Item 2C: Initiation of Land Use Code Amendment to Facilitate Siting of VA Clinic

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ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Initiation of Land Use Code Amendment to Facilitate the Siting of a Clinic Operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Meeting Date: September 26, 2011 Agenda Item Number: 2C Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Alissa Hansen www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5508 ISSUE STATEMENT This item is a request for the City Council to initiate an amendment to the land use code to remove a barrier within the I-1 Campus Industrial Zone that restricts the siting of a clinic operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The Eugene Code requires City Council initiation of any amendment to the land use code. City Council initiation of such an amendment does not infer City Council support for the amendment, but rather begins the public process through which the council will consider the merits of the amendment BACKGROUND Members of the City Council have expressed interest in supporting the siting of a new Veterans Affairs (VA) outpatient clinic in Eugene. Although much of the current siting process is controlled by the Department of Veterans Affairs, the City can have an influence through its land use code. Currently, such a clinic is permitted outright in all commercial zones and several special area zones (Chase, Whiteaker and Walnut), and is allowed in the limited-high and high-density residential zones subject to a conditional use permit. The use is currently not allowed in any industrial zones. While such a use is likely not compatible with the range of manufacturing uses permitted in the light-medium and heavy industrial zones, it may be appropriate to be sited along with the types of employment allowed in campus industrial areas. Because the VA is currently seeking a site with a minimum of 13 acres, the allowance of this use in the I-1 Campus Industrial zoned areas also provides more options and flexibility in the siting of the VA clinic in Eugene given the amount of I-1 zoned vacant land. Initiation of such an amendment does not infer City Council support for the amendment, but rather allows for the amendment to proceed through the public process, which includes a Planning Commission public hearing and recommendation and for the City Council to consider the merits of the request, before making a decision on the matter. Additional background information regarding this request will be provided in the agenda packet for a public hearing on this item. Findings providing a detailed analysis of the proposal relative to the applicable approval criteria from the Eugene Code will also be provided in conjunction with the hearing packet. The applicable approval criteria from section 9.8065(3) of the Eugene Code require that a code amendment be consistent with the Statewide Planning Goals, the Metro Plan and applicable adopted refinement plans. S:\CMO\2011 Council Agendas\M110926\S1109262C.doc