03/15/12 - City Council Newsletter

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City Programs Support Development of First LEED Platinum Midrise in Northwest Recently, The Westgate (formerly The Danville) Apartments at 740 East 13th Avenue received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification - the highest level of green building certification - making it the first LEED Platinum midrise in the Pacific Northwest. This project went through the City’s Green Building Program and received a Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE). The successful completion and certification are the result of the hard work, professional dedication and coordination across almost every work group of the Planning & Development Department - from the very early phases that included critical code interpretation by the Planning Division, to work by Community Development staff that led to the MUPTE, to plan intake, review, permits and inspections by staff in Building Permit Services. The results are a true asset to the community and exemplify Eugene’s commitment to economic prosperity and environmental health in making decisions and taking actions. More information about The Westgate is available at http://paradigmeugene.com/westgate.html. LEED provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions. Created by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 2000, the LEED rating systems are developed through an open, consensus-based process led by LEED committees. LEED points are awarded on a 100-point scale, and credits are weighted to reflect their potential environmental impacts. For more information, please contact Green Building Analyst Jenna Garmon at 541-682-5541 or jenna.r.garmon@ci.eugene.or.us. WeCar Brings Car Sharing to Eugene and Springfield A new, efficient, affordable and sustainable transportation option is coming to Eugene and Springfield. Beginning April 2, WeCar by Enterprise, in partnership with Point2point at Lane Transit District (LTD), will provide car sharing in metro areas of Eugene and Springfield. Mayor Kitty Piercy will join officials from Springfield and LTD on March 29, to announce the launch of the new service. Parking and transportation staff from the cities of Eugene and Springfield have worked closely over the past year with LTD and a team of local stakeholders to introduce car sharing to the region. Car sharing programs provide members with easy access to a car for short-term use, helping reduce congestion and parking demand while offering residents an affordable alternative to personal car ownership. National studies have shown that each shared car can take up to 15 personally owned cars off the road. The membership-based, automated car rental program will start with four Ford Fusions – three parked at Eugene locations and one parked in Springfield. “Car sharing allows residents to rely on multi-modal options for daily transportation and limits the use of a personal car to only when they need one,” said Theresa Brand, manager of the Transportation Options Program at LTD. “WeCar is already popular at the University of Oregon (UO), and we are excited to expand this beneficial car sharing service to people in our community who are concerned and committed to reducing their carbon footprint and helping the environment.” The car sharing program not only offers round-the-clock access to hourly, daily, and overnight rentals – from application to reservation – it is totally automated and online at WeCar.com. After reserving a vehicle online, members access the vehicle using a membership card and return the vehicle to the same location. The first-year membership EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 March 15, 2012