Item 6: Ordinance on TransPlan and Metro Plan Text Amendments

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urgently needed the improvements planned in Project No. 333. He said adoption of the amendment would not impede th ongoing planning efforts for portions of West 11 Avenue to the east of the project. Kevin Matthews , president of Friends of Eugene, stated that the project was included in TransPlan just prior to the formal designation of critical habitat by relevant federal agencies. He said the relationship of critical habitat to the project was subsequently missed because the environmental screening maps only showed critical habitat for salmon- related issues. He said the project should not move forward and would not be built. He said advancing the priority of the project would allow development projects to use it as a planned transportation facility and it should not be placed on the fiscally constrained list until the environmental work was completed. He briefly reviewed his written testimony, which listed six categories of reasons the project should not advance. Mayor Piercy closed the hearing and called for comments from councilors. Councilor Brown asked if the council could vote separately on the two projects included in the amendment. City Attorney Emily Jerome said staff would prepare separate motions. Councilor Zelenka asked that staff provide maps of the terrain showing critical habitat and environmental work that remained to be done when the amendment came before the council for action. He also asked for information on how the projects would reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT). Mayor Piercy asked staff to also provide information on discussions that had taken place with BLM and whether the amendment was based on a policy direction that had shifted over time. She questioned whether the amendment was being proposed prematurely. 2. PUBLIC HEARING An Ordinance Concerning Time Extensions for Approved Developments; and Providing an Effective Date Mr. Ruiz explained that the ordinance would provide a one-time automatic three-year time extension for approved land use applications that had not yet expired. As a part of the City’s economic stimulus efforts the proposal would allow projects that had already undergone an extensive public process and received City approval more time to be completed. He said council action on the item was scheduled for November 9. Mayor Piercy opened the public hearing and reviewed the procedures for providing testimony. Jared Mason-Gere, Willamette Street, Eugene, representing the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, stated that the building industry was facing difficult financial times because of the economic downturn and a shortage of lenders, tenants and buyers. He said implementing the ordinance would not cost the City and would benefit a large number of people in the community. He said adoption of the ordinance would send a positive, business-friendly message to the community and those who were struggling financially. Phil Farrington, Monroe Street, Eugene, representing the Lane County Home Builders Association, expressed support for the ordinance. He said the planning process was rigorous and local economic conditions needed to be given consideration by allowing developers who had completed that process and secured approval additional time to finish their projects. He said other communities had enacted similar ordinances to help provide support during difficult financial periods and rejecting the proposal would cause hardship. He urged the council to approve the ordinance as nothing was better than the gift of time. MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 19, 2009 Page 2 Public Hearing