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Page 1 of 2 LOWE Allen D From: Fred and Sandra Austin [freda@efn.org] Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 9:35 PM To: Allen D. Lowe Cc: 'Kristen and Trevor Taylor'; Jeff Nelson & Hannah Neet Subject: UO East Campus Plan Allen, Please enter these comments into the East Campus Plan record. Thank you. February 20, 2004 Eugene City Council CIO Alien D. Lowe, Planner To the Council, My wife and I are long time residents of the Fairmount Neighborhood. I am a member of the Fairmount Neighbors East Campus Planning Committee, and have actively supported the negotiations between the Fairmount Neighbors and the University regarding planning and development in the East Campus Area. We have greatly appreciated the assistance of the City of Eugene's Planning Staff in developing a mutually acceptable update of the U.of O/Fairmount Special Area Study. The Plan to be presented to the Council is the product of several years of negotiation between the Neighborhood and the University. With the City's help, we have ironed out most of the serious difficulties. But, now comes the hard part. While we are mostly in agreement about the issues of Traffic Mitigation throughout the residential neighborhood, funding for the studies and necessary capital improvements remains uncommitted. Surely the expenditure of funds to assure that the minor arterial, Agate Street functions as designed, and that the calming of family residential streets surrounding the approximately 35 acres of city center development the University is planning, is equally important to the expenditures for street and road improvements in the area of the new Federal Courthouse or the future Triad Corporation Hospital. We urge the Council to give high priority to the funding of East Campus Traffic Mitigation solutions. The other critical issue in East Campus Planning is the question of allowed Conditional Uses along the west side of Villard Street from 15th to 19th avenues. University planning documents refer to the proposed "R-1 Low density residential" area as "the graceful edge." The University argues that prohibiting Conditional Uses in this area is unfair because they would not be prohibited along the east side of Villard. I would say there is much less chance that Conditional Uses would be sought for the privately owned east side properties if the University maintains the graceful edge it proposes. I hope that the Council will support the Fairmount Neighbors Association, who are on record opposing any conditional uses in this special area. If in the future conditional uses are requested and allowed east of Villard, this question may be reconsidered by the City. We appreciate the difficulty of the process now before you, and wish you all wisdom in your deliberations and decisions. Thank you, Fred & Sandra Austin 1588 Fairmount Blvd. Eugene, Oregon 97403 City Council Agenda page 278 2/23/2004