Ordinance No. 20201 - Laserfiche WebLink

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December 19,2000. The following interpretations of terms and phrases used in the Wetland Designation Criteria are adopted herein and applied to the analyses under the Criteria below. Site: The term "site," as used in the Wetland Designation Criteria, is interpreted to mean the entire wetland site, as mapped in the West Eugene Wetland Conservation Plan Inventory. Each "site" in the inventory has a unique label (e.g., HG). Although the entire wetland system is interconnected, each individual site has some characteristics that make it distinctive from other sites. On the inventory maps, all wetlands that share the same site label are considered to be part of one wetland site. For the purposes of the analysis under the Wetland Designation Criteria, each (entire) site is analyzed under the Criteria to determine how to designate the site. On sites where this analysis leads to the conclusion that two or more wetland designations should be applied to the site, it is instructive to apply the Criteria to sub-areas of the site, although this is not required. This is not be construed to mean these sub-areas are considered "sites." Rather, this additional level of analysis is offered to provide confirmation of the designation of sub-areas within the site that receive multiple wetland designations. Adjacent to or surrounded by existing development: This phrase, as used in Development Criterion #3 ("Site is adjacent to or surrounded by existing development") is interpreted to mean that existing development is close enough to the site (including existing development that is on the site), or surrounds enough of the site perimeter so as to have a negative impact on the functioning of the wetlands within the site. This interpretation is deemed important, since many of the wetlands in the West Eugene Wetlands Plan area occur within the context of urban development. If this phrase was interpreted to mean simply that there is some development on an adjacent property, or to mean that development occurs somewhere to the west, north, east and south, then Criterion #3 would fail to be useful in distinguishing one site from another, since nearly all of the sites would meet the criterion. Applying this interpretation, the analysis below looks at how close development is to the wetlands on the site, and how much of the perimeter of the wetland is adjacent to development. Those sites where development is several hundred feet away from the wetlands, or where development is adjacent to only a small portion of the perimeter are not considered to have met the criterion. One relative measure that is used for comparison is the 100 foot maximum wetland buffer setback, which is required for protected wetlands. The findings and legislative record for the adoption of the wetland buffer setback provisions establish that this distance provides adequate protection to wetlands from adjacent urban land uses (Ordinance No. 20006, enacted April 24, 1995). Where adjacent development is several times further from the wetlands than this, the development is not considered close enough to impact the wetlands, and therefore, is not considered adjacent. Cannot be protected in perpetuity through the West Eugene Wetlands Program: This phrase, as used in Development Criterion #6 (Site characteristics, including size, location and surrounding uses and activities are such that there exists a high probability that the site cannot be protected in perpetuity through the West Eugene Wetlands Program), is interpreted to mean either: Hyundai Site Ordinance, Exhibit C (Refinement Plan Amendment Findings) Page 4