CC Minutes - 05/29/02 JEO - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Jori Belcher, 1190 West 17th Avenue, Eugene, Eugene Planning Commission President, reviewed the commission's reasons for rejecting the amendments. He submitted written testimony on behalf of the commission. Tim Malloy, 909 South 67th Street, Springfield, Springfield Planning Commission President, said the Springfield commission voted 4:2 to approve the amendments. The majority of the commissioners believed that the public vote was sufficient reason to approve the parkway, and agreed the findings were sufficient to meet the burden of proof. Those in opposition believed the burden of proof had not been met, and that there was no evidence to support the changes proposed in the TransPlan project list. Those commissioners also wished to defer to the Eugene Planning Commission as they perceived the project to be a Eugene project. He said a majority of Springfield commissioners disagreed with that conclusion. Chris Clemow, 95 Springwood Drive, Eugene, Lane County Planning Commission Chair, said the commission voted in favor of the amendments. The commissioners agreed it was not a Eugene project but was a metropolitan area project. The commission focused its review on wetlands and transportation issues. He said the commission agreed that none of the wetlands being impacted were of high quality, and the West Eugene Wetlands Plan (WEWP) allowed for mitigation of lost wetlands. In terms of transportation, the commission agreed the project was not a magic bullet, but a needed component in the transportation system. Mark Wig[I, 355 Wilke Street, Salem, Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), project manager for the WEP, said the amendments must be approved before ODOT proceeded. He noted the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was a cooperating agency with ODOT. He anticipated the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) would address BLM's concerns and describe the project impacts with the best information available. He reviewed the SEIS process and noted the wetland fill permitting process that lay ahead if the project was to proceed, which would provide the public with another opportunity to contact. Mr. Wigg said the BLM policy related to lands purchased with Land and Water Conservation Funds (LWCF) strongly discouraged disposal of those lands, and it would require a waiver signed by the BLM Director for those lands to be acquired by ODOT. He said that ODOT was working with various agencies, including Eugene, on the wetland mitigation issue, and developing a strategy on how to proceed. Dave Riley, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Salem, reviewed the NEPA process requirements as they related to highway projects in which it had financial involvement. He emphasized the importance of the WEP to the national highway system. Mr. Riley submitted written testimony. Jeff Schiecke, ODOT, emphasized ODOT's commitment toward construction of the parkway. He submitted written testimony, with the testimony submitted to the advisory committees attached. Mr. Schiecke said the parkway was needed and the purpose cleared stated in the SEIS of 1997. He submitted the SEIS. He also submitted a letter from Bruce Warner of ODOT regarding the deadline established by ODOT for completion of the amendments process. He spoke to the monetary commitment made by ODOT and Eugene to this point. He requested approval of the plan amendments. Randy PapS, Oregon Transportation Commission, Eugene, emphasized ODOT's commitment to the parkway to meet growing transportation demand. He described the benefits of the parkway, including increased connectivity to other parts of the community. He acknowledged the local and State actions needed to complete the parkway. He said that the amendment process must be MINUTES--Joint Adopting Officials May 29, 2002 Page 3