Hearing officer, Roger Pearce, called the public hearing to order on Monday, July 15, 2019. The hearing was an appeal to the decision made by the county to tentatively approve a homesite amendment to the property owned by Uproot Meats. The approval is tentative because there are sixteen conditions to the approval with a two year time limit to remove those conditions.
A dozen neighbors and concerned citizens spoke against the tentative approval. Uproot Meats was represented by a land use expert from Josephine County. The representative restated the original request for a Type 2 Use Permit for a new homesite for where it now exists. Thus trying to make legal the two story dwelling as a residence. This dwelling was built with no permits or inspections. The owners were warned by Planning staff to not build without permits. Building without such permits has lead to 73 complaints and dozens of violations which have yet to be settled including TID concerns and a type 1 DEQ violation with a $100,000 maximum fine possible.
The neighbors and concerned citizens raised the following issues all based on county land use ordinances:
- Follow the ordinance that doesn’t allow a land use permit until all violations are remedied and fines paid: DEQ and TID remain outstanding alongside others.
- Vacate the two story dwelling on the property because it has no permits or inspections making it a major fire risk in wildfire season.
- If the permit is issued with 16 conditions and two years to remedy them, then leave the dwelling vacant until these conditions are met. (Owners have a home in Phoenix, OR)
- Add the condition that a covenant be drawn to not allow the first floor to be a slaughter house for chickens and hogs. Living above a slaughter house is unsafe and counters the intent of Oregon land use that requires separation of all human waste from animal waste. There is only one septic tank for human waste for this dwelling.
- Require inspections that carefully look at the dwelling’s electrical, plumbing, foundation and mechanical infrastructure dismantling parts of the building when necessary.
The Hearing Officer will render his decision in mid-August.
Watch for a report of his decision on the Chronicle.
Chronicle Staff
