Zoning Map Change Application Notice to Dept. of Land Conservation and Development Agency /Neighbor Request for Comments / Mailing Comments Returned Legal Notice / published in Upper Rogue Independent  Type IV Staff Report Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment and Zone Change Date: May 22, 2025 Application No: ZC 25-01 Owner / Applicant: City of Shady Cove Proposal: Change of Comprehensive Plan Map designation from Commercial to Public, and Zone Change from General Commercial to Public Uses, on a single parcel of City- owned land. Address: 22023 Highway 62, Shady Cove, OR 97539 Legal Description of Property: 34-1W-15BC, Tax Lot 100 Acreage: 2.30 acres Zoning: General Commercial The City of Shady Cove planner has reviewed an application for Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment and Zone Change to permit the development of public uses on the subject property described above. ______________________________________________________________ Section154.439 establishes the following criterion: 1. The proposal shall be consistent with the City’s adopted goals and policies pertaining to land use, growth, and development. In addition to this criterion, the application for comprehensive plan amendment asks the applicant to provide the following findings: 2. There is a need for this type of property as follows: 3. This property meets the public need best by: 4. The proposed use will not be detrimental to the public health, safety and general welfare in that: Findings in compliance with the required criterion of Section 154.439, along with the additional considerations listed in the application for a comprehensive plan amendment, are provided below. 1. The proposed change is in conformance with the comprehensive land use plan of the City of Shady Cove in that: The proposed change in Comprehensive Plan Map designation and Zoning Map designation for the subject property is in conformance with all applicable sections of the Comprehensive Plan. In particular, the proposed change is in conformance with the following applicable sections: 05/22/2025 Staff Report ZC 25-01 City Park Page 1 of 4 Section C. Economic Development Section D. Natural Resources, Natural Disasters and Hazards Section E. Recreation Section H. Land Use Plan Appendix. Goals and Policies Findings – Section C: Section C is a relatively short chapter of the Comprehensive Plan; containing only three pages of text. It discusses some of the history of the economy in Shady Cove, describes the current conditions, identifies a number of challenges, and provides guidance on improving the economic condition in Shady Cove. One major challenge identified in the Plan is the lack of a municipal water system. There is no mention of a lack of available commercial land for development, and therefore, the loss of this 2.30-acre site from the commercial land inventory is not contrary to the plan. The Plan does call for efforts to stimulate development. By providing a space for people to congregate, through recreation or the hosting of events, the proposed park land will help to encourage pedestrian traffic in the commercial core of Shady Cove. These kinds of developments have been shown to help to stimulate economic activity in underutilized areas. Findings – Section D: This Section is generally unapplicable to the proposed change, however, there is a heading for open space in Section D. The mention of open space in this context is generally an inventory of existing open space – recognizing that the Rogue River provides the majority of open space in Shady Cove, along with the two formally designated parks: Aunt Caroline’s Park and the Rogue regional County Park. This section is only applicable in that it recognizes the lack of open spaces in the community. Findings – Section E: The proposed change is heavily supported by Section E. This section catalogs available parks and recreation spaces in Shady Cove and concludes that the city is lacking in available park space. The city has 8.46 acres of developed park space, and needs roughly 18 to 30.5 acres given the population at the time of the study. This number is slightly higher now given the modest increase in population. The addition of this 2.30-acre property to the parks inventory will help to close the existing gap, but the City should continue to look at additional ways to add to the inventory. Findings – Section H: In describing the Public designation, Section H tells us that: “all of the land given the designation as public is owned by public agencies and is used or is potentially useful for public purposes.” It stands to reason that this land was not previously designated Public as it was not previously owned by a public agency and was not previously used or planned for public purposes. It also stands to reason that it is appropriate to designate the land as Public now that it meets both of those criteria. Section H also makes it clear that the Zoning designation of the property cannot by changed from General Commercial to Public Use without also changing the Comprehensive Plan Map designation from Commercial to Public. Findings – Appendix: Provided under combined 2) & 3) below. 