Item 3: Ordinance on Downtown Code Amendments

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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. Planning Commission Recommendation On April 28, 2008, the Planning Commission considered an ordinance enacting the proposed code amendments for Phase I. On a vote of 6 to1, the Planning Commission recommended approval of the changes to the downtown code. In the same motion, the Planning Commission recommended that staff include adjustments to the findings of the ordinance. The intent of the adjustments was to reflect the input from the Eugene Redevelopment Advisory Committee (ERAC) and other testimony received, and the understanding that commercially zoned land outside the /TD zone was being developed and land inside the zone was not. The draft minutes from the Planning Commission meeting on April 28 are attached. Council Action History City Council considered a Planning Commission recommendation to initiate a code amendment on September 25, 2005. The code sections identified for amendment were: 1.C-2 Community Commercial non-residential ground floor requirement 2.C-3 Major Commercial surface parking 3./TD Transit Oriented Development Zoning Overlay 4.Bike Parking requirements The council requested that staff solicit additional public involvement on these and other related code sections to encourage and facilitate downtown development. After considering subsequent public input received via a public workshop, a web-based survey and additional Planning Commission deliberation and recommendation, the City Council initiated the code amendment for downtown-related regulations on July 24, 2006. At that meeting, council directed staff to undertake a code amendment process starting with the initial four topics (with modifications for #2 and #3), and three additional topics based on public input received: 1.C-2 Community Commercial non-residential ground floor requirement 2.C-3 Major Commercial surface parking – consider ways to enhance shared parking provisions 3./TD Transit Oriented Development Overlay – consider functional floors rather than FAR 4.Bike Parking requirements 5.Boundaries for downtown development-related codes and regulations 6.Green building concepts 7.Design review Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080616\S0806163.doc