Item A: Annual Joint Meeting with Eugene Planning Commission

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Generally it is important to look ahead strategically and think long term about where we would like our planning program to be and understand what types of opportunities and constraints could impact our system. While this is not intended to be a comprehensive, complete list nor is it intended to be a Strategic Plan, the following items have come to light for either the Planning Commission or the Planning Division staff and are a good starting point for further discussion if additional time and other resources become available. ~ There are outside forces to legislate changes to our land use systems at a statewide level. The City of Eugene will need to continue to be strategic and be prepared to respond and develop policy for dealing with these types of influences that may impact the way we implement our plans. ~ There have been some recent successes surrounding collaborative approaches to neighborhood planning and conflict resolution which can be built upon. Moving away from a 'one size fits all' approach has resulted in positive results and further discussion could help us build trust and consensus in our community for planning projects. This relationship is especially important with the city's individual neighborhoods, given the future challenges that lie ahead regarding infill and mixed use centers. If a consensus based approach to land use is desired, the relationship between the amount of regulation and ability to be flexible and to defer to the desires of all stakeholders may need to be considered. ~ The city is experiencing a trend of increased requests to re-evaluate or change long standing policy direction through Metro Plan and Refinement Plan Amendments. The age of many refinement plans, changing markets and a decrease in easily developable properties all likely contribute to this trend. . ~ Upcoming legislation at the State level may significantly affect the future of the city's role in annexations. ~ Our partners in the Metro Plan, Springfield and Lane County, have been discussing publicly the pros and cons of reevaluating their participation in the Metro Plan. This could have serious consequences to our regional planning efforts. ~ With additional emphasis being placed on sustainability, there will likely be opportunities to define specific roles in which the Planning Commission can assist. ~ The Planning Commission has an interest in incorporating better means to measure how policy decisions the city makes match up with the Growth Management (GMS) Policies. Such efforts may include revisiting the GMS policies with the public to confirm the community's support for these principles. ~ The Planning Commission will look at and review their bylaws and operating philosophy and see if updates are needed. 13