Page 50 - Southern Oregon Magazine Fall 2021

neck of the woods | prof ile

are living longer, and we’re attracted younger, more active people at
the cottages. The average entry age is now in the mid 70s. It’s really
like having a house in a gated community where you have security and
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ASHLAND! amenities such as recreation, health care, and three or four restaurant
choices. Retirement living has changed dramatically.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR Q: WHAT’S THE PLANNED HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
SURROUNDING CENTENNIAL GOLF COURSE?
AIFF 2022 SPRING FESTIVAL

BRIAN: We bought the land when it was a pear orchard and are turn-
April 14-18 LIVE April 19-28 VIRTUAL ing it into a golf community. The land has recently been annexed into
the city. We’re in a process of putting the full development plan of that
project together. It has the potential to create something that doesn’t
exist in Medford. People can buy a condo or a home on the golf course
and maybe live somewhere else part of the year. They can lock the
door, walk out and everything’s taken care of.

We’ve also been working with the city to create an apartment develop-
ment. Centennial is close to Asante and other big employers in addi-
tion to the Manor. There’s an opportunity to create workforce housing.
They could walk instead of clogging up traffic on Barnett. We’re also
working with Oregon Department of Transportation for another I-5
interchange. Medford is a big town to have only two freeway inter-
changes. We support adding an interchange at South Stage. That’ll take
some of the burden of traffic off Barnett and allow for commercial
development. We’ve designed space for a hotel with some convention
ashlandfilm.org
amenities, where people could come and play golf and participate in
a corporate retreat. We see the Centennial development as a mix of
commercial, residential, hotel, and golf amenities.
Compassion and Experience
If you’re looking for a urologist you can feel comfortable with,
come see why the team at Rogue Valley Urology is known and Q: WHAT’S MADE SOUTHERN OREGON AN ATTRACTIVE
trusted throughout Southern Oregon and Northern California. PLACE TO RETIRE?

BRIAN: This area is a gem that people fall in love with. Over the years
at the Manor, we’ve been able to attract people from all the country. At
one time we had over 100 residents from Hawaii. It’s a combination of
an accessible airport, great healthcare, a small-town feel, but also with
great cultural events. We’ve got the Craterian Theater, the Britt Music
Festival, and Shakespeare in Ashland. Everything is within easy access:
hiking, fishing, golf, healthcare, and transportation.

Q: WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES THAT YOUNGER PEOPLE
FACE?

BRIAN: Southern Oregon is a great place to raise a family. I just wish
Kadi-Ann Bryan, MD • Tom Bui, MD
Patrick Davol, MD • Suzanne Bernardo, PA-C there was some more industry here that supported a workforce. The
challenge our kids face graduating from college is, “What do I do pro-
fessionally in Medford?” We’ve done a really good job marketing to
retirees, but we need more jobs so younger people can afford to live
here. If you look at housing prices compared to salaries, it just doesn’t
compute. Houses are being purchased by people who are retiring here,
541-774-5808 | www.RogueValleyUrology.com and not by young families who want to stay here to create a career path.
I wish we had a better solution for young people. My son graduated

48 www.southernoregonmagazine.com | fall 2021