MEMO

Councilor Hardesty has requested that at the March 15 city council meeting, council discuss the proposed basalt quarry and associated processing activities located on a property on the north side of Dead Indian Memorial Road, just west of Shale City Road. Attached is a 2002 staff report received from Jackson County which provides background information and findings on the proposed basalt quarry.

This action has previously gone through the county planning process, was appealed to LUBA, and was remanded back to the County on January 29, 2003. The remand public hearing, LUBA's No. 2002-089, is scheduled for March 21 at 1:30 p.m. before the Jackson County Hearings Officer.

The remand public hearing will consider six assignments of error. Per the County's web site, details are as follows:

"The third through eighth assignments of error are paraphrased and quoted as follows: 3) The proposed aggregate sites are undefined on the property, thus making it difficult for the County to regulate the aggregate activities on the property, 4) "The fourth assignment of error asserts that the County failed to provide the expanded notice required to approve the request for a 24-hour operation under LDO 244.040(9)," 5) "The fifth assignment of error alleges that the decision that the application complies with LDO 280.110(3) requirements concerning winter range habitat for deer and elk is not supported by substantial evidence," 6) "The sixth assignment of error is directed at safety concerns regarding traffic and access pursuant to Policy J of the comprehensive plan Transportation Element, that petitioners argue are not addressed by the decision," 7) The seventh assignment of error asserts that the application is incomplete regarding the water usage of the proposed aggregate operation," 8) "The eighth assignment of error asserts that the decision fails to include mitigation measures regarding sound and appearance, which are required because the highway fronting the subject property is in a designated scenic viewshed." The property is located on the north side of Dead Indian Memorial Road, just west of Shale City Road, on Township 38, Range 2 East, Tax Lot 4700. The application was submitted by J. G. Dauenhauer, the property owner, 1688 SW Old Hwy 99, Ashland, OR 97520, through his agent, Thomas Armosino, Larson Creek Professional Center, 2592 East Barnett Road, Medford, OR 97504. File #2002-1-SPRA(RM)."

Previously Mayor Shaw wrote a letter to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners requesting that the zoning for this particular property be maintained as EFU (Exclusive Farm Use) rather than AR (Aggregate Resource). The City's concern was the loss of the conditional use permit process for reviewing an aggregate operation.

According to the County's web site, this parcel is still zoned EFU. However, according to the 2002 Staff report, four acres of the property are zoned AR, and the remainder of the parcel is zoned EFU. The entire parcel is 2,874 acres, and the three areas to be mined total roughly 30 acres.

Quarry-Attachments.pdf (748.3KB)

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