Item 2: Ordinance on Minor Code Amendments

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ATTACHMENT D th Paul Conte , 1461 West 10 Avenue, Eugene, said that all 12 sustainable neighborhood amendments should be recommended for adoption on their merits. He submitted written testimony refuting the position of the Lane County Homebuilders Association (LCHA). th Rene Kane , 254 West 14 Avenue, Eugene, speaking as the chair of Jefferson West Side Neighbors, a member of the Neighborhood Leaders Council, and member of the Multi Dwelling Infill Subcommittee of the Infill Compatibility Task Team, urged the Commission to approve the set of amendments that specifically protect neighborhoods from the destabilizing effects of infill and development. Carolyn Schmidt , 1344 Manzana Street, Eugene, commented on the proposed changes to the Code in Section 9 regarding fence heights in residential zones. She thanked the commission for including the proposed changes, and said that with the smaller lot sizes in the City of Eugene it can be difficult to situate a house and maintain adequate privacy and security. She said that allowing a six foot fence as described in the MCA would allow for additional privacy and security. She said that the existing code contained various inconsistencies in the current enforcement of fence height standards, and was unclear in its current definition of what constituted a front yard. Paul Farnsworth , 1344 Manzana Street, Eugene, spoke regarding the proposed fence height changes as described in MCA No. 2. He described the current characteristics of his home and how they might be improved by the proposed MCA. Carolyn Jacobs , 2040 Agate Street, Eugene, spoke regarding MCA No. 5 regarding building height transitions within the South University Neighborhood and said that without the proposed amendments to provide a reasonable transition between R-1 and R-3 and R-4 zones, family homes would be looking at very high structures very close to existing homes, leading to a general deterioration of the neighborhood itself. Al Couper , 2258 Harris, Eugene, spoke regarding MCA No. 5 regarding building height transitions within the South University Neighborhood. He said that he believed that current building codes provided for a perfect storm of wildly inappropriate building development. He said that under the current Code and under the building height transitions specified in Oregon’s clear and objective standards laws, building permits were issued so quickly as to preclude adequate notice to property owners. He said this is truly a minor amendment in that it does not impose any particular zoning pattern, nor does it specifically change any the zoning classification of any MINUTES—Eugene Planning Commission May 21, 2008 Page 3