03/13/2017 City Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Eugene Work Session: Commercial Setback Code Requirements for Downtown Meeting Date: March 13, 2017 Department: Planning & Development www.eugene-or.gov ISSUE STATEMENT Agenda Item Number: C Staff Contact: Zach Galloway Contact Telephone Number: 541.682.5485 This City Council work session will explore setback standards in the land use code and other related development factors affecting the pedestrian environment in downtown Eugene. This is an informational item and no Council action is requested. BACKGROUND The Downtown Plan, Envision Eugene and the economic development -focused Regional Economic Prosperity Plan all recognize the importance of supporting a thriving downtown. To that end, City Council has taken recent actions to advance related policy objectives. The Downtown and Mixed Use Code Amendments and the reauthorization of the Multiple -Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) program in the area are actions intended to increase residential development. More recently, the Downtown Placemaking project seeks to activate our public spaces and manage them in a way that creates a welcoming and thriving downtown for all Eugene residents. The pedestrian environment, or "streetscape" is the connective tissue between private establishments and our public spaces. Our streets are the largest component of public space in the downtown. Thus, the design, dimensions, and relationships between buildings and public spaces must be considered holistically in creating the pedestrian environment. Our community has shown a desire to support a thriving, walkable downtown and "20 -minute neighborhoods" throughout the city. Land Use Code regulations should reflect these community values and help create a downtown that meets the community's needs and expectations. The following questions were posed in advance of the work session. ■ What are the current commercial development setback code requirements? Where do they apply? ■ Should we eliminate the developer option for no setbacks which allows them to develop right up to the sidewalk (e.g., Capstone on 111h, new Hilton downtown, and others)? How does that impact the development costs? What are the public benefits? Should we require, in certain areas, landscaping between the sidewalk and the building/development? If so, what kind and how much?