Item 5 - PH on Laurel Hill Plan - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Eugene Planning Commission October 5, 2004 Page 3 of 3 refinement plan amendment address one or more of a subsequent list, from which one of the items is a "new or amended community policy." The refinement plan amendment proposal does address that. Regarding the change in circumstances criterion, the applicants reiterate their point that the Eugene Code has been amended since the adoption of the Laurel Hill Plan to provide for an increase in residential density of up to 40 percent. It is now the City of Eugene's policy to encourage higher density residential development as an alternative to expansion of the urban growth boundary and the subsequent suburban sprawl that would entail. While the LHVC may not deem a 40 percent increase in residential density "substantial," I believe that the Planning Commission, the City Council and the Department of Land Conservation and Development does. The proposal satisfies this criterion. Buffer Area The applicants agree with the Planning Department's staff report comments regarding whether the western border of the subject property is meant to remain in residential use to act as a buffer from commercial uses that might take place elsewhere on the property. Staff explained, "This appears to be true in the case of the floating node area to the south where such a designation is clear on the East Laurel Hill Development Node map; however, the plan is silent on the necessity of providing such a buffer on the subject site." A 90-foot non-commercial buffer on the western portion of the subject property is not a requirement contained in the Laurel Hill Plan and is not a requirement established by any approval criterion. That said, the applicants are interested in being good neighbors and are exploring possibilities for appropriate design options, to include additional landscape buffering, for the western portion of the subject property if the property is plan designated and zoned for commercial use. As noted above, the site is severely constrained by power line easements. The possible location for any building on the property is extremely limited. Furthermore, the Eugene Code contains a plethora of development standards that any development on the property will have to meet. Determining how much of and what type of a buffer that can be incorporated into the site, while complying with the development requirements of the Eugene Code, is not a simple task. The applicants remain committed to developing the property in a manner appropriate to its location. For the above reasons, the applicants ask the Planning Commission to recommend that the City Council approve RA 04-1 and Z -04-4. ~incer~ely, ,, /3 Dan Terrell IV-88