2. There is a need for this type of property as follows: And; 3. This property meets the public need best by: 05/22/2025 Staff Report ZC 25-01 City Park Page 2 of 4 Combined Findings for 2) & 3): The Shady Cove Comprehensive Plan contains an appendix with a list of “goals and policies associated with the issues in the Comprehensive Plan recommended by the Planning Commission to the City Council for adoption.” There are seven major categories or overarching goals listed in that appendix. Of those seven, three are directly related to parks and open space development and are listed below (particularly applicable sections underlined): - Increase public access to the river and other natural resources (parks and open space areas) - Enforce appropriate activities in public areas to ensure natural resources, public facilities and wildlife habitat are preserved and maintained. - Promote tourism and improve community livability by developing and maintaining: - Parks and open spaces - Shaded seating associated with downtown walking paths - Bike paths - Hiking trails - Attractive, safe walking paths, particularly in the downtown areas - Promote attractive landscaping standards on both public and private property. - Investigate what it takes to become a Tre City USA city - Increase the areas designated as parks and open space - Promote the maintenance of riparian areas and natural (native) landscape areas to enhance the attractiveness of the Shady Cove area and increase the livability of the community. - Increase the area dedicated to parks and open spaces within the Shady Cove Urban Growth Boundary: - Continue maintenance of Aunt Caroline’s Park - Improve use for family recreation - Identify, designate and establish mini parks throughout the City. - Associate with shaded resting areas within the business district. - Develop a lease agreement with the Medford Bureau of Land Management for natural park/open space for hiking paths in the northwest area of the Shady Cove Urban Growth Boundary. The need for additional parks and open spaces, particularly in the downtown and business district, is clearly identified in the goals and policies of the Comprehensive Plan. The City has identified the subject property as the best location to meet this identified need, for a number of reasons, including: - The property was available for purchase; - The development of the site as a park was also an opportunity to address existing blight on the property; - The size of the property provides opportunity to develop a park with active recreation, walking trails, seating, and community gathering space; and - The property is ideally situated within the downtown/business district 4. The proposed use will not be detrimental to the public health, safety and general welfare in that: Findings: There are not many developable and/or redevelopable properties located within the downtown core of Shady Cove. The City was able to purchase the subject property from the previous owner through a standard real estate transaction. In doing so, the City was able to secure property for some of the needed additional park space identified in the Comprehensive Plan. This was done without the use of condemnation, 05/22/2025 Staff Report ZC 25-01 City Park Page 3 of 4 extraction, or any other heavy-handed means. At the time of purchase, the property contained a number of derelict structures that have since been removed. The City has already improved the appearance of the subject property, thereby also improving the aesthetic of the downtown core. The City has hosted an open house / townhall meeting to discuss the design and development of this new downtown park, and will continue to work with the community through the process of constructing the park to ensure it meets community needs. The park will provide much needed open space, recreation amenities, gathering space, and a space for civic engagement in the downtown area. There are no obvious detriments to public health, safety and the general welfare presented by the proposed change to the Comprehensive Plan Map designation from Commercial to Public, the Zoning Map designation from General Commercial to Public Uses, or the planned development of a park on the subject property. Conclusion: The proposed comprehensive plan map amendment and zone change will facilitate the development a new city park in the downtown business district, which is consistent with Comprehensive Plan. The need for this type of land (public parks and open space) is well established in the Comprehensive Plan and the change, as proposed, is an efficient way of addressing the need without compromising the availability of land to meet other identified needs. Staff recommends approval of the proposed Comprehensive Plan Map Amendment from Commercial to Public and Change of Zone from GC (General Commercial) to P (Public Uses). ____________________________________ Joe Slaughter, AICP City Planner 05/22/2025 Staff Report ZC 25-01 City Park Page 4 of 4