Item 4: Metro Plan Amendment for River Ridge LTD/Jeffries

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property, not to preclude other available uses. The property retained a base zoning of RA Suburban Residential (converted to R-1 Low Density Residential during the 2001 land use code update). At that time, there was no zone that specifically implemented a Parks/Open Space land use designation. Although the Metro Plan was amended concurrently when the Willakenzie Area Plan was adopted, the Metro Plan land use designation for this property remained Low Density Residential, which had been in place since 1982. At the time when the Willakenzie Area was adopted, the City viewed refinement plan land use diagrams as providing more specific direction, thereby overriding the more general information provided in the Metro Plan diagram. As such, the City did not rely on the Metro Plan diagram for those affected neighborhoods and, therefore, there was no need to make changes to the Metro Plan diagram (the changes were already made on the refinement plan diagram). Since then, court decisions regarding the relationship between the Metro Plan and the City’s refinement plans have clarified a more rigid hierarchy, with the Metro Plan controlling in most circumstances. The actions taken in the Metro Plan housekeeping amendments were in response to and in alignment with this clarification in the hierarchy and the intent of the refinement plan policy direction. In this case, the change in designation sets up a more prescribed path for how the R-1 Low Density Residential zoning can by fully utilized. Under the current conditions, a plan amendment would be required. Under the previous designation, it is not as clear that a formal plan amendment process would have been necessary. The owner of the subject property has met with City and County elected officials and staff to discuss options to address this situation, which is similar to a situation that arose in the Jefferson-Westside neighborhood where, through the Metro Plan housekeeping amendments, a change in designation resulted in unintended consequences. Although the circumstances were somewhat different, to rectify that situation, the City Council initiated a Metro Plan amendment on behalf of the Jefferson-Westside neighborhood to change the designation back to the designation in place prior to the Metro Plan housekeeping amendments. Based on the actions taken in the Jefferson-Westside situation, it was determined that this current situation would be brought back to the City Council for formal consideration of initiation of an amendment. In similar fashion to the Jefferson-Westside situation, this work item will need to be added to the Planning Division work program as a high priority task in order for the Planning Division to prioritize staff resources to process the amendment. Lane County will be considering an initiation of a Metro Plan amendment for the portion of the River Ridge LTD property that is located outside of the UGB and within the Metro Plan boundaries to re- designate that portion from Sand and Gravel to Agricultural. For the portion of the subject property between the city limits and the UGB, Lane County will be required to participate in the decision making. For continuity and efficiency, these requests will be considered concurrently by both jurisdictions during the formal review process. A Metro Plan amendment of this nature requires a joint public hearing with the City of Eugene and the Lane County Planning Commissions, followed by a joint public hearing before the City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners before a decision is rendered. Initiation of such an amendment does not infer City Council support for the amendment, but rather allows for the amendment to proceed through the public process and for the City Council to consider the merits of the request, before making a decision on the matter. Additional background information regarding this request will be provided in the agenda packet for a public hearing on this item. Findings providing a detailed analysis of the proposal relative to the applicable approval criteria from the Eugene Code will also be provided in conjunction with the hearing packet. The applicable approval criteria Z:\CMO\2008 Council Agendas\M080811\S0808114.doc