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The Ashland Planning Commission last month green-lit a project to fill the largest empty lot remaining in downtown with an 18,577-square-foot business and condominium complex.

Katherine Spierings, who owns a bed-and-breakfast on B Street, told commission members she is worried that the project will disrupt the quiet intersection of Lithia Way and First Street, where the city’s post office occupies one corner.

Land-use consultant John Knox, representing property owners and development group First Place Partners of Medford, responded that the proposed three-story building would make the neighborhood safer by putting more eyes on the street. The building is the first of three or four that First Place Partners wants to build on the site.

The land formerly held a Copeland Lumber outlet. After it was demolished, the planning commission rejected a proposal in 2005 for a 70,000-square-foot mixed-use complex that it said would be too large.

Associate Planner Derek Severson said that in 2007 an eight-lot subdivision was approved for the site, with two of the lots eventually being combined to accommodate a mixed-use building. Work began with demolition of existing structures and installation of basic infrastructure, Severson said. However, building permits expired before construction began on the first building.

Severson said the latest proposal reduces the number of lots and increases the number of condominiums. The project is being designed by of Ashland.

Construction projects are moving ahead in the city: Southern Oregon University is adding a residence hall, and a new fire station is being built to replace one that was torn down in May. Knox told commission members that he thinks the construction industry is rebounding in the community, and the time is right for First Place Partners’ downtown development.