Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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thth vided a gradual transition from R-4 on 18 Avenue to R-1, midway through 19 Avenue, for a gradual reduction from 120 feet to 30 feet in one and one-half blocks. There was no R-2 and the neighborhood would have increased density but it would be more compatible with the neighbor- hood. Residents of the South University Neighborhood (SUN) loved their neighborhood, and had invested not only financially, but with their time and spirit to nurture a thriving and healthy community. The residents supported compact growth and were prepared to accommodate significant changes in the area. They believed there were ways to make a positive contribution to established neighborhoods, rather than destroying what already existed. John Wager, 1183 Van Buren Street, had owned and lived in his home for 30 years. He was speaking as a member of the intergovernmental HPB with Councilor Solomon. He noted the HPB had submitted a letter to the City Council and Planning Commission which took a position on several of the proposed MICAP amendments. The HPB had concerns about the reduction in density that would occur. Although the amendments were minor individually by definition, in aggregate they were not minor. They would have the tendency to set precedent for other neighborhoods, thus having a ripple effect in the community. Individual amendments would also have a ripple effect because they would affect housing throughout the community every time core density was reduced. Lowering density impacted housing affordability, with the greatest impact on those with the least ability to afford and maintain decent housing. He encouraged the City Council to remember that as important as neighborhood groups were to the fabric of the community, they were not elected representatives, but self-selected and invariably property owners. He hoped to speak for the 50 percent of the community who were renters; they often did not attend public hearings because they were not aware of the impact that changes discussed might have on them. th Dan Herbert, 1913 Potter Street, lived directly across 19 Avenue from the subject of one of the code amendments related to densities and parking. He was interested in affordable housing and cautioned the City Council about making code amendments which might have a negative or suppressing effect on affordable housing. Through presentations at the HPB and the American Institutes of Architects (AIA) he understood how difficult it was to get affordable housing. It was important for the community to have affordable housing. The HPB had concluded that the MCA proposal needed further study, and he was persuaded that the City Council needed to be very careful about putting any more road blocks in the way of affordable housing than already existed. Al Couper, 2258 Harris Street, spoke in favor of the building height transition amendment. The protection was needed now because Oregon’s residential standards law was statutory - when development plans were submitted that met the code standards, 120 feet tall in Eugene, building permits were automatically issued from a zoning standpoint. This meant there was no notice to affected property owners, no opportunity to comment, and no opportunity for the City Council or its designees to attach conditions that would make a development blend into the surrounding property. Additionally, the proposal before the council was reasonable. He had read the code and talked with planners in eight jurisdictions in the Willamette Valley and Bend, and noted that no one allowed 120-foot buildings in their highest density residential zone as a matter of right, and few allowed that under any circumstance. The average building height allowed under clear and objective standards would be less than 60 feet. The proposal was similar to what other cities in the region used to deal with the edge effect where height density bumped up against lower density. Each of the cities was bound by the same State law mandates as Eugene, in terms of UGBs, density, reducing vehicle miles, and clear and objective housing standards, but had found more graceful ways to deal with the MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 16, 2008 Page 4 Work Session