Item 3: Ordinance Concerning Jefferson/Far West Plan Amendments

Home Browse Search

Goal 9 - Economic Development: To provide adequate opportunities throughout the state for a variety of economic activities vital to the health, welfare, and prosperity of Oregon’s citizens. The Administrative Rule for Statewide Planning Goal 9 (OAR 660, Division 9) requires cities to evaluate the supply and demand of commercial land relative to community economic objects. The Eugene Commercial Lands Study is acknowledged for compliance with the requirements of Goal 9 and its Administrative Rule. Currently, the City of Eugene has a surplus of commercial land. The subject plan amendments will not affect the supply of available commercial land. The amendments are consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 9. Goal 10 - Housing: To provide for the housing needs of the citizens of the state. Goal 10 requires that communities plan for and maintain an inventory of buildable residential land for needed housing units. The request to re-designate approximately 57 acres from Medium Density Residential to Low Density Residential impacts the supply and availability of residential 1 lands, as the request will reduce the potential number of units that could be built in the area. However, the subject area was not included in the documented supply of “buildable land” available for residential development as inventoried in the acknowledged 1999 Residential Lands 2 Study. Therefore, the change will not affect the area’s acknowledged supply of residential land and is consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 10. Although the area was not included in the 1999 inventory of supply, it has supplied additional residential development worth noting. Since 1998, 12 new units were issued building permits in the study area, including three duplexes, one single family home, and one five-unit row house. Additional infill can be expected. Under the existing Medium Density Residential designation, the subject area could be expected to gradually infill over time. For example, 4 out of 36 parcels north of the channel are now zoned R-2, having been rezoned over the last 20 years or so. In addition, the maximum buildout potential was calculated for analysis purposes. Assuming rezoning to R-2, complete redevelopment of the area would result in an estimated total potential for 1,085 dwelling units (57 gross acres - .32 of area assumed to be devoted to nonresidential purposes = 38.76 net acres x 28 units per net acre = 1,085 units). The actual number could be higher depending on exact lot sizes and the density round up provision contained in the land use code. For example, an 8,000 square foot lot zoned R-2 would allow 5.14 units at 28 units per acre, which can be rounded up to 6 units per EC 9.2751(1)(c). At the other end of the density spectrum, the minimum required 1 Approval of these amendments will have the effect of returning the portion of the study area south of the Amazon Channel to the buildout potential possible before the City Council adopted the Housekeeping Amendments to the Metro Plan, which became effective February 8, 2006. The Housekeeping Amendments changed the Metro Plan designation of that portion south of the Amazon from Low Density Residential to Medium Density Residential in order to bring the Metro Plan Designation into alignment with the Jefferson-Far West Refinement Plan land use designation and policy text. The Council initiated the subject amendments after neighborhood leaders questioned the appropriateness of the Medium Density Residential designation and its correlation to the refinement plan policy text. The area north of the Amazon channel was designated Medium Density Residential even prior to the Housekeeping Amendments. It is the policy recommendation of the Planning Commission to change this area to Low Density Residential as well, primarily to keep Area 15 intact as a whole, as it is treated by the refinement plan. For additional background on the options considered to address the issue, see Memo from Susan Muir to Eugene City Council dated May 24, 2006. 2 At the time the Residential Lands Study was completed, the majority of the subject area was designated Low Density Residential by the Metro Plan and Low to Medium Density Residential by the refinement plan.