Ordinance No. 20581 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Exhibit B Legislative Findings: Economic Development in the Industrial Corridor (City File CA 17-2) Overview The goal of this City-initiated land use code amendment is to help facilitate economic development The area is represented by the Industrial Corridor Community Organizatiis a non- profit, formally recognized community organization. The ICCO boundary is generally the large triangle of land lying between the Northwest Expressway on the east and the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) on the west (see map included as Exhibit A to the ordinance). Most of the property within the ICCO area is zoned and designated for industrial uses. The ICCO area includes many large parcels, some developed by local legacy industries, some undeveloped, and some under-developed. The ICCO area includes about 1,652 acres, approximately 96% of which is zoned industrial (38% Heavy Industrial/I-3, and 59% Light-Medium Industrial/I-2). Proximity to highways, railroad, and airport make the area highly-conducive to industrial uses. At the same time, there are development challenges associated with current policies and land use code requirements, availability of urban services such as sanitary sewer, and lack of contiguity with City limits for a large portion of the area. Consistent with the goals and objectives of the Metro Plan and Regional Economic Prosperity Plan, encouraging development and redevelopment within the ICCO area has the potential to create highly-desirable manufacturing jobs within local key industries. Most of the area is outside the City limits of Eugene and does not have access to the full range of urban services such as sanitary sewer, stormwater drainage, police, and fire protection. Much of the area receives its necessary services through special districts, and may need on-site sewage disposal systems, until such time as individual properties are annexed to the City. In accordance with state and federal laws, as well as the Metro Plan and land use code, properties seeking development on these lands in most cases require connectsewer system and provision of other urban services by the City of Eugene. The Metro Plan anticipates that all lands within the UGB will eventually be annexed and served by the City. However, the lack of certain urban services like sanitary sewer, and the lack of contiguity with City limits, has hindered the ability for many properties to annex in the near term. Property outside the City but inside the UGB (as is the majority of the ICCO area) was previously able to annex even if the property was not contiguous to City limits, provided that the Lane County Boundary Commission approved the request. However, with the abolishment of the Boundary Commission by the Legislature in 2008, annexations must now be contiguous to city limits. In addition to making it difficult to develop unless property first annexed, these changes also have the effect of precluding non-contiguous annexations, which in turn prevents the annexation of individual properties in the majority of the ICCO area. These changes occurred prior to the beginning of the recent recession. With development activity picking up again over the last several years, the policy question about whether to allow annexation agreements, rather than immediate annexation, warrants consideration by Council. In several cases, property owners have been unable to proceed Findings - 1