<\/p>\n
\n The Medford Urban Renewal Agency has agreed to buy property along North Riverside for housing, access to Bear Creek and a market.<\/span>\n <\/p>\n The Fiesta on Medford’s North Riverside Avenue is part of an area being planned for revitalization in the Liberty Park neighborhood. Plans include a market near the restaurant, a pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek and an apartment building. [Andy Atkinson \/ Mail Tribune]<\/p>\n The Medford Urban Renewal Agency voted Thursday to buy the Pacific Survey Supply property, at 908 N. Riverside Ave., as part of revitalization efforts in the area. [Jamie Lusch\/Mail Tribune]<\/p>\n The Medford Urban Renewal Agency on Thursday unanimously approved the $1,275,000 purchase of a Riverside Avenue property to help spark redevelopment in this often-overlooked area of \u200b\u200bMedford.<\/p>\n “I consider this area a food desert in terms of market availability,” said Tim D’Alessandro, MURA board member and city councilman. “If we put something there, it would be a benefit to our community.”<\/p>\n MURA hopes to attract a developer who can build an apartment complex of up to 45 units, and the owner of Restaurant La Fiesta wants to build a neighborhood market. A proposed pedestrian bridge over Bear Creek has also been proposed.<\/p>\n Last May, MURA delayed the purchase contract until an environmental assessment of the property could be carried out.<\/p>\n At the time, a preliminary environmental review found stains and hydraulic fluid around the Pacific Supply property, which is not uncommon in the downtown area.<\/p>\n A more thorough assessment found minor instances of groundwater and soil contamination, but no significant environmental or financial risks to future redevelopment.<\/p>\n It used to be a car dealership and repair shop.<\/p>\n The city has bought other properties in the past, particularly downtown, and paid to clean up environmental problems.<\/p>\n One of MURA’s goals over the years has been to take troubled properties and improve them, Medford Commons being one example.<\/p>\n Board member and MURA advisor Mike Zarosinski had previously expressed concern about overpaying for a property that had potential environmental issues.<\/p>\n “I’m pretty sure this is a good buy for us,” he said Thursday.<\/p>\n In 2021, the Pacific Supply property was appraised at $1.45 million, but the owners agreed to take the reduced price.<\/p>\n With the option agreement approved, MURA is on track to purchase 908-920 N. Riverside Ave., which includes the Pacific Supply building and is one acre in size.<\/p>\n The various properties involved in the revitalization also include 1.7 acres owned by La Fiesta Restaurant, as well as the Kids Unlimited administrative offices.<\/p>\n Fiesta originally proposed a 17,000-square-foot market on its property along Bear Creek.<\/p>\n MURA has proposed a land swap to allow La Fiesta to build the neighborhood grocery store closer to Riverside on the Pacific Supply property, freeing up the area along Bear Creek.<\/p>\n This would allow for a possible creekside apartment complex and pedestrian bridge to be built. MURA hopes to attract a developer to build the 45 units.<\/p>\n MURA has been working to develop more needed housing around downtown Medford and in the low-income Liberty Park neighborhood where the La Fiesta development is proposed.<\/p>\n One of MURA’s biggest goals is to rebuild the Liberty Park neighborhood with $18 million that will be used to leverage state and federal grants for a variety of projects.<\/p>\n Some of the money has been used to convert a hotel into housing for fire survivors and the homeless.<\/p>\n MURA has bought and demolished several nuisance buildings in the Parc de la Llibertat neighborhood, and the city has been installing new sidewalks on some streets.<\/p>\n A proposed flagship project by MURA is a $48 million low-income apartment building on a 3.25-acre property on Central Avenue next to Les Schwab.<\/p>\n The four-story complex would have 115 one- to three-bedroom units.<\/p>\n Contact freelance writer Damian Mann at dmannnews@gmail.com.<\/p>\n