07/28/1986 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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B. Westside Plan Update/Related Metro Plan Amendment (memo, background information distributed) e 1. Westside Plan Update 2. Related Metro Plan Amendment Assistant City Manager Dave Whitlow introduced the discussion. Teresa Bishow of the Planning Department gave the staff report. She said the Westside Plan was adopted in 1977 and the update continues the emphasis on the residential character of the neighborhood in the original plan. She said the update better defines appropriate locations for residential, commercial, and institutional uses. She said the plan update will replace the original plan and will be a refinement of the Metro Area General Plan. Ms. Bishow said the plan update recognizes important changes in the neighborhood since 1977. She said residents received rehabilitation loans and traffic diverters were installed. Less positive changes have been the closure of Lincoln School and the Jefferson Pool. Ms. Bishow said the Planning Commission recommended approval of the update with the revisions as listed in Exhibit A. The commission also recommended approval of a Metro Plan amendment which would delete an asterisk west of Jefferson Street on the Metro Plan Diagram. She said the asterisk indicates mixed use but the refinement plan indicates residential uses for the area. She recommended the council tentatively adopt the update and the Metro Plan amendment. When the Lane County Board of Commissioners and the Springfield City Council approve the update and the amendment, they will be presented e to the council for final action. Mayor Obie opened the public hearing on the Westside Plan Update and the Metro Plan amendment. Jonathon Stafford, 1060 Madison, emphasized that the Westside neighborhood is a nice place to live. He said it is a developed neighborhood. He said about 13 percent of the neighborhood is zoned for commercial use but only about seven percent of it is used commercially. He said the future of the Westside neighborhood is connected to the vitality of the downtown. He said Westside residents try to prohibit the expansion of non-residential uses from the downtown to the neighborhood and try to stop speculative disinvestment in structures because it results in the deterioration of buildings. He said speculative disinvestment occurs when a building's use does not reflect its zoning. He emphasized the importance of having people 1 i ve in residentially zoned buil di ngs to maintain the residential character of the neighborhood. Mr. Stafford said the update strengthens the good thi ngs about the neighborhood and copes with the traffi c and the crime that cause neighborhood problems. He said the update provides certainty about future development in the neighborhood. He said it is essential that Lincoln School remain in public ownership and it is unlikely that the west side of e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 28, 1986 Page 2