Laserfiche WebLink
1361Luella Street <br /> Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br /> November 4, 2004 <br /> <br />Mr. Tom Coyle <br />Executive Manager <br />Planning and Development Department <br />City of Eugene <br />99 West Tenth Street <br />Eugene, Oregon 97401 <br /> <br />Dear Mr. Coyle, <br /> <br />Harlow Neighbors appreciates your kind offer to recommend <br />modification of the three conditions imposed on the Graymor <br />proposal for development of a retail center at the ten acre <br />Chase Gardens site. <br /> <br />The three conditions imposed by the City Council were 1. Doors <br />facing the street, 2. Two story buildings, 3. No drive up <br />services. <br /> <br />Doors Facing the Street <br /> <br />This limitation creates special problems for businesses because <br />the customers are parking in the interior areas of the <br />development and are forced to walk around the building to gain <br />access to the door. This awkward arrangement forces the business <br />to build two doors, creating a costly surveillance problem, <br />especially for a small business with only one employee on duty. <br />The requirement should be modified to allow the business or <br />the developer to determine door location. It is not clear that <br />parking will be permitted on the streets encircling the project. <br />The only available parking in quantity will be in the interior <br />of the project, not on the perimeter <br /> <br />Two Story Buildings <br /> <br />This requirement defeats the purpose of filling the structures <br />with tenants. During the development of a plan for construction <br />of an upscale retail area two studies were undertaken to <br />determine whether two story structures throughout the interior <br />of the project were viable in terms of occupation of space. <br />Both studies indicated that two story structures would result <br />in empty buildings on the second floor. The builder proposed <br />shadow construction in the event that intensity of business <br />ever reached the point of providing need for a second story. <br />This restriction substantially eliminates the possibility of <br />finding a builder willing to construct space which initially <br />is guaranteed to stand empty. The single story arrangement <br />is additionally attractive in appearance as is the case at the <br />square at Oakmont. Some of the property owners on the perimeter <br />of the project along Garden Way had agreed to consider <br />construction of multiple story structures for commercial <br /> <br /> <br />