Item A: Ordinance on Chambers Special Area Zone

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The Chambers Reconsidered project represents a neighborhood-specific, responsive approach to mixed use development planning that concentrates on resolving issues that limit public acceptance of the mixed use development concept. This project is noteworthy because of the amount of citizen action. During the course of the study a core group of active residents, adopting the name Chambers Area Families for Healthy Neighborhoods (CAFHN), became instrumental in shaping the direction of the study and the final product. The voluminous background information, much of it produced by CAFHN, will be placed in the City Council Office for review. The City has frequently asserted that each of Eugene’s 39 potential mixed use planning areas is unique and that the planning objectives and outcomes should reflect the unique characteristics of those areas. This project demonstrates that principle. When approving the project, the Planning Commission majority noted that the proposed standards were crafted specifically for the Chambers area, and stressed that these standards should not be viewed as a precedent for other residential areas or Mixed Use Centers. It is also important to remember that this Chambers Reconsidered project addresses only a small but important piece of the Mixed Use Center implementation puzzle. It will be necessary to revisit issues of transit access, commercial design standards, and infill opportunities to achieve the full potential of the Chambers Mixed Use Center. The Planning Commission held a public hearing on June 28, 2005, and a second, more interactive hearing on July 26, 2005. On September 26, 2005, the commission recommended City Council approval of the attached draft ordinance and transportation improvements. RELATED CITY POLICIES Mixed Use Centers, or Nodes, are an integral part of the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area’s growth management strategy. Adopted policies support both the increased densities expected in the Mixed Use Centers, as well as special attention to established neighborhood character, as reflected in the policies below. The Chambers Reconsidered project attempted to find the appropriate balance in this specific neighborhood. Metro Plan and TransPlan Policies: ? Apply the nodal development strategy in areas selected by each jurisdiction that have identified potential for this type of transportation-efficient land use pattern. ? Support application of the nodal development strategy in designated areas through information, technical assistance, or incentives. ? Provide for transit-supportive land use patterns and development, including higher intensity, transit-oriented development along major transit corridors and near transit stations; medium- and high-density residential development within ¼ mile of transit stations, major transit corridors, employment centers, and downtown areas; and development and redevelopment in designated areas that are or could be well served by existing or planned transit. ? Within three years of TransPlan adoption, apply the ND, Nodal Development, designation to areas selected by each jurisdiction, adopt and apply measures to protect designated nodes from L:\CMO\2005 Council Agendas\M051012\S051012A.doc