Commissioners Approved Library Annexations and First Readings of Code Amendments
The Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved the annexations of seven properties into the Josephine Community Library District along with the first readings of four ordinances that would amend the Josephine County Code. The Board unanimously approved the library annexations requested by landowners following a public hearing. Six of the properties are in the Grants Pass area and one is in Williams. The library district increased in size by more than 43 acres. The Commissioners okayed the first readings of ordinances that would change the County Code, with the second readings and final approvals set for May 15th. Vice Chair Herman Baertschiger said the amendments are housekeeping items aimed at removing unneeded ordinances from the Code document. Under Requests and Comments from Citizens, the Board heard from several people who had complaints about the proposed sale of The Flying Lark to River Valley Community Church, related complaints about the lack of local economic development, support for recently fired Board Secretary Trish House and a Williams resident who is opposed the sale of the Pipe Fork timber property. As part of the Consent Calendar, the Board appointed Tom Hilton to a four-year term on the Parks Advisory Board. ...Read more

City of GP Announces New Playground at Reinhart Volunteer Park will Open Friday
The City of Grants Pass has announced that the new playground at Reinhart Volunteer Park will open to the public on Friday at 12:30 p.m.. The new playground features a "Big Kids" structure for children 5 to 12 years old along with a "Tot Lot" structure for children 2 to 5 years old. The City worked with the State of Oregon and received additional grant funding to utilize rubber tiles for the complete playground surface. There is even a section of rubber tiles laid out in the form of a hopscotch grid. Reinhart Volunteer Park is Grants Pass' most popular park destination and this two-structure playground system was chosen after input from a community survey. Money for this project came entirely from the Tourism Lodging Tax and a grant from the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Land, Water and Conservation Fund. ...Read more

City of Grants Pass Soliciting Applications for New Construction of Residential Housing

The City of Grants Pass is soliciting applications for new construction of residential housing developments that will serve qualified low- and moderate-income households. The city has $479,379 from the Oregon Housing Opportunity Fund to distribute to qualified projects. The deadline to apply for the funds through this Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is June 21st at 3 p.m.. To be eligible for this funding, the resulting units must serve households whose income is at or below 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) for rental housing or 100% AMI for homeownership units. The city's current housing incentives such as the Affordable Housing System Development Charge Waiver, Urban Renewal Funding and Community Development Block Grants are expected to be available and may supplement projects under this NOFA. In 2021, the City of Grants Pass adopted the Affordable Housing Construction Excise Tax (CET), which is the funding source of the Housing Opportunity Fund. The overall purpose of the CET, per Senate Bill 1533 and its accompanying rules, is to help local jurisdictions address their communities' housing needs. The Grants Pass City Council elaborated on those rules by stating the fund should be specifically used to support the creation of new housing units. ...Read more