A new contractor hired by Millpond Crossing developer Levi Miller has met with city officials and appears to be moving forward with infrastructure work at the long-delayed housing development, City Manager Chris Workman told the Philomath City Council on Monday night.
Workman said representatives from Jody Miller Construction — a company based in Spanaway, Wash., south of Tacoma — joined city staff and Benton County officials for a coordination meeting a couple of weeks ago to clarify the scope and sequencing of Phase 2 and Phase 3 work.
“The new contractor has a good reputation, good folks — they’re anxious to get the project back on track,” Workman said, noting the contractor’s stated goal was also to “mend fences” with those involved in the project.
Workman said the only work currently permitted at the site is progress on a stormwater channel — for which plans have been approved — along with any cleanup or grading work required by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. He said he has not observed any unpermitted activity during drive-bys of the property.
Nearby residents have raised questions about what is happening on the site, Workman acknowledged. He said a construction office trailer has also been placed at the site, noting the developer now has a permit for it after initially placing it without one.
No Phase 3 approvals have been issued. As reported in May, the city has begun reviewing Miller’s Phase 3 plans, but outstanding Phase 2 items — including repaving of 16th Street, storm lateral installations at several homes and lot line adjustments — must be addressed before construction can advance to the next phase.
Millpond Crossing sits in the southern section of Philomath, north of Chapel Drive and east of South 15th Street, on property where Miller has been working through a multi-phase build-out that the city first approved in May 2018.
Phase 3 is planned to include single-family homes along a new South 17th Street along with townhomes. Workman said last month that Millpond is working with new real estate agents and is rebranding the upcoming phases as Millpond Commons to better fit the townhome community.
