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10. Designation of 4J Schools: Santa Clara Elementary School Issue: What is appropriate Land Use Designation of school sites that will no longer be used for "Government and Education" purposes? School District 4J requests Commercial designation for the Santa Clara Elementary School. Staff Analysis: One of the purposes of the Metro Plan diagram update is to have the diagram better reflect land use designations shown in approved refinement plans. Many Eugene neighborhood refinement plan designations reflect current use of public properties, such as schools and fairgrounds, as "Government and Education." When the refinement plans were prepared (often over 15 years ago), it was not forecast that school districts may discontinue school activities and sell these properties. The timing of this Metro Plan diagram update corresponds with District 4J's disposition of two school sites, Santa Clara and Westmoreland Elementary Schools. It would be efficient if the land use designation were determined at this time, so as to inform the zone change application, if possible. On the other hand, more public discourse about the future use of these properties could be required, at 4J's expense, if the sites were designated Government and Education and refinement plan amendments required prior to or concurrent with any zone changes. Amendments to the Metro Plan diagram will not automatically change the refinement plans, but could inform future interpretations. The written testimony provides data regarding the interim nature of the "Government and Institutional" designation, current Metro Plan designations, and zoning of these sites. The old Metro Plan "blob" diagram shows commercial designation extending along both sides of River Road, to just north of Hunsaker Lane. The rest of this area is designated Low Density Residential. The Metro Plan diagram could suggest that some Commercial is on the Santa Clara School site. Narrow commercial zoning patterns suggest that the Commercial designation is not so wide as to encompass the entire school property. The River Road-Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan (a non-site specific refinement plan) appears to designate the entire Santa Clara School site as Education. The plan narrative recognizes problems created by the strip commercial development patterns along River Road and encourage buffering between commercial and residential uses. Policies in the plan discourage linear expansion of the strip commercial development patterns, but allow expansion "by infilling, redevelopment, or expansion onto contiguous property that does not front on River Road' (Policy 3.0, page 2-18) and to locate new neighborhood commercial uses "away from River Road in locations that facilitate the provision of commercial facilities scaled to a residential area and that allow for dispersal of uses throughout River Road-Santa Clara" (policy 6.0, page 2.19). Policy 22.0 in the Eugene Commercial Lands Study (1992, adopted as a refinement of the Metro Plan) states, in part, "Recognize that the commercial sites designated in the RiverRoad/Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan provide adequate commercial supply for the area..." [the Santa Clara school site is not designated Commercial in the RR/SC Urban Facilities Plan]. Policy 11.0 states, "Promote neighborhood-oriented commercial facilities and community commercial areas rather than additional major retail centers." Metro Plan Periodic Review Text and Diagram Amendments Staff Notes Page 26 of 28 City Council Agenda page 328