Item 8: Ordinance Establishing Chambers Special Area Zone

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c---- . -----.----- ---- ATTACHMENT B Planning & Development Planning MEMORANDUM City of Eugene 99 West 10th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 (541) 682~5377 (541) 682-5572 FAX www.eugene-or.gov Date: December 12,2005 To: Mayor Piercy and City Council From: Allen Lowe Senior Planner, 682-5113 Subject: Response to Council Requests from November 14 Public Hearing. In response to a request from Councilor Kelly, this memo provides information on possible amendments to the Chambers Special Area Zone ordinance. At the conclusion of the public hearing, Councilor Kelly asked that amendments be drafted that would: (l) provide for a minimum density requirement and (2) allow for condominiums and row houses. Minimum Density Requirement The Eugene Code (EC 9.2750) currently provides for a minimum density of 10 dwelling units per net acre (dula) in areas zoned for R-2 development; however EC 9.2751 Special Development Standards for Table 9.2750 provides the following exception: (1) Density. (a) "The minimum residential density requirements set forth in Table 9.2750 do not apply .... to residentially zoned lots or development sites that are developed and are /3,500 square feet or less in size. " At the beginning of the Chambers Reconsidered process staff, consultants, and neighborhood residents all agreed that the compatibility standards that would be created should be based on the characteristics of the neighborhood and should address real issues. The decision to eliminate minimum density requirements for this area was based on data that showed that the code's minimum density standard would apply to only one lot and would therefore not have a demonstrable affect on density. The minimum density standard was intentionally deleted for this area with the agreement of all parties. While staff believes that reinsertion of a minimum density standard for this area would have no practical affect, its inclusion in the draft code might imply, to some, that it generally applies to all lots in the area even though, in fact, it would apply only to a single lot. Even so, Council could choose to re-establish a minimum density threshold for this area by amending the draft ordinance. This could be accomplished, most efficiently, by amending proposed EC 9.3065(3)(a) as follows: (a) Density Standards. In lieu of the density standards for the R-2 zone in Table 9.2750 and EC 9.2750(1), there is no minimum density requirement regardless onot size, and the following maximum density standards apply: