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

Home Browse Search

(Chambers /ND Overlay Zone) revealed a long-standing concern with City development standards by residents of the area. Many residents perceived that the City’s development standards, particularly the R-2 Medium Density Residential zone standards and multi-family development standards, were responsible for new development that was incompatible with existing development and destructive to neighborhood character. Many study area residents were skeptical of any increase of densities in the neighborhood that did not address design issues and the impacts of new development on neighborhood character and quality of life. The consultant team that worked on this project included Rowell Brokaw Architecture, Ron Kellett from the University of British Columbia, and transportation consultants PTV America. 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. A noteworthy element of this project is the amount of citizen participation in the drafting of the final product. During the course of the study, a core group of area 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, has been placed in the City Council office for review. 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. The City Council held a work session on this project on October 12, 2005. 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 the area affected by this proposal. Adopted Metro Plan and refinement plan policies relevant to this project are discussed in the draft ordinance Attachment A, Exhibit B. The adopted Growth Management Policies have strongly influenced the direction and outcome of this project. These policies are not standards or criteria to be applied to any specific decision. Rather, they are guiding principals adopted by the City Council to advise staff and the City Manager of the direction the council wishes to proceed with respect to growth. Applicable Growth Management Policies are discussed below: GMS Policy #1. Support the existing Eugene Urban Growth Boundary by taking actions to increase density and use existing vacant land and under-used land within the boundary more efficiently . The proposed amendments support this policy. The amendments provide for an increase in residential densities in areas zoned S-C/R-1 and S-C/R-2 through new provisions for compatible development on L:\CMO\2005 Council Agendas\M051114\S0511145.doc