The cities of Ashland, Medford and Talent in partnership with the Rogue Valley Council of Governments (RVCOG), are hosting a public meeting to present potential Climate Friendly Area locations in all three communities. This meeting will consist of a presentation on the proposed areas from RVCOG representatives and a public input forum to gather community feedback on the potential Climate Friendly Areas (CFAs) for each city.  
 

Southern Rogue Valley  Climate Friendly Areas Public Meeting  Thursday, April 13 from 6 to 7:30 p.m.  Talent Community Center  104 E Main Street

Online surveys will be available on the cities’ project websites on April 14 to provide another opportunity for comments. 

• Ashland: ashland.or.us/climatefriendly 
• Medford: medfordoregon.gov/Government/Departments/Planning/PlanningProjects 
• Talent: cityoftalent.org/news.asp 

To help provide residents more housing and transportation choices, and meet Oregon’s adopted climate goals, cities must reduce barriers for local builders who want to build traditional, more walkable development types. Those CFAs are intended to be places where people can meet most of their daily needs without having to drive by having housing located near a mix of jobs, businesses, and services. The state adopted a Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities program on July 21, 2022, which directs 15 communities to identify potential CFAs. 

The first phase of the process is to study and determine potential locations of CFAs by the end of 2023. The second phase will be to adopt development standards for these areas and amend the official zoning maps to reflect the adopted CFAs by the end of 2024.  

The CFAs process requires centering voices of underserved populations and working towards equitable outcomes. While some may see Climate Friendly Area designation as a benefit, others may fear gentrification-caused displacement. State standards require specific analysis of this issue and adoption of anti-displacement measures. 

Kids’ activities and refreshments will be provided! Need Spanish interpretation? Please contact your local City staff if translation services are needed to participate in the meeting. 

 

City of Ashland  Derek Severson  541.552.2040  derek.severson@ashland.or.us

City of Medford  Carla Paladino  541.774.2395  carla.paladino@cityofmedford.org

City of Talent  Kristen Maze  541.535.1566  kmaze@cityoftalent.org