Item 3: Ordinance on Walnut Station Mixed-Use Center (2)

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Action: An Ordinance Concerning the Walnut Station Mixed-Use Center Meeting Date: July 12, 2010 Agenda Item Number: 3 Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Lydia McKinney www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: (541) 682-5485 ISSUE STATEMENT The City Council will take action on an ordinance concerning implementation of the Walnut Station Mixed-Use Center project. BACKGROUND On June 21, 2010, the City Council held a public hearing to consider an ordinance that implements the Walnut Station Mixed-Use Center project. Staff has prepared a memorandum which provides a response to the issues raised in the oral and written testimony, included as Attachment A. Attachment B includes all the public testimony that has been submitted on the project since June 9, 2010. Testimony has been generally supportive of the project, with a few specific exceptions. Several who spoke from the Fairmount neighborhood raised concerns with regards to traffic impacts, potential spillover parking impacts, and general neighborhood compatibility issues. Many of these concerns have been addressed with policy revisions that have been included in the Walnut Station Specific Area Plan (Attachment E, Exhibit C). As explained at the public hearing, these policy changes were made to address neighborhood concerns and were approved by the Fairmount neighborhood representatives prior to the hearing. These policy revisions are also supported by the remainder of the stakeholders and information in the record. Many who submitted testimony, including the University of Oregon, the Chamber of Commerce, and local business owners, indicated that while they favor the project overall, they do not support the Planning Commission’s recommendation to change the Type II appeals authority from the Hearings Official to the Planning Commission. In addition, staff understands that Fairmount neighborhood representatives do not object to maintaining the current appeals process. Therefore, staff is recommending the standard Type II process for the City’s consideration of design review appeals, instead of the specialized process recommended by the Planning Commission. Attached to this agenda item summary (AIS) are two versions (“A” and “B”) of the ordinance. Version A of the ordinance is drafted so that an appeal of a design review decision would be considered by the Hearings Official, like other Type II decisions. Version B is the ordinance as it was recommended by the Planning Commission and presented for the public hearing. Version B includes changes to Eugene Code (EC) 9.7055 and 9.7605 that create a specialized process for the City’s consideration of design review appeals. The exhibits to Version A and Version B of the ordinance are the same. Z:\CMO\2010 Council Agendas\M100712\S1007123.doc