Item 5: Public Hearing on Ordinance Establishing Chambers Special Area Zone

Home Browse Search

Page 1 of 1 LOWE Allen D From: Janice Gotchall Dgotchall@msn.com) Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 11 :27 AM To: *Eugene Mayor and City Council Cc: LOWE Allen D Subject: Chambers Special Zone-Please Support! November 5, 2005 Dear Mayor and Councilors, I'm writing in support of the Chambers Special Zone proposal and to ask for your support. I've lived in the Westside neighborhood for over 25 years and hope to continue living here a good while longer. I've witnessed first-hand the damage done to this neighborhood by inappropriate, out-of- scale, poorly designed and sited infill. The negative impacts of these developments have served to energize neighbors to seek an alternate approach to future development that allows for increases in density, but in a way that truly honors and maintains the character ofthe neighborhood. Although Eugene land use policies and goals include numerous references to maintaining the character and livability of neighborhoods, current land use and development regulations allow out-of-scale, out- of-character structures that destroy privacy, ignore neighborhood patterns, and threaten the continued livability of this area. There are those who say that the downtown neighborhoods have to "take their medicine" and accept high density, regardless ofthe character and impacts of what's built, in order to accommodate people who may move here in the future. I urge you to reject this notion. Destroying the fabric and character of close-in neighborhoods today will serve no positive purpose in addressing future growth issues - indeed the opposite is true. When the appeal of close-in neighborhoods is ruined, pressure to develop the suburbs will increase. The Chambers Special Area Zone is the culmination of many years of effort, spanning several City projects, by scores of households in this neighborhood, Planning Division staff, and multiple paid consultants. The proposal has been aired at many public hearings, has been endorsed by the Planning Commission, and is now ready to be adopted by the city council. Ijoin my neighbors in asking you to vote to create the Chambers Special Area Zone as an important step in honoring neighborhood character and creating a Chambers MUC. Thank you. Janice Gotchall 1461 W. 10th Ave. Eugene, OR 97402 11/7/2005