Item A: Downtown Code Amendments

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5.Boundaries for downtown development-related codes and regulations 6.Green building concepts 7.Design review Following the council action, staff proceeded to identify issues for code amendments in a series of meetings with the Planning Commission. In addition, staff held public workshops and meetings with the Eugene Redevelopment Advisory Committee. As a result of their deliberations and input received on the complexity of the issues under consideration for amendment, the Planning Commission recommended that the code amendment process proceed in two phases. The intent was to develop a more flexible and responsive code in the very near-term while allowing a comprehensive review and discussion of other, more complex development code issues. Phase I consists of a set of code amendment proposals that are limited in scope, and address code changes involved with items #1 – 3 above. Phase II will address items #4 – 7 above, entailing more significant amendments that are likely to require extensive discussion and analysis, potentially including a new zone for downtown and related metro plan amendments. Phase II is intended to begin immediately after adoption of the code amendments proposed in Phase I. On April 15, 2008, the Planning Commission held a public hearing on the proposed code amendments for Phase I. The key code amendment provisions in Phase I are as follows: 1. /TD Transit Oriented Development Overlay Zone Standards Amend the following five specific code areas: 1.Amend the FAR required from 1.0 FAR to .65 FAR, the FAR requirement in the code prior to the Land Use Code Update in 2001, for the area outside of the downtown core. 2.Amend the area used for calculating FAR from “development site” to “lot” to allow a smaller area for calculating required density. 3.Allow basement areas, including underground parking, to be included for the purpose of calculating FAR. 4.Clarify the existing provision that structured parking within a building’s footprint may be used as part of the FAR calculation. 5.Amend the /TD zone to allow all parcels within this overlay zone to be eligible for the adjustment review process, to provide a discretionary review process while maintaining the intent of the code provisions. 2. C-2 Community Commercial Zone Currently, developments on property zoned C-2 are required to have at least 60% of the building’s street frontage in commercial use, and a minimum of 20% ground floor area in commercial use. These requirements are spelled out in 9.2161(6) Residential Use Limitation in C-1 and C-2, and Table 9.2161 Commercial Uses Requirements in Mixed-Use Residential Developments. The proposed code amendment would remove these requirements for properties within the Downtown Plan area, allowing residential use on the ground floor. 3. C-3 Major Commercial Zone Currently, surface parking is permitted in the C-3 Major Commercial Zone at the rate of one space for every 1,000 square feet of related development, up to a maximum of 20 spaces. The proposed amendment would remove the 20 space maximum limit, but maintain the requirement and ratio for related development. Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080604\S080604A.doc