Ordinance No. 20258 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WEST EUGENE PARKWAY MODIFIED PROJECT--CONSiSTENCY WiTH THE STATEW1DE PLANNING GOALS AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING RULE reg{on. By the year 2015, all major {ntersections along West I lth Avenue in West Eugene will operate at unacceptable levels. The WEP is needed to facilitate through traffic and allow West 1 Avenue again to function as a local road. Regarding Goal 5, the Modified Project reflects a shared interest by federal, state and local officials to minimize adverse impacts to high va~ue wetlands and to endangered and threatened plant and animal species in the area. Indeed, this interest provided the impetus for shifting from the Approved Design to the Modified Project that necessitates these exceptions. These reasons are consistent with the more specific reasons required under OAR 660- 012-0070(4). As described in greater detail below, the differences in impacts to agricultural and forest lands between locating the WEP on the Approved Design or the Modified Project alignment are not substantial. Overall, the Modified Project has slightly less adverse impacts because it does not directly affect any commercial farming operations. The absence of direct impacts on commercial farming is a reason to justify a Goal 3 exception. As explained in the Compatibility Memorandum, incorporated herein by reference, the Modified Project will use approximately I3.9 acres of ODOT property and require acquisition of approximately 9.9 acres of other public lands and 3. l acres of private lands outside the UGB. The afl:bcted public lands serve Goal 5 rather than Goal 3 objectives and do not contribute to the commercial agricultural enterprise of the county or state, which is the focus of Goal 3's attention~ While the 3.1 acres of private lands include some properties used for hobby farming, protecting hobby farms is not the primary objective of Goal 3. In contrast, the acknowledged Approved Design would displace nearly two acres of the Allendar commercial hay and cattle operation. Hence, the policies which Goal 3 seeks to achieve are not adversely impacted by this exception. Likewise, Goal 4's policy objectives are not adversely impacted because only a verb, small amount of designated forested land is impacted by the Modified Project Compare SDEIS, Figure 3~4 with Coml2atibility ~femorandum, Figure I~ The approximately 27 acres of resource lands taken to accommodate the Modified Project reflect the amount of land needed to meet right-of-way standards for a four-lane limited access facility with 12- foot-wide travel lanes, 8-foot-wide shoulders and a 12- to 14-foot-wide center median. Consequently, the amount of land included in the exception reasonably relates to the amount needed for transportation purposes and is justified. As described in the alternative modes analysis above and in the alternative locations analysis below, the WEP requires a rural location because alternative modes or alignments not requiring goal exceptions cannot reasonably accommodate the identified transportation need consistent with acceptable design or performance standards. Moreover, even if alternatives were available to connect this project to West 1 lth Avenue at or east of Green Hill Road, thereby avoiding the need for goal exceptions, resource lands still would be needed to accommodate improvements extending from the UGB at Green Hill Road to Highway t 26 west of Goble Lane, although the acreage amounts would be reduced. For all of these reasons, the WEP with its Modified Project alignment complies with ORS 197.732(1 )(c)(A), Goal 2 Part II(c)(1 ) and OAR 660~004-0020(2)(a) and 660-004-0022~ Compliance with OAR 660-0i2-0070(5}, ORS i97.732(i)(0)(B), Goa 2 Part ii(0)(2) and OAR 660-004-0020(2)(b) OAR 660-012~0070(5) provides that to address Goal 2 Part Ill(c)(2), the exception must demonstrate that non-exception locations cannot reasonably accommodate the proposed transpor*mtion improvement or facility. Similarly, OAR 660-004-0020(2)(b) requires justification why "areas which do not require a new exception cannot reasonably accommodate the use." EXHiBiT C-1 - F~ND~NGS 35