Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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most uses, and the process added several uses, so he thought that created a net increase in due process which allowed for the mitigation of impacts. Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. She thanked all those involved in the planning process, particularly the FAN. She said the council was deeply concerned about protecting neighborhoods and the lessons from the process would assist the City in other tasks that lay ahead. Councilor Zelenka thanked those who offered testimony and those who collaborated in the planning process. He also commended the staff work of Ms. McKinney. He said the plan was an experiment in two areas new to Eugene, the fact of the first MUC and the first deployment of a form based code. He suggested it was important to get things right the first time because of the City’s hope to have more such MUCs in more areas. Councilor Brown also thanked those who testified. He referred to page 3 of the plan, which referred to the opportunity to protect the existing Fairmount Neighborhood. He asked how the plan would protect the neighborhood in a way that current codes did not. Ms. McKinney suggested that one major emphasis was th the 15 Avenue transition edge. The existing zoning was C-2, General Commercial, or PL, Public Lands, for the most part, which allowed 120 feet in height with no setbacks and a broad range of commercial uses. Rather than creating an abrupt edge between the two uses, planners looked at how to mitigate impacts, such as height limits that stepped up and more design standards for buildings along the edge. Responding to a question from Councilor Brown, Ms. McKinney described the scope of new apartment development in the area. Councilor Poling thanked all those who were involved in the planning process and the commitment they demonstrated. He thought the plan a good example of collaboration. He asked what the approximate total length of the proposed multi-way boulevard would be. Ms. McKinney noted the extent of the boulevard, which extended from Walnut to Onyx streets. She clarified that the improvements would not go the length of Franklin Boulevard. Councilor Poling asked the rationale for changing the appeal process. Ms. McKinney said that FAN requested that process, and staff discussed that with the stakeholders group. It came up at the end of the process, and originally staff thought that the process had more support from the other stakeholders. However, they preferred the appeal going to the Hearings Official. The Planning Commission discussed the issue and agreed that because the code was new and it had familiarity with it, it was the correct body to hear such appeals. Councilor Poling indicated his disagreement with the recommendation of the Planning Commission in regard to the appeals process because the Hearings Official was specially trained to hear such appeals. He would recommend a change in that element of the plan. Councilor Clark congratulated Ms. McKinney and those involved in the successful completion of the planning process. He believed the plan would help the community grow in a helpful way. He acknowledged the concerns expressed by neighbors in regard to parking. Councilor Clark questioned if the City had the appropriate processes in place to evaluate parking impacts. He thought that parking was an area that could create conflicts in the future. He called on the City to do a better job up front about being wise about parking impacts. MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 21, 2010 Page 7 Public Hearing