Ordinance No. 19749 - Laserfiche WebLink

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which requires the City to encourage the development of auto-free urban areas and transportation corridors. This policy has been considered and balanced with other relevant policies and objectives both in the comprehensive planning documents and elsewhere. The proposed redesign retains an autowfree area on Broadway between willamette Street and Olive Street and between Olive Street and Charnelton Street. As to willamette Street, Olive Street and portions of East Broadway, however, the auto-free policy is outweighed by competing policies in planning documents for the reasons set forth below. Although legitimate differences of opinion may exist, the Council concludes that the current mall arrangement does not further retail development and retention of businesses in and greater public use and revitalization of the downtown core. The proposed Downtown Design will better retain and encourage retail, office and public uses in the downtown area than the current arrangement. This conclusion is supported by the specific findings set forth. below. 1~I. Findin s on Consistent with Metro oZitan Area General Plan The Metro Plan designates the downtown area as a "major retail center." This land use category is described on page Zf-E-4 of the Plan as "having at least 25 retail stares, one or more of which is a major anchor department store, having at least 10D,DDD square feet of total floor space." The proposed Downtown Design is consistent with this type of land use. Construction of the downtown mall as set forth in the proposed design will encourage greater retail use of the downtown mall by increasing visibility of storefronts, improving customer access, and making the downtown area more pleasant. The following objectives and policies are the most relevant portions of the Metro Plan to the land use decisions at issue. All portions of the Metro Plan have been considered but the following objectives and policies from the Environmental Design Element, Transportation Element and Citizen involvement Element are the most significant. . A. Environmental Desi n Element Ob'ectives and Policies. Objective 3 and Policies ~, 3, 4 and 5 have bearing on the proposed Downtown Design. These objective and policies provide that; "Objective ~. Establish or maintain a sense of identity and character far local and neighborhood areas." "Pol~ rte. ~n order to promote the greatest possible degree of diversity, a broad variety of commercial, residential, and recreational land uses shall be encouraged when consistent with other planning policies." "Pol_ icy 3. The planting of street trees shall be strongly encouraged, especially for all new developments and redeveloping areas where feasible} and new streets and reconstruction of major arterials within the urban growth boundary." Exhibit B -Page 2