10/08/1990 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Mel Oberst, 2060 Emerald, commended staff for its work on the proposed ordinance. He commented that urban forestry issues are difficult ones for the County Planning Commission to deal with. Mr. Oberst encouraged the council to help protect urbanizable forest land because it has scenic, wildlife, property, and future development value, and also because it plays an important role in water quality for the area. Heather McKinnon, 609 East 14th Avenue, presented testimony on behalf of Bruce Anderson and the Oregon State Homebuilders Association. She suggested that some concerns addressed by the proposed ordinance would more appropriately be dealt with by the LCDC. Ms. McKinnon expressed specific concerns with the proposed ordinance regarding the definition of trees, the distance between buildings and trees, and the enforcement authority resting with the City Manager. In addition, Ms. McKinnon suggested that development would be better served if the tree plan were included in the normal permit review process. She cautioned that passage of the ordinance might add to the cost of homes and recommended that the council work with the Homebuilders Association to develop a better ordinance. Bob Schafer, 86092 Lorane Highway, said he is a builder and developer who objected to adoption of the proposed ordinance. He asked for more information about the fee structure. He said the proposed ordinance lacks clarity. Tim McCloskey, 790 Goodpasture Island Road, identified himself as president of the Home Builders Association of Lane County. He concurred with the two e previous speakers and said that the proposed ordinance was too vague and would place unreasonable restrictions on land already marked for development. Referring to a statement made by a representative of the City of Cottage Grove, Mr. McCloskey said the cost of enforcement would have to be offset by fees. He said that a more workable plan could be developed. Dennis Casady, PO Box 5028, opposed the proposed ordinance because he felt it was written without sufficient time and effort. Mr. Casady said that designating parcels 10 acres or larger as wood lots would allow only seven percent of the property owners within the UGB to manage their property for timber harvest. There being no additional requests to speak, Mayor Miller closed the public hearing. Mr. Lowe commented that criteria for development are now contained in Section 9.186(b). Referring to Mr. Casady's testimony, Mr. Lowe said that the amount of land was the controlling factor in determining the definition of woodland areas, and 65 percent of the area outside the city limits and within the UGB is in acreage over ten acres. Ms. Ehrman asked about burning of slash and Mr. Lowe responded that while previous drafts of the ordinance prohibited burning outright, further discussions with the planning commissions, property owners, and foresters, determined that such a prohibition was not appropriate and created too many - MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 8, 1990 Page 4