Ordinance No. 20258 - Laserfiche WebLink

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WEST EUC~ PAP,~^y J~OD~FIED PROJECT'CONSISTENCY W~TH THE STA~,~ m ~ ........................... ..... ~ r~r~ ~ mu ~u~P~JRTATIOfl ~NNJNG RULE The Southern and Southern (Modified) Alternatives would result in significant adverse impacts to threatened and endangered species. While the Southern Alternative would not displace any T&E species, it would be located within 50 meters of over 235 Kincaid's Lupine plants. High-speed traffic along the facility would pose a substantial threat to the federally proposed endangered Fender's blue butterfly, 'which is attracted to the Lupine as a host plant for the butterfly larvae. The Southern (Modified) Alternative would displace 19 plants of Willamette Daisy and 12 clumps of' White-topped Aster. Because o~er alternatives have significantly reduced potential adverse impacts to T&E species in comparison to the Southern alternatives, the Southern Alternative and Southern (Modified) Alternative are not reasonable alternatives. The protection of T&E species is a paramount consideration, as reflected both by the applicable federal and state endangered species legislation and by the decision to reconsider alternatives to the Approved Design that would reduce overall adverse environmental ~mpacts. Where other alternatives are available with significantly less adverse impacts to T&E species, these alternatives become unreasonable. The Southern alternatives also are not reasonable because of the substantial damage they would do to the implementation and ~ntegrity of the ~Zest Eugene Wetlands Pla~ and to developing industrial businesses ~n the affected area, and because of their very high and continually growing costs. Placing these impacts in perspective requires some background discussion of the The YP~est Eugene Wetlands Plan was developed following discovery and ~nventory of a concentration of wetlands [n western Eugene ~n the late 1980s. Those wetlands coincided wkh areas that had been designated by the C~ty of Eugene and acknowledged by LCDC fbr industrial development. At the time of the wetlands discovery, industrial ~nvestment and development already was proceeding. By then, the City already had expended over $ t 2,000,000 in ~nfrastrncture to the West Eugene area to support such development. Private investment included over $900,000 by Spectra Physics for wetland mitigation to develop ks industrial property in th~s areafi5 It became clear to the affected governments, regulatory agencies and property owners that the conflicts needed to be addressed in a comprehensive and timely manner to achieve certainty in the planning process, protect wetlands, and to provide greater security for the City and developers in making investment decisions. The result was a study culminating w~th the adoption of the ~E~p in 1992. Today, the provides the basts for wetlands management in the West Eugene area. The plan was developed to balance the City's acknowledged need for economic development wkh the protection and restoration of a wetland and waterway system, as well as to protect natural diversity. The plan includes goals and policies for protection, enhancement, mkigation and development. The WEW'P identifies approximately 1,307 acres of wetlands in the West Eugene area. Through the coordination efforts between the C~ty of Eugene, Lane County, LCOG and affected state and federal agencies, 1,109 of these acres have been designated for protection or restoration, while 288 wetland acres remain available for development. The 1,307 acres include about 600 acres ink,ally designated for industrial use, of which 485 acres now are identified for protection or restoration. Over $7 m[ll~on of federal funding has been ~nvested in the implementation of the WEWP to datefie In addkion to the federal funding, there has been considerable investment from private property owners located in the area west of Bekline Highway, north of West 1 l th Avenue, and south of the ~5 See The ~a~ure Conservancy Report No 2 (September/October ~lgg3). The Spectra Physics $~e is now occupied by PSC Scanning. ~6 On August 2~, 1999, dudng a tour of~e West Eugene wetlands area hosted by LCOG, Senator Gordon Srn~th pledged an add~iona! $2,5 mflfion ~nves~ent to knp[emer~ the ~WP. Also, the federa~ Environmental Pro~ection Agency contributed $50,~ to th~ deVeloPment of the ~WP to use il as a nationa~ case study in how wefJand protection and economic development both can be accommodated ~n an urban environment. E~IBIT 0,-'1 - FINDINGS 38