CC Minutes - 06/14/99 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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Larry Reed, representing the James Family, spoke for the request. He introduced the James family members present and provided an overview of the parcels in the application and surrounding properties. 6il James provided a history of the family ownership of the property. He said that the request was consistent with the goals and plans of the community. There being no one else wishing to speak, Mayor Torrey closed the public hearing. In response to a question from Councilor Nathanson, Ms. Laurence said that access to the part of the property retaining a medium-density residential designation would have to be through adjoining properties owned by the applicant. Councilor Nathanson commented that it was a mistake to zone large contiguous parcels as high- and medium-density residential. She said that large masses of residential density contribute to the problems in the city. Councilor Kelly commented that too many changes to the refinement plan would eventually negate the plan altogether. He noted conflicting reports from staff regarding whether the request met the criteria for amending a refinement plan and asked for staff comments. Staff responded that the change came from a Planning Commission discussion and that the revisions changed after discussion was concluded. Councilor Rayor raised concerns that rezoning from medium- to Iow-density would take away potential housing. Councilor Meisner commented that the particular request was not problematic if viewed in isolation. He then raised concerns about the number of requests this year to remove residential land from the inventory, stating that the cumulative effect was significant. Councilor Taylor suggested not approving any commercial zoning requests until the downtown area was revitalized. Councilor Pap8 confirmed with staff that the City had more than enough land set aside in the urban growth boundary to cover the State-mandated supply. Councilor Meisner asked to be kept appraised of the cumulative effect of the zone changes in residential areas. Councilor Nathanson stated that she was not against commercial rezoning in residential areas. She remarked that downtown is not Eugene's only commercial area. V. PUBLIC HEARING: AN ORDINANCE CONCERNING THE DEFINITION OF "METRO PLAN AMENDMENT HOME CITY" AND AMENDING SECTION 9.015 OF THE EUGENE CODE, 1971. Planning Director Jan Childs provided a summary of the ordinance. She expressed her willingness to answer questions posed by the councilors. MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14, 1999 Page 4 7:30 p.m.