Item B: Walnut Station Mixed-Use Center

Home Browse Search

th designated for commercial use, and the land south of 15 is primarily zoned and developed with single th family residences. Under current code provisions, the land north of 15 can be developed with a broad range of commercial uses, with buildings up to 120 feet in height with no building setback requirements. Through a variety of public processes, agreement was made that the building height would be reduced to th three stories along the entire 15 Avenue edge within Walnut Station, and a ten foot front yard setback would also be required along the entire edge to mirror the residential building setback and landscape pattern on the opposite side of the street. Consistent with the overall approach to this zone, design th standards regarding 15 Avenue have been codified. Staff concurs with the recommendation to include the intent for developing a graceful transition along the th 15 Avenue edge and have included language in the purpose section of the form based code to that effect. Applications seeking approval through the Design Review process will have to be consistent with the purpose section. The following statement has been added to the purpose section of the form based code: th Recognize 15 Avenue as a transition area between the predominantly single family residential neighborhood on the south side of the street and Walnut Station Special Area Zone on the North. 5.Ownership related to use and “University of College” as a permitted use category: Testimony raises concern about the question of “University or College” as a use category. The Eugene Code allows “University of College” as a permitted use category in the C-2 and C-3 zones. Because the Walnut Station allows any commercial or residential use permitted in the code, it is permitted in the new form based code. The category of University use was proposed for the Matthew Knight Arena, and under appeal by the neighborhood, the Land Use Board of Appeals found that because an arena is listed in the code as a separate use requiring a CUP, a CUP would be required for the University Arena. This history has created some tensions in the neighborhood with regards to future uses the University might propose. While the question of University or College use is not specific to the Walnut Station Special Area Zone, the area adjacent to the University of Oregon has more potential to be impacted by University development. As such, it is recommended that the following policy be added to the Walnut Station Special Area Plan: The City should evaluate the land use category of “University of College” to better define which uses are permitted outright. The question of “University or College” as a use category and the question of ownership as related to use are different issues. The use category of “University or College” applies to University or College-run uses, not whether or not they own the land on which the development is proposed. The zoning designation of Public Land however is related to ownership. Land zoned Public Land permits uses outright that are operated by the public agency that owns the development site (unless it is the intensification of uses that are categorized as having special use limitations). While there is some property currently zoned Public Land in the plan area, the proposed amendments for Walnut Station will rezone all the land in the area as Walnut Station Special Area Zone. 6.Off street parking requirements in Walnut Station/comparison to ICS: Developing the parking requirements for the form based code was another topic that received much attention. The current proposal includes an allowance to reduce parking requirements. There is not a requirement to reduce parking in the plan area, but it is rather provided as an option for developers who Staff Response to April 20, 2010 Public Hearing Page 3 of 7