State, county in motion to develop Goshen
GOSHEN, Ore. - Once just a stagecoach stop, then a train depot, today this tiny Lane County town sits at the crossroads of major highways.
"What makes it so unique is that it's you know right there where Highway 58 and I-5 come together, so transportation corridor-wise, it,s perfect," said Alex Cuyler in the Lane County Commissioners office.
The railroad passes through here as well, another reason state and county officials have focused on Goshen for economic development.
The hope is to bring jobs to Goshen that would pay a 150 percent of the average wage in Lane County.
But the small town isn't quite ready for big business: there are zoning changes and sewer upgrades to be done first.
While government officials have high hopes, an existing business owner told KVAL News he isn't so sure.
"One of the problems for me is that, yeah, I think commercial property will increase value of whatever they do," said Bruce Engeman of R&D Propane, "but I deal with hazard material so I don't know what that will mean for me."
My family has lived in Goshen for 57 years, Please leave our town alone. Â We have sat on the side lines and bothered no one, we have been a quiet little village..... let us stay that way.
Why does every small town have to be ruined by "development"? Veneta's city fathers destroyed the small town feeling there with their idiotically rapid development that virtually everyone was against. Leave well enough alone.
A little history, Goshen played a key role during the Vietnam War. There were quite a few young men enroute to Canada out of California, and other points south,  dodging the draft. Goshen was one of the key relay points along that route. It was and has been kept pretty quiet over the years.