Ordinance No. 20258 - Laserfiche WebLink

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~ST EUGENE PARKWAY MODIFtED PROJECT--CONSiSTENCY WITH THE STATEW~ P.~LANN(NG GOALS AND TPJkNSPORTATION PLANNING RULE 1 lth Avenue from Highway 126 will help minimize access to rural properties south of the Modified Project, as will the presence of the railroad tracks and railroad right-of-way south of the Modified Project where it rejoins existing Highway 126. A concern often associated with limited access highways is the potential for urbanizing effects outside and at the fringe of the urban area. While this potential exists for the WEP and its Modified Project alignment, any pressures for nonfarm or highway oriented development that this facility might otherwise have should be substantially constrained by the federal and state ownerships and management of many of the largest pamels nearest the proposed corridor, as well as by zoning limitations imposed to comply with state land use requirements. As shown in Figure 2, a large Percentage of the property abutting the proposed Modified Project corridor north and south of the railroad outside the urban growth boundary is under public ownership for the purposes of restoring habitat consistent with the VZE/,V?.T!~ Other properties inside the UGB between the Amazon Channel/railroad separated grade structure and Green Hill Road south of the railroad are in similar public ownership or substantially development~constrained because of the presence of wetlands. Consequently, these properties effectively are not subject to urbanizing pressures. There is some rural land near Green Hill Road that is designated urban reserve land for the metropolitan area. Improved access to this area could accelerate the timeline for developing those urban reserve lands. Nearer the terminus of the Modified Project, a larger percentage of lands are privately owned~ In this area, protection from urbanizing pressures comes through development limitations resulting from the presence of wetlands, exclusive fhrm use or forest zoning designations, and through the very large ba~ier to development created by the Fern Ridge Reservoir State Wildlife Management Area. The presence of wetlands in this area substantially reduces development pressures because of the difficulties in obtaining authorization to develop wetlands and because of the significant costs involved in wetland mitigation. Also, the presence of railroad tracks south of Highway 126 creates a barrier that helps minimize accessibility to rural lands in this area. However, improved access to this area could accelerate pressures for rural residential development Jn areas near the project terminus designated for rural residential development with five or ten acre minimum lot sizes. Any such development would remain rural and would not be incompatible or inconsistent with acknowledged plans. Any potential WEP contributions to the development rate at Veneta, located about 5½ miles from the western WEP terminus, should be substantially offset by infrastructure constraints, including an inadequate wastewater treatment facility and problems with the municipal water supply. See Land Use Technical Report at 50. Overall, the significant wetlands resource, the large amount of acreage in public ownership, and the EFU zoning should provide adequate protection for rural and resource lands and minimize their accessibility. The presence of the railroad, the locations of wetlands a~d public land ownerships, particularly at Green Hill Road and in close vicinity to the Modified PrQect alignment terminus, will minimize pressures for highway oriented development in the area. Additionally, the limited access design of the WEP with the Modified Project should reduce pressures for nonfarm or highway oriented uses on the surrounding rural lands. As designed, the WEP does not encourage usage by local traffic. Instead, it will serve statewide and regional "through" traffiC. For 79 Restoration projects incJude the ~ ~35 proje~, ~den~ed at page 43 of the Land Uso Techr~[Report, which provides for romova~ of dikes bY the US Anmy Corps of Eng~eers F1 the area Just north of (Dut not including) ~he Modified Project between Terry Stroe~ and Green Hi!l Road to restore appmxFnate~y ~ 40 acres of wetlands and enhance another 45a~s of nat~e habitat, and ~he Cone rn~igaf~ion s~te, a wetlar~ mitigation proje~ ~oceted northwest of Te~ Stroe The 1135 project eXclude~ the Modffiod Project aligfiment because of the potential that the~P may be located thoro. EXHIBIT C~l - FiNDiNGS 48