CC Minutes - 04/11/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Manager Taylor did not know the answer to Ms. Bettman's question, and assured the council that the IGA was the best effort of the three jurisdictions, their bond counsels, and their attorneys to create a mechanism by which the MWMC could go to the bond market and successfully sell bonds. Mr. Kelly suggested that staff generate some information about how much of the project list contained in the Facilities Plan was due to growth, how the cost was calculated, and what would be paid for by SDCs. Speaking to some earlier remarks made by Ms. Bettman, Mr. Kelly said he believed that before any significant development occurred in the urban transition area, annexation would be require, and therefore would be subject to City SDCs. Mr. Ruffler concurred. Mr. Kelly suggested a staff response to the question of whether the capacity needed for growth in the urbanizing area would be paid by SDCs. Speaking to Mr. Pap6's concern about Section 16, Mr. Kelly said he did not see why the section could not be revised to involve the MPC before the MWMC made an ultimate decision. C. WORK SESSION: Chase Gardens Mixed-Use Area The council was joined for the item by Principal Planner Kurt Yeiter and Senior Planner Allen Lowe. Mr. Yeiter provided background on the item, noting there were several such mixed-use areas being considered for additional planning, and he anticipated that issues of how to accommodate growth while retaining neighborhood character and natural resources would continue to be discussed in context of those areas as they were reviewed. He said that nodes, or mixed-use centers, were the region's adopted approach toward accommodating growth in a manner that improved neighborhoods, increased transportation options, satisfied State goals for reduced vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and accomplished all those goals in a humane and livable way. Mr. Yeiter said that while the City had articulated broad visions for those areas many times over the years, it was finding that getting the mixed-use centers built in a manner that met the vision was the biggest challenge. The Chase mixed-use center was a good example of that. The center was planned during the development of the Willakenzie Area Plan. Following that, Eugene received a Transportation Growth Management grant from the State and went through a lengthy planning process involving the neighborhood and a consultant team. That resulted in amendments to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan and the Willakenzie Area Plan, and the development of a special mixed-use zone for the area. Mr. Yeiter said the amendments and special zone were intended to make the area more marketable, particularly for the commercial uses envisioned. The City employed relatively flexible standards for the area; for example, it had not applied the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) to the development. The City attempted to meet the key objectives of getting the mixed-use development through private investment with few disincentives. A market analysis had been performed at that time and private interest had been high, and the City believed the area would be the first operating node. The developer who was on board at the time had believed the desired retail uses, including a large grocery store, could be brought into the site. Mr. Yeiter said as time passed, the short-term market for such a grocery did not exist at the site, and the developer sold the site. The commercial portion was now being proposed for a medical clinic use. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 11, 2005 Page 9 Work Session