GP City Council Delays Action on Registering Park Events and Approves Annexation

The Grants Pass City Council last night moved an ordinance slated for action to an upcoming executive session. The ordinance pertains to the Regulation of Humanitarian Service Events on Publicly Owned Property. It would create a registration process to use city parks while prohibiting individuals, nonprofits or charitable organizations of engaging in the dissemination of drug paraphernalia and combustible materials. The City Council then approved the annexation of two parcels at 3322 Leonard Road into the city limits. The vote was 5-1 for the annexation. Planned future development of the parcels includes the creation of 54 separate lots for single dwelling residential units. Since the approval of the ordinance was not unanimous, it will appear before the panel at their next regular meeting. The five-year Annual Action Plan-required public hearing to obtain Community Development Block Grants from the federal government was held. The plan will be submitted to the Department of Housing and Urban Development this summer. Councilors approved designating two Dawn Redwood trees as Heritage Trees, with one located at 1995 NW Vine Street and one at Riverside Park. Councilors also approved the naming of the baseball stadium at Agnew-Lytle Field in Reinhart Volunteer Park as Chapman-Reese Stadium. ...Read more

GP City Council Approves Special Use Permit for Navigation Center & Pallet Shelters

The Grants Pass City Council last night unanimously approved a special use permit for the Mobile Integrated Navigation Team (MINT) to operate a resource center and place pallet shelters for the unhoused population at 218 Redwood Highway. This single lot is located in the General Commercial zoning district and is under private ownership of Thomas Parker. The site is known to Grants Pass residents as Parker's Place. MINT has acquired a one-year lease at the site with an agreement to eventually gain ownership of the property. Some improvements to the building have already been accomplished to meet state and city requirements. The existing building on the site will serve as the navigation center for support services to the unsheltered while the land behind the building will be the location for what is projected to be 15 pallet shelters. According to MINT, those shelters would be reserved for the elderly or infirm when living in a park or on public property would create an unhealthy and undue hardship. ...Read more

Board of Commissioners Adopted Ordinances Updating the Josephine County Code

The Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved five ordinances that update the Josephine County Code. Following five brief public hearings, the Board voted unanimously to adopt the ordinances that were previously approved on April 3rd. Four of the ordinances repealed Josephine County participation in the Urban Area Planning Commission, Jackson/Josephine Regional Board, Jefferson Behavioral Health and the Job Council. The City of Grants Pass makes appointments to the UAPC and conducts its meetings while the Regional Board, Jefferson Behavioral Health and Job Council no longer exist. The fifth ordinance amends the Code pertaining to the Solid Waste Agency, which was founded in 2001 by Josephine County and the City of Grants Pass. The City of Cave Junction has since joined the organization, which is now called the Josephine County Solid Waste Agency. ...Read more