Item 8: Ordinance Establishing Chambers Special Area Zone

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Page 1 of 1 LOWE Allen 0 From: TomHappy@aol.com Sent: Tuesday, November 08,200510:12 PM To: *Eugene Mayor and City Council; LOWE Allen D Subject: (no subject) Dear Eugene City Councilors, Mayor and planning staff, I am writing to urge the Eugene City Council to adopt the proposed Chambers Area Special Zone, created through hundreds of hours of work by both affected neighbors and City Planning Dept. staff, and recently approved by the Planning Commission. The standards created by this special zone will go a long way toward maintaining and enhancing the charming and unique neighborhood it encompasses, while simulaneously allowing for increased denslty. It is a win-win proposal, and it would be a travesty to do anything but approve it as is. I would like to add that it doesn't take a genius, nor a whole lot of thought, really, to ascertain that infill without adequate guidelines will lead first to blight, then to the very sprawl that it is supposed to alleviate. There is a certain faction of the community, not to mention some elected officials and City staff, who seem to operate on the premise that all infill is inherently good, therefore we shouldn't waste our time trying to define how and where infill should take place. With all due respect, this notion is just plain wrong. I invite any and all of you to visit me in my neighborhood, and I will show you, without even leaving my backyard, examples of how loosely- regulated infill can ruin established, well-loved neighborhoods. Better yet, take a tour of the Chambers Area neighborhood with one of the members of CAFHN (Chambers Area Families for Healthy Neighborhoods), or check out their website. I imagine most of you have done one or both of these, so my point should be quite evident. Nobody involved in this process has been saying that infill is bad or unwanted. The point is simply that in fill should be guided so as to meet written City goals of enhancing existing neighborhoods. InfUI can be a good thing, and infill does need careful regulation! If all else fails, ask yourselves what you would feel comfortable having your immediate neighbors do in the redevelopment of their properties. If it seems like a bad idea for you and your property, then it will likely feel no different to the rest of us in our neighborhoods. Please think about it! I would like to add that the citizens who have been involved in this process have been utterly amazing in their motivation, persistence, skill and effort, and they have produced a remarkable body of work. Frankly, this is asking way too much of the citizenry. It is highly unlikely that any similar group will put in this kind of effort in the future. I mention this both to commend the CAFHN folks and others who have been voluntarily involved, and to admonish the City Council and staff to do a better job of planning for the future needs of the Eugene while preserving the beauty and liveability of what we currently have. We citizens shouldn't have to work so hard to ensure that elected officials and City staff do their jobs thoughtfully and reasonably. Please work to incorporate the Chambers Area Special Zone standards not only for the Chambers Area neighborhood, but for the entire city as a whole. You will be leaving a wonderful legacy for generations to come, if you do. On a final note, I would like to acknowledge the hard work that all of you contribute for the betterment of our City, and thank you for your efforts. I am sure that it is no easy task to formulate and implement policy in a community with so many concerned and involved citizens. With regards, Tom Happy 1546 Charnelton St. Eugene, OR 97401 111912005