Sports complex goes back to the drawing board

While John Abrams' last-minute withdrawal has thrown into question a proposed expansion of McMinnville's urban growth boundary to accommodate a sports complex, it has not eliminated the possibility entirely.

Only hours before the McMinnville Urban Area Management Commission was set to begin its deliberations last Thursday, Abrams indicated he was withdrawing his application of annexation of a two-acre parcel. That application had been scheduled for hearing jointly with one submitted by the See Ya Later Foundation for a sports complex proposed on 20 adjacent acres.

Carmen Banke, treasurer of the See Ya Later Foundation, said although she did not have all the details, the foundation's plans for the sports complex were continuing to go forward despite the change in the UGB application. Calls to foundation President Tim Harris were not returned. 

The foundation is seeking to develop the complex on a parcel of Hill Road land donated by local baseball legend Scott Brosius. In its application, it indicated Abrams' 60-foot wide, two-acre sliver would make the complex contiguous to a future McMinnville School District high school site provide an access route.

While the withdrawal will force the foundation to rework its project, forgo high school adjacency and develop a new access route, its parcel does remain contiguous to the urban growth boundary on its own. Thus, it still has an opportunity to proceed without Abrams.

The project has received opposition from neighbors in the Westwind development north of the proposed sports complex. While the opposition was not celebrating the change in the application, Patty O'Leary who has been leading opposing neighbors, said they still had the same concerns. Among their concerns are parking, traffic and the size of the project. 

City planner Doug Montgomery said his department would have to revisit their recommendation of the project because of the change. Cuty planners intially recommended the UGB expansion to MUAMC. Montgomery said any decision making would have to wait until the foundation moves forward with the application in light of the changes.