04/13/1981 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e e II. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. Report concerning long-term stategies for downtown housing (memo, resolution, and additional information distributed) Manager introduced Pat Decker, Planning Department. Ms. Decker explained the report comes from the Eugene Planning Commission. She referred to the memo of April 7, 1981, on the subject Long-Term Strategies for Downtown Housing, and the recommendations of the Planning Commission stemming from five public hearings. The first recommended revision is the insertion of a statement following the Downtown Housing Goal addressing the household types and income ranges that downtown housing is expected to serve. The second recommended revision is the, insertion of the illustration, "Framework for Downtown Planning" and supporting text to clarify the relationship of the long-term strategies for downtown housing to other planning efforts in the downtown area. Recommendation No.5 should be revised to indicate that the City should study the potential for long-term leasing of spaces within public parking structures as one alternative for meeting parking requirements for residential development in the downtown area. Recommendation No. 6 should be revised to say the City should consider changing regulations governing required off-street parking for downtown housing to allow required parking to be located more than 400 feet from the development site. The revisions for Recommendation No.7 have to do with the use of ameni- ties to improve the image and ability of the downtown area to serve residential development. Revisions to Recommendation No.8 involve including the neighbor- hood organizations in the processes. Ms. Decker recalled that the issue of downtown housing was a high priority for the City Council. After receiving an initial report the City Council asked the Planning Commission to focus on long-term stategies and asked the Urban Renewal Agency to focus on short-term strategies. These revisions, she explained, council would be adopting if they adopted the resolution before them. The revisions are not arguing with the tenor of the recommendations but are clari- fying them. Two recommendations were added as a result of public testimony: 9. The City should continue to identify and eliminate or lessen the impact of regulations or laws which act as barriers to housing in the downtown area, and; 10. The City should take steps to improve housing rehabilitation programs as one means of conserving and improving more the more than 1,500 dwelling units that are already located within the downtown area. Ms. Schue asked if in the discussion of item #10 they had developed strategies for dealing with conversion of existing houses to other uses, such as commercial uses. Ms. Decker said that they had considered the use of MU zoning. Some houses are currently not being maintained. Their efforts are to get investor- owners to rehabilitate the existing housing. Ms. Wooten was concerned about slowing down the conversion of housing units since it may not be possible to replace the existing housing. Ms. Decker said the the staff feels that the MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 13, 1981 Page 2