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change from single-family houses to high-rise apartments also disadvantaged low-income families. Rents <br />were higher, and the quality of life lower. She urged the commission to move the community away from a <br />monoculture of high rises in livable neighborhoods. <br />Mr. Carroll closed the public hearing and determined commissioners had no questions at this time. <br /> 3. Parking Strategies (CA 09-07, RA 09-03) <br />Mr. Carroll opened the public hearing. <br />Ms. Harding provided the staff report. She said the proposal before the commission was a package of <br />strategies recommended by the Parking Strategies Implementation Team and the purpose of the package <br />was to improve the compatibility of new multi-family development by tying parking requirements to the <br />unique needs of certain types of development. She described the impacts of the amendments, saying that <br />they would require more off-street parking for apartments with three or more bedrooms near the University <br />of Oregon; require less parking on a citywide basis for low-income, senior, and disabled housing; would <br />recognize tandem parking as a viable parking form and allow tandem parking to count toward parking <br />minimums in certain areas of the west and south university R-3 and R-4 zones; would clarify the City’s <br />requirements for off-site parking spaces and improve enforcement mechanisms; and would adjust <br />dimensional standards for parking space and revise the WUN refinement plan policy, which currently <br />included a statement about reducing parking on a per unit basis. <br />Ms. Harding identified a discrepancy on page 35 of the packet, saying the table should be corrected to <br />indicate that tandem spaces would not be allowed for studio, one-bedroom, or two-bedroom dwellings. <br />Laura Potter <br />, 2053 Laura Street, Springfield, representing the Lane County Homebuilders Association, <br />expressed support for the recommended parking requirements as a fair compromise. She strongly <br />supported the allowance of tandem parking and advocated for the inclusion of a car-share program. She <br />believed such a program provided an incentive for long-term solutions to reducing cars on campus. She <br />said that while the association liked the parking requirements, it did not like the provision of bedroom that <br />accompanied it. The association found it restrictive, and asked that the commission move the package <br />forward without provision C related to bedrooms. <br />Mark Gillem <br />, 1799 Fairmount Boulevard, observed that he had no problem recently finding parking in the <br />WUN. He advocated for empirical evidence to identify where a parking problem existed. He maintained <br />that as more buildings were constructed near campus, driving decreased. Less driving meant a decreased <br />need for cars and less demand for parking. Mr. Gillem believed that inappropriate student housing was <br />damaging the South University Neighborhood and to some degree the WUN. He suggested the City was <br />attacking the right problem with the wrong solution. Mr. Gillem recommended a parking requirement be <br />implemented in the WUN that precluded students living in student-oriented housing from having cars. He <br />maintained that the University of California-Berkeley had such a program and residents who applied for <br />parking were denied it because of their residence in a no-parking building. Mr. Gillem further maintained <br />that the Berkeley campus was surrounded by a wide no parking zone that had facilitated the construction <br />of housing next to campus to reduce parking and automobile demand. He advocated for an appropriate <br />balance between parking, buildings, and open space. <br />Rick McAlexander <br />, 1110 Jacobs Drive, generally supported the parking requirements as being carefully <br />crafted and well-thought out. However, he was concerned about the definition of a bedroom (definition <br />part c) as he believed it was far too broad. Any room of 70 square feet with a large window could be <br />defined as a bedroom. He also objected to exempting the potential of tandems for certain one-, and two- <br />bedroom units; if tandem parking was to be counted and it was a viable parking solution, he questioned <br />DRAFT MINUTES—Eugene Planning Commission October 20, 2008 Page 7 <br /> <br />