Lot partition, possible annexation for Larry Osborn among matters handled by Cave Junction Council
Three public hearings and various reports comprised a routine meeting of the Cave Junction City Council in city hall on Monday night, Aug. 13.
The 40-minute gathering was sparsely attended, and no controversial incidents occurred.
Voting 5-0, the council and mayor approved a lot partition for Pat Upton. The property at 635 Caves Hwy. is next to Station 1 of Illinois Valley Fire District.
Upton gained the OK for his sought-after partition involving 12.06 acres. With approval, he will now have two parcels. One comprises 2.39 acres which already has an existing single-family residence, well and septic on it. The other parcel has 9.66 acres and is vacant. Access is from Caves Hwy.
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Planning Clerk Helen Early read a four-page report listing criteria of various agencies needed for approval, plus findings and a conclusion. As part of the approval, all utilities will be underground.
Upton was the only person to speak during the public hearing.
The council and mayor also held a continued public hearing regarding annexation of a 1-acre parcel at 650 Caves Hwy. across from Station 1.
Property owner Robert Johnson gained 5-0 approval for the annexation.
In a related matter, which Mayor Tony Paulson broached at the end of the meeting, it was noted that there are 42 lots of varying sizes within the city limits, but that would need to be annexed to actually become part of the city.
These islands of county land are surrounded by city property, said City Recorder Jim Polk.
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Paulson said that although the assessed valuation of the properties is more than $2 million; the city would only realize $4,300 in taxes if they were annexed.
In another matter, the council set Monday, Aug. 27 for an annexation hearing regarding 6.5 acres on the east side of Hwy. 199 near Cottage Park Lane.
The property is owned by the Arthur Family Trust. The applicant for annexation is Larry Osborn, of Manor Community Development, of Lodi, Calif. Osborn has offered to purchase the site contingent on its being in city limits, Polk said after the meeting.
Jim Frick, a broker with Century 21 Harris & Taylor, spoke in favor of the proposed annexation. He said that he was representing Osborn, who could not attend the meeting.
Frick said that the site meets all requirements and that it would benefit the area. The ingress and egress are among favorable factors, he said.
Two other people spoke about the matter, but what they said was not spoken loudly or clearly enough for everyone to hear.
In another matter, at the end of the meeting, the mayor said that he received two messages from organizations wanting to know if the city would like to take over the county library branch on Palmer Street. The letters also asked if the city would like to participate in any way. The council took no action.
The letters were from Cathye Mason, of the City Committee/Save My
Library Group in Grants Pass. The other is from Patricia Snyder, of the Legal Committee/Save Our Library.
