ROGUE RIVER — School officials say a 15-acre, 102-home development currently under review by the Planning Commission could provide "family friendly homes" and reverse declining enrollment in the district.

Current plans show a series of duplexes interspersed with common areas, walking paths and water features. Located on Foothill Boulevard near railroad tracks, a church and a wetlands, the homes range in price from $250,000 to more than $300,000, said Mike LaNier, speaking for the applicant, Medford-based McAndrews Property LLC.

Rogue River School District Superintendent Charles Hellman told commissioners at a Tuesday study session that if young families move into the new homes, up to 50 new students could reverse the district's declining enrollment, translating into $250,000 and $300,000 in new state funding annually for the district.

"We are paid on a per-student basis," said Hellman. "Due to high-priced housing in Rogue River and Wimer, we have not had families move in. And we are seeing a strangulation of our resources. We have lost 20 teachers in eight years."

But while school officials heralded the proposal as a possible save for the district, Commissioner Robert Dorman echoed community concerns regarding more traffic overtaxing the town's aging infrastructure. Traffic "bottlenecks" are on the rise in the small rural community, he said.

"The community has said they are not ready to take on the obligation," said Dorman.

The developers have submitted the required traffic study, said Commissioner Don Ayriss. Delays cost the developers money, he said.

"I haven't seen anything from city staff that says we can't handle this," said Ayriss. "Deal with the facts and the facts only. Divorce yourself of personal feelings."

Gary Whittle is a partner in McAndrews Property LLC and Crown West Development. This is Whittle's second proposed development in or near the city limits. In October 2005, the city approved Whittle's application on behalf of Crown West Development for a 103-acre residential development on Wards Creek. At 37 homes on 2.5-acre lots, the development is the largest proposed within the city's urban growth boundary.

Commission Chairman Bill Jones also voiced concerns about the project.

"Does the city of Rogue River have the infrastructure to support any development of this kind?" he asked. "I am mostly concerned with water issues."

City Administrator Mark Reagles said city water supplies are adequate for current population under normal circumstances, but several factors point to an uncertain future for the system, including equipment failures, drought and development of the city's reservoir system.

If approved this year, LaNier said the housing project is still six years out — and costs are rising.

"Price points keep moving," he said. "The cost of lumber has jumped. Right now they are priced between $250,000 and $300,000. That may go up."

School board Chairwoman Trayce Geddes said the home prices may not seem "family friendly," particularly for young couples. But buyers would be purchasing a new home with city services, she said.

"It's better than what you'd get in Wimer," said Geddes. "Out there you'd get an old mobile (home) on an acre."

The city should remember the new homes' occupants could rejuvenate the district and the town, she said.

"It keeps the city from going stagnant and dying," she said.

A public hearing on the project will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 22, at City Hall.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 776-4497 or at sspecht@mailtribune.com