Ordinance No. 20259 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Since some of the land within the West Eugene Parkway Modified Project alignment has been acquired by BLM through Land and Water ConserVation Fund (LWCF) appropriations~ the Eugene Planning commission asked whether this policy is applicable to ~ at}plication of the planned Transportation corridor wetlands designation to the ~est Eugene Parkway modified project alignment. Policy 3.14 was intended to address the issue of timing for implementing development~ prohi¢itive wetland protection policies. Such policie~ ~re not to be applied until after the subject wetlands haVe been acquired by a public or non-profit agency. The p~licy ,,vas not intended require the use of such protections~ Policy 3.14 is not applicable to the application of the Planned Corridor wetland designation tYr the following reasons: 1. Policy 3.22 establishing the Planned Transportation Corridor wetland designation and Policy 3.21 establishing the Utility Corridor wetlands designation allow these wetland designations to be to publicly-owned . The findings for Eugene City Counci l Ordinance No. 20119 and Lane County Ordinance No. PA 1117 amending the West Eugene Wetlands Plan to establish these new wetland designations did not include Policy 3.14 as an applicable policy. 2. The findings for Eugene City Council Ordinance No. 20147 and Lane Count3, Ordinance No. PA 1129 which applied the Planned n Corridor wetland designation to City-owned property along West 11~h and West 18t~ Avenues did not include Policy 3.14 to be an applicable policy. 3. Policy 3.14 directs implementation of policies which prohibit development on certain protected wetlands. Since the Planned Transportation corridor policy specifically allows fill of publicly-owned land for roadway constracfion in specific, limited circumstances Lh/s policy does not prohibit development. Policy 3.8 "Establish, maintain and protect physical and hydrologic linkages between protected wetlands and adjacent transitional and upland wildlife habkat and natural areas.' ODOT has Completed an hydrologic analysis for the project. The analysis noted that surfhce hydrology has already bee~ substantially ~hanged by deCel°pment in ~he area, including the dike uPon which the railroad is built and existing city, coUnty, and state roads. The ditches that parallel these features and divert sur{hce flows to waterways fm'ther modified surface hydrology. ;Fhe analysis concluded that the WEP would not have a noticeable impact on hydrology because the railroad already acts as a barrier to overland flow of water and channels overland flow to ditches. Consideration of impacts to subsurface hydrology determined tlmt the soils in the area were not prone to compaction and placement of fill for construction of the V~rEp would not affect subsurface hydrology. The West Eugene Parkway roadwa~v would be elevated to approximately the same level as the railroad from Amazon Creek to west of Green Hill Road, a distance of abont 1~3 miles. A railroad grade parallels that 1.3-mile section of the WEP. The railroad creates a hydrologic West Eugene Wetlands Plan Amendments Exhibit B ~ Fkndings Page 16