Costco appeal notice filed

Former Douglas County Commissioner Joyce Morgan took the first step Wednesday to appeal a decision that would allow placement of a Costco Wholesale store in an industrial area on Northeast Stephens Street.

Salem land use attorney Corinne Sherton filed a notice of appeal on Morgan’s behalf with the state Land Use Board of Appeals. The appeals process routinely takes several months and would have to be decided before the project could proceed.

In a telephone interview Wednesday afternoon from her office in Salem, Sherton said she would challenge the county’s contention that Costco is a wholesale operation.

Planning Director Keith Cubic determined that Costco combines elements of a wholesale business, a warehouse operation and a retail store. Because of that, he ruled that Costco could construct and operate a store in the M-2 medium industrial zone as a permitted use.

Following a meeting between company officials and Cubic and his staff, the Issaquah, Wash., chain was told it could obtain its building permits as soon as it submitted building plans to the county Building Department and had them approved.

Costco plans to construct a store building containing 148,000 square feet along with a 12-pump fueling station.

Sherton said the company’s annual report focuses on Costco’s retail side and that she would argue that point before the three-member appeals board.

A favorable decision for her client would force Costco to seek a zone change or other land use procedure and go through a public hearings process to put the store at the former Perry’s Electric location just north of the Roseburg City limits.

That process would allow public testimony and would allow the Oregon Department of Transportation to require upgrades to ensure that traffic to and from the store does not significantly affect traffic coming from Interstate 5 along Edenbower Boulevard to Stephens Street.

Under the process used for the Costco application, ODOT was able to express concerns about increased traffic that would be generated by the store, but was unable to require any changes.

On Wednesday morning, Cubic told county commissioners that Sherton had called him and told him she was preparing an appeal. He said Costco officials told him they planned to hire an attorney to represent the company in the appeal.

Morgan, who left office four years ago after being defeated by Marilyn Kittelman, serves as chairwoman of the group that oversees the nonprofits campus located north of Kenneth Ford Drive, which separates the campus from the Costco site.

Morgan has been critical of the decision approving Costco’s application without a public process. She has also said having the store next to the campus would cause excessive traffic congestion and would prove disruptive.

• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.