Ordinance No. 20201 - Laserfiche WebLink

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The West Eugene Wetlands Plan increases certainty in the development process by 1) facilitating mapping of wetland boundaries and 2) by determining before the state and federal individual permitting process which wetlands are the most valuable and in need of protection and which are least valuable and suitable for fill and development. The Plan attempts to achieve certainty through providing clear direction about where wetlands exist and where and how development of wetlands can take place. Certainty for developers has not been presented as a guarantee that all owners can develop their wetlands. With the wetlands on the site mapped, the designation of this site, once given final approval, will clarify which areas can be developed and which cannot. We find this outcome to be consistent with Goal 4.4. Goal 4.5 "Minimize reductions to the existing industrial and commercial buildable lands inventory as a result of wetland protection." Wetlands on the Hyundai site designated for Restoration or Protection comprise approximately 47.7 acres. This land is designated for campus industrial use (special light industrial) in the Metropolitan Area General Plan. Due to the complex pattern of uplands and wetlands in the southeast field, it is highly likely that little or no development could occur in the narrow upland areas between the wetlands or in the upland areas surrounded by wetland. Adding these restricted areas, the net impact on the industrial land supply would be to remove 51.2 acres. This represents a reduction in the overall supply of industrial land of 1.4%, leaving 3,553.1 acres of inventoried industrial land unaffected by these refinement plan amendments. This represents a supply that is 2,381.1 acres more than the maximum projected twenty-year demand for 1,172 acres. To date, no separate analysis has been conducted to calculate the projected demand for special light industrial land. Instead, projected demand has been calculated for medium-light industrial land and special-light industrial land together. No citywide or metropolitan-wide analysis has been done since 1993 of the demand for or supply of industrial land. The impacts of reductions to the buildable lands inventory resulting from these amendments are analyzed separately in a statement of findings in Exhibit B. These findings are necessary to determine consistency with Statewide Planning Goals. The Development designation on wetlands within the "north area" is an attempt to minimize reductions to the industrial land inventory. While allowing additional development would go further in that respect, we find that the proposed designations for the site are consistent with the intent of Goal 4.5. c. WEWP Policies The West Eugene Wetlands Plan contains the following policies that are applicable to a decision about how to designate a new wetland site. Only those policies that provide direction on how to designate a wetland site are included. Related findings follow each policy. The Plan states that "policies provide the basis for consistent action to move the community toward its goals. Policies are adopted by the City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners. These polices are Hyundai Site Ordinance, Exhibit C (Refinement Plan Amendment Findings) Page 25