Item 8: Ordinance Establishing Chambers Special Area Zone

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TESTIMONY City Council Public Hearing - November 14, 2005 Chambers Special Area Zone My name is Carol DeFazio. I live at 1437 West 10th Avenue, and I'm a member of the CAFIIN Steering Committee. When you step back from the technical details of the proposed code amendments, there are two central questions to consider as you reach your decision on the Chambers Special Area Zone: · Will my decision help Eugene grow wisely? · And, will my decision foster a livable community? Chambers area residents devoted hundreds of hours over the past 14 months grappling with these pivotal issues. We know growth is inevitable in Eugene. And we share with our fellow citizens the desire to see our community remain a healthy, vibrant place to live. As residents who already "walk the talk" about compact, close-in living, we support "smart growth." But truly "smart" development is more than a simple game of numbers. Intelligent planning doesn't put at risk the established core neighborhoods that provide Eugene's rare examples of successful, pedestrian-friendly, transportation-efficient places to live that have stood the test of time for over 75 years. It would be very shortsighted to sacrifice these neighborhoods white promoting pale "neo-traditional" replicas of them on the edge of town. What sense is there to land use planning that tosses out the genuine article for the reproduction? Residents of our neighborhood welcome positive change. Many of us moved here when it was in decline, buying and rehabilitating the older homes that had fallen into disrepair. We changed our neighborhood for the better once before, and we hope with the Chambers Special Area Zone to do the same again. Because we are committed to the long-term health and vibrancy of our neighborhood, we've supported significant increases in density and recommended standards to assure this change occurs sensibly and in the proper scale. We also value diversity and support provisions that would allow alley-access-only lots with a single dwelling unit as a way to increase opportunities for affordable home ownership and to foster another positive form of increased density. This is not a time to hesitate because of an abstract and unfounded notion that leaving unrealistic maximum densities in place will automatically result in the fantastic transformation of this neighborhood into a thriving metropolitan complex of attractive apartments and condos. Look at what t\venty years of experience unequivocally tells us - The only result of the current approach is a bunch of crappy infill that's slowly turning sections of the neighborhood into blighted areas where 110 one with the economic means will choose to live or invest. For Eugene to grow wisely, and to maintain our community's livability, we need adequate standards to protect and stabilize our close-in neighborhoods, assuring that they thrive as great places to live for the next 75 years. The Chambers Special Area Zone will help further those goals. Thank you.