Item 3: Ordinance Concerning Jefferson/Far West Plan Amendments

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City Council's intent in initiating plan and code amendments It's important to recognize that Council approved a specific directive to "limit the subject area to Low DensityT Residential developmenf~ asa short-tenn measure to prevent potential R-2 development that may otherwise oc-cur in this area from 'destabilizing the neighborhood and degrading its character. Not onI)T did Council pro'vide explicit dire,ction for how this temporary protection was to be accomplished, the)T also identified these amendments as a "high priority.~' While Council's direction provides sufficient basis for the Planning Comnlission to approve the proposed amendments, it may also be helpful for Commissioners who aren't familiar with the subject area to kriow something of its nature and a bit of the historical context of the neighborhood residents' vision for the area, as reflected in the JeffersonlF.ar West Refinement Plan's Area 15 policy. But first, vve present a brief explanation of the nature of the threat to this area that motivated Council to initiate a high-priority response. lncompatibilit)-r and negative impacts of potential R-2 development on Area 15 Area 15 was originall)r developed as a predominantly single-family neighborhood in tIle early 1910-1930 period; and for ov"er 80 years the area has remained an attractive, healthy neighborhood of mostly one,... to one-and-a-half story, detac,hed homes. Houses are built fairly close to one another and have a strong street orientation and nlodest, fairly private back yards. Man)' blocks are bisected by undeveloped alleys, which are used mainly for service access, rather than as the primary dwelling access (which is from the street). Almost all lots in the area are zoned R_14, which is Eugene's low-density, generally sin.gle-family zone; and alnlost all lots are developed with only a single d\velling. Under current R-2 density standards, nlan)l of tIle lots in this area would allow' four to six d\velling units. Under R-2 development standards, structures c,an be three (or more) stories tall \\lith. 30 fo.ot (or higher) 'vertical walls looming ~rithin five feet of an adjoining neighbor's backyard or within ten feet of an adjoining home. R-2 multi-unit development requires on...site parking and vehicle circulation areas, which means substantial loss of open space and permeable and arable surface area, as well as significant noise and exhaust impacts from the average ten trips per household per day. The negative impacts of incompatible R-2 development have been well documented in a. residential area of tIle J\\'N that is verv similar in character to Area 15 of the Jefferson .; neighborhood, exce,pt that the study area has been zoned R-2 sinc,e the 1930s. As part o.f theODOT-funded "Chanlbers Re'visited" study, residellts catalogued concrete impacts of inc,ompatible infill and identified the nature and level of these impacts on all lots in a section of the J\\'N referred. to as th.e "East Traditional Neighborhood." (TIle ETN area is identifie,d in the Chambers Special Area Zone as the S...CIR-2 subarea). In surmnar)l, the data sho\ved that the tyrpe of intill being built in this type of neighborhood ul1der R-2 4 There are approxiluately 255 lots in Area 15. Of these, approxiInately 245 (96~/o) are zoned R.-l. 2