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

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Page 2 of2 with a primarily economic view of the its value? When infill degrades a neighborhood, the home-owner residents are the real losers and suffer the long-term consequences of the developer's short term profits. In short, these home-owners subsidize the profitability of haphazard development, and pay the indirect costs of inappropriate infill. Infill driven by the developer's interests alone lowers the overall appeal and attractiveness of the area to future residents --- as well as would-be investors. This is neither equitable nor is it in the best economic interests of the community as a whole. Yet, until the residents of the Chambers I Westside neighborhood took the initiative to bring this concern to the attention of the City, there was absolultely no effort to balance livability with development. In fact, the most recent revision to the zoning laws enshrines the infill mandate, without any recognition of the distinctive nature of a given neighborhood. The current zoning regulations as they apply to infill offer a poor long-term stratagem for growth: inappropriate infill ultimately degrades the economic value of a neighborhood, reducing property values for present and future home-owners, discourages investors (even those whose interests and views are consonant with those of the home-owner resident), and otherwise creates economic instability across the board. Clearly, we all have a stake in stopping this cycle of decline, and the City has a special role to play in creating the ground rules, expressed through the zoning rules and their enforcement, that will encourage and guide appropriate forms of development--and when necessary restrict those undermine the broader stakeholder interests and the greater good. The proposed design standards of the Chambers Revisited project reflect an enormous and diligent effort on the part of neighborhood residents (all of whom are volunteers, and taking time away from busy lives to do this important work), the Planning Department Staff, and the Planning Commission. The standards have developed from a legitimate process and reflect consensus among those with both self- and community- interest and a balance of economic and livability values. Both the Planning Department and Planning Commission have given the standards their support. Moreover, these standards, if enacted into rules, would provide the neighborhood residents the tools to address poorly conceived and inappropriate infill projects, before they take root. They also allow the City to move forward in a consistent manner with densification -- by a factor of 50% or greater. As you contemplate further densification around the core of downtown and look for ways to be the fair and objective power brokers we expect from our local representatives, I urge you to recognize the competing interests in this debate and the immensely important effects that appropriate infill standards can have in balancing livability with densification. The Chambers Revisited project aligns the goals of the city and those of the neighborhood residents and the community at large, including developers. It is now up to the City Council to make a responsible and informed decision. I strongly urge that you give this your full and enthusiastic support. Yours, Joshua Daniels 2508 Park Forest Dr. Eugene, OR 97405 541-687 -5969 joshua daniels@comcast.net 111712005