Item 5 - PH on Laurel Hill Plan - Laserfiche WebLink

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Topographic characteristics of the area also lead to a public need for immediately available commercial lands. Much of the commercial node is located in a topographic depression to the east of Brackenfem Road. Development of those parcels are contingent upon not only the construction of Brackenfem Road, but on the resolution of sewer and storm water challenges arising from the geography of those locations. Those sites will not be available for development until public service facilities are in place and available to those parcels. In the meantime, residential development, occurring up hill from these sites, continues with no corresponding commercial development. Public testimony has also identified a public need for commercial sites with unique characteristics that are provided by this site. Those characteristics include visibility from Interstate 5 and immediate proximity to an interchange, which are ideal site characteristics for motels. Most of the commercial designated property in the Eugene- Springfield area located near an interchange and visible from I-5 have already been developed. This is one of the few, if not the only, undeveloped site in the Metro area that meets this public need. The Laurel Hills Citizens neighborhood group has posited an interpretation of this policy that would prohibit the designation of additional acreage for commercial purposes until all of the existing commercial designated area in the commercial node has been developed and then an additional unmet public need for commercial property in East Laurel Hill is identified as outweighing the need for other uses. The express language of Policy #5 does not warrant such an extreme interpretation. Based upon the public needs identified above, Policy #5 is satisfied. Policy #3 The applicant also cites Policy #3, which addresses development in the "floating node". Since the site is not located in the floating node, this policy does not apply. The Laurel Hill Valley Citizens neighborhood association has provided testimony suggesting the refinement plan indicates that the western border of the property is meant to remain in residential use as a buffer to future commercial uses. 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. No other policies in the Laurel Hill Refinement Plan are relevant to the subject site. The proposed zone change does not create an inconsistency with the other portions of the Laurel Hill Plan. This criterion is satisfied. EC 9.8865(3) The uses and density that will be allowed by the proposed zoning in the location of the proposed change can be served IV-73 Page 5 of 7: Proposed Findings for Furtick/Larson Zone Change (Z 04-4)