Ashland, Ore — The City of Ashland votes to go ahead with it’s Normal Neighborhood plan after several years in the making.
Residents along Normal Avenue in Ashland say they aren’t surprised by the vote, but they hope it isn’t too late to keep their community intact.
The City says they took that into account when they made the master plan.
For nearly 3 decades Howard Miller has called his 7 acre property on Normal Avenue in Ashland home.
“We enjoy this area and we want to maintain it as a rural area,” said Miller.
For three decades the Normal Neighborhood has looked essentially the same.
After the city council voted to approve a master development plan Tuesday that may all change.
“What was approved isn’t a 450 unit development as some have feared, it really is just setting forth a plan for when those proposals come in,” said Senior Planner for the City of Ashland Brandon Goldman.
The Normal Neighborhood covers just over 90 acres of land within Ashland’s urban growth boundary, and city councilors say there have been plans to develop this area for several decades now.
“We designated specific open space, we designated the transportation plan, density levels, we looked at detail, what do we want this community to look like once it’s developed,” said City Councilor Pam Marsh.
Even so, the possibility of hundreds of new homes doesn’t sit well with Miller or his neighbors.
“It would substantially effect where any roads would come across and our use for agricultural land when we’re right adjacent to houses,” said Miller.
City planners say they aren’t aware of any current development proposals for the Normal Avenue area and if development does begin it could take years if not decades.
Miller says he’s looking to appeal the council’s decision.
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