Jefferson Highway near the ramps of I-5 northbound, where Love’s will construct improvements.
It’s all set now: The Millersburg City Council has approved an agreement paving the way for Love’s to build its planned truck stop, and the Oregon Department of Transportation’s appeal blocking the project has been withdrawn.
The city council acted Tuesday night. All five council members — Mayor Jim Lepin and Councilmen Scott Cowan, Dave Harms, Scott McPhee and Don Miller — signed a statement saying: “I approve of the Love’s Travel Stop Development Agreement as it has been constructed and presented to council this evening.”
Notified of the city’s action, senior region planner Valerie Grigg Devis this morning emailed City Manager Steve Hasson: “Attached please find our letter withdrawing ODOT’s appeal of the planning commission decision regarding Love’s truck stop site plan. We appreciate the active cooperation of Love’s, their consultants & and the city Millersburg to bring about timely resolution of this matter.”
As reported here last week, the agreement calls on Love’s to construct highway improvements at the northbound I-5 ramps leading to and from Jefferson Highway. There will be a couple of turn lanes, “all-way” stop signs, rumble strips, various warning signs, and changes to an unimproved park-and-ride lot south of the highway. The improvements must be done before Millersburg will issue occupancy permits for the truck stop that Love’s intends to build on Old Salem Road, a few hundred feet southwest of the interchange.
The stop signs were the subject of a memo from the state traffic-roadway engineer to the Region 2 traffic engineer. Copies went to six other highway department officials: the Region 2 access management engineer, the Region 2 traffic manager, the ODOT traffic services manager, the ODOT traffic standards engineer, the ODOT traffic investigations engineer, and the ODOT senior interchange engineer.
Love’s is buying a 12-acre site for its project, which will include a store and fast-foot restaurant along with fuel islands and related facilities for trucks and passenger vehicles. The site is on the east side of Old Salem Road, at the north end of a long strip of commercial and industrial sites. Construction is expected later this year. (hh)
The truck stop will replace these buildings on Old Salem Road.
Luvin’ that Love’s