Item 5: Ordinance on River Ridge Metro Plan Diagram Amendment

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agency that authors and administers the state transportation rule, submitted a letter to the City and a further explanation that recommends the City Council approve the proposal, but without the proposed condition. DLCD concludes that the proposal complies with the state transportation rule without the need for any conditions. The correspondence from DLCD was included as an attachment to the October 27, 2009, AIS. Based on the recommendations from DLCD, staff has prepared a revised ordinance and findings that do not include the transportation-related conditions. These are included as Attachment A. The City Manager recommends that the City Council adopt this revised ordinance and findings, provided in Attachment A. Following the public hearing, City Councilors and Board of Commissioners asked questions of City and County staff regarding the history of the site and potential transportation impacts. Two questions required follow-up research from staff: 1. Councilor Clark asked if the City imposed a TPR condition in 2007 when a similarly-situated area east of the fairgrounds was returned to its former Metro Plan designation of Low Density Residential. The 2007 Metro Plan diagram amendment was also initiated by the City to address a situation arising from the same 2004 Metro Plan Housekeeping Amendments that created the current issue for the River Ridge site. With respect to the fairgrounds area, the 2004 Metro Plan Housekeeping Amendments had changed the Metro Plan designation from Low Density Residential to the more dense Medium Density Residential designation. In 2007, the City Council returned that area’s Metro Plan designation to Low Density Residential and also changed the refinement plan so that the area had consistent low density residential refinement plan and Metro Plan designations. The Goal 12 findings in support of the 2006 action indicate that the change was consistent with the TPR, without the need for a condition requiring a future demonstration because the 2007 action returned the area to a lower density and, therefore, the amendments could only result in a decrease in traffic, reducing potential impacts to transportation facilities in the area. [Note: this response is based on Ordinance No. 20380, of which the City Council may take official notice.] 2. Councilor Zelenka requested that staff provide background regarding the public involvement in the decision to designate the River Ridge site for Parks and Open Space when the Willakenzie Refinement Plan was adopted in 1992. As detailed in the adopting ordinance and the introduction of the plan itself, the Willakenzie Area Plan underwent a robust planning process, beginning with the formation of a planning team (which included residents, property owners and business representatives within the plan area). The process also included notification to all residents and property owners within the plan area at several points, and numerous opportunities for public participation and input. There is no indication, however, of the attention that was paid to the designation of the River Ridge site. The plan text states that its diagram was intended to represent the “general future land use patterns that are desired for the Willakenzie area” but, in listing the factors that formed the basis for the diagram, the first factor is “the type of development that already exists in the area.” At that time, the River Ridge site was developed with a golf course. It is also worth noting that, in the Plan Implementation chapter, it provides: “It is intended that this plan will be a dynamic document that will reflect the changing needs and desires of the people who live and work in the Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M091109\S0911095.doc