Item B: Infill Compatibility Update

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Infill Compatibility Standards Meeting Date: December 10, 2008 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Terri Harding www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541/682-5635 ISSUE STATEMENT This work session is an opportunity for the council to review early task team findings and discuss current status and proposed next steps for the Infill Compatibility Standards (ICS) project. BACKGROUND The ICS project was initiated by City Council action and added to the Planning Division work program in July 2006. Staff was hired for the project in October 2006, and March 2007. A Planning Commission subcommittee was established in November 2006, and met regularly beginning in January 2007, to lend guidance to the project. Following a period of public outreach, including tours with neighborhood volunteers, and interviews with “sounding boards” of community members, a major public kickoff event for the ICS project and its companion project, Opportunity Siting (OS), was held in October 2007. Following this meeting, a task team comprised of 16 neighborhood association representatives and six others, representing the residential design, development, building, and affordable housing policy fields, was established. Members were approved by the Planning Commission in November 2007. Project Purpose and Goals On July 17, 2006, the City Council approved with modifications the Planning Commission’s strategy for addressing infill standards and opportunity sitingThe Planning Commission’s strategy included a draft work program with the following stated general steps for creating a work plan for ICS: A.Develop a “toolkit” that lists possible actions and the applicability of these to different circumstances. B.After public outreach, prioritize neighborhoods and preferred approaches. Develop a detailed work program that will result in the application of the most appropriate tool to local problems. The ICS Task Team began meeting in November 2007. In January 2008, a Charter and Organizational Rules and Structurewere adopted. In February 2008, the task team adopted the following goals statement: Create and adopt land use code standards and processes that: (a) Prevent residential infill that would significantly threaten or diminish the stability, quality, positive character, livability or natural resources of residential neighborhoods; and (b) Encourage residential infill that would enhance the stability, quality, positive character, livability or natural resources of residential neighborhoods; and (c) So long as the goal stated in (a) is met, allow for increased density, a variety of housing types, affordable housing, and mixed-use development; and (d) Improve the appearance of buildings and landscapes. Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M081210\S081210B.doc