9th Street is a ticking time bomb for the city of Medford

The clock is ticking on when the city of Medford will be forced to take action to improve 9th Street north of Allman St. in the city’s northwest corner.

By any practical standard, the north end of 9th Street has more in common with a dead-end gravel driveway than a developed city street. A large gully separates the south end of the undeveloped road from its north end. Tracks show where UTVs and other off-road vehicles have made paths through the area in dry weather. Traveling across the gully in wet conditions is a recipe for getting stuck and needing to be pulled out The north end of the street is accessed through a 20foot wide gravel driveway across private property at the corner of Malibu Dr. and Impala Dr. The city does not maintain 9th Street or the access easement and city leaders have stated they have no intention of the city taking over maintenance or making future improvements.

That is just fine with the residents who have chosen to build a home there, enjoying the amenities that come from living in the city with the feel of being in the country.

Things changed, however, when members of the city planning commission on Oct. 21 approved a conditional use permit to allow a developer to build two duplexes on a currently vacant wooded lot on the section of undeveloped road without putting any sort of conditions on the approval.

There is little doubt that adding four residential units to the area will dramatically increase use of the road and access easement. Beyond the residents themselves, there will be traffic from delivery and service vehicles.

By itself, this traffic flow isn’t necessarily a concern of the city government, which treats it as a private road.

What should concern the city, however, is ensuring that there is access for emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire trucks. Emergency vehicles are not small and with the growth in population, and investment in that portion of the city, taxpayers should be able to expect the same level of fire and public safety protection as all other areas of the city.

Growth is good when it comes to city of Medford or any other community. It expands the tax base, spreading out the cost of government services. Providing housing options opens the door to retirees to stay in the community while opening up other homes for new families to locate here.

While being open to growth is a good thing for a community, it must come with a plan to address public health and safety concern and ensure access by emergency vehicles.

While it is not the city of Medford’s place to stand in the way of developers wishing to make an investment in the community’s future, the city must ensure that emergency vehicle access standards are maintained.