Item B: Joint Meeting with the Eugene Planning Commission

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-----Original Message----- From: BETTMAN Bonny S Sent: Tuesday, July 19, 2005 11:37 PM To: MUIR Susan L; TAYLOR Dennis M Cc: *Eugene Mayor and City Council Subject: intent to move Dear All, Below I have outlined some explanation and then some language for a motion. The assumption is that the PC and staff willdraft the specificprovisions; I have only provided the general intent and framework. Page 294 of the packet shows the Nodal Development Two Year Work Program. Ibelievethis suggested strategy is responsive to thecouncil motion quoted on Page 295.It is a strategy we agreed to develop after the Land Use Code Update, but never managed to get around to. I thinkinitiating it nowmeshes sensibly with the proposed timeline for“Major Tasks” on Page 298 whichis July 05 through June 06and lists tasks to include“Meet with interested parties to identify community and City concerns with the Mixed-use code development.” Intent: In order toestablish community supportfor Compact Urban Growthit is essentialthat Mixed Use Development Strategiesprotect and enhance the health andstabilityof established Neighborhoods. We have spentover a decade and hundreds of thousands of dollars planning with insufficientresults becauseone-size-fits-all strategiesthreatenlivability and arestrenuously opposed by residents, developers, businessowners, and previous councils.We repeatedly find ourselves at the same impasse. In all of myCouncil and Neighborhood Association Chairexperience (almost two decades,) rarelyhaveIencountered absoluteopposition to density. It is thenegativeimpact that poorly regulateddensitywreaks on property values, safety andlivability that people oppose.The questionshould not be posed as aSolomonic choice; do we densifyOR do we protect; but how do we moveforward with densifying within the UGB while protecting and respecting Neighborhoods?In the de-regulationenvironment post-M37 we have even less ability to regulate the character and compatibility of infill and redevelopment in our Neighborhoods. Opportunity Siting has the added advantage of leveraging up-zoningas an incentivetoobtainreasonable design standards. I move to direct the city manager to incorporate Opportunity Siting asaprimarystrategyfor achieving density targets inMixed Use Zoning Districts.“Opportunity siting” is a mechanism that protects the health andstability of existing neighborhoods by focusing density on targeted parcels of vacant or redevelopable property.O.S.identifies specific sites 2