Ordinance No. 20258 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WEST EL~E ~ PARKWAY ~DIFiED PROJECT--CONSISTENCY WiTH THE S?ATE'A~DE PLANNING ~ALS AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING RULE exception locations or through one or a combination of measures not requiring an exception, including alternatives modes of transportation, traffic management measures and improvements to existing transportation facilities. [n taking an exception it is important to recognize the unique role roads and highways play in Oregon's land use l:?amework. Roads and highway are linear facilities that are linked to t%rm an overall transportation system. Lane County, the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan region, and the State of Oregon are traversed by roads and highways that cross urban and rural lands to form a comprehensive transportation system. This network is necessary to move people and goods and to secure the welfare and well-being of Oregon residents, in this way, roads and highways are very dil~6rent from site-specific land uses such as residential, commercial and industrial. They are also different from urban t:hcilities and infrastructure such as public sewer and water lines. it is feasible and appropriate to restrict the extension of urban sewer and water systems outside of urban growth boundaries because such systems typically are designed to serve urban uses which are accommodated within a UGB. However, it is not always feasible, logical, appropriate or realistic to preclude the extension or improvement of roads or highways outside of urban growth boundaries, even if the roads will predominantly serve the traffic needs of urban residents. This is certainly so for roadways like Highway 126 that serve statewide transportation needs and are on the National Highway System. These roads necessarily must pass through rural lands to connect larger urban areas, ports, major recreation areas and regions of the state, in short, Goal 12 must be balanced with the policy objectives of Goal 3, Goal 4, Goal 11, and Goal 14, which together seek to protect agricultural and fi>rest lands for titan and fbrest uses and restrict urban level uses and public facilities to lands within urban growth boundaries. While by definition the Modified Project is a "new road," it might be more accurately described as a realignment of a portion of a previously approved but as yet unconstructed four-lane limited access facility, it is important to stress that goal exceptions have already been taken to demonstrate the need for the West Eugene Parkway and to authorize its construction across agricultural and forest lands. The need for the West Eugene Parkway ~ is unchanged and unaffected by this amendment. Only the alignment is modified, primarily to reduce adveme natural resource impacts. The ~ is and remains part of the ~e ounty s and the Metro Area's acknowledged comprehenSive plans. For C , that reason, rejustifying the need for the project should not be necessary. Instead, analysis should properly focus on just the modified portion extending outside of the urban growtt5 boundary, with particular attention given to whether alternative modes or alternative locations not requiring goal exceptions can reasonably accommodate the identified transportation need. Compliance with OAR 660-0i2.0060 Under ORS 660-012-0060(1), amendments to acknowledged comprehensive plans, and land use regulations which "significantly affect" a transportation facility m ust assure that allowed land uses are consistent with the identified function, capacity, and performance standards (e~g., level of service, volume to capacity ratio, etc.) of the facility." This can be achieved by (1) limiting allowed land uses to be consistent with the planned function, capacity and performance standards of the proposed facility; (2) amending the adopted transportation system plan (TSP) to provide transportation facilities adequate to support the proposed land uses; (3) altering land use designations, densities or design requirements to reduce demand fbr automobile travel and meet travel needs through other modes; or (4) amending the TSP to modify planned function, capacity and performance standards to accept greater motor vehicle congestion to promote mixed use, pedestrian friendly development where multi- modal travel choices are provided. The initial question raised by this rule is whether the proposed shi~ in the WEP alignment from the Approved ~sign to the Modified Project would "significantly affect a transpor~tion facility." if EXH(B)T C~I - F)ND{NGS 19