Item A2: Ordinance Vacating West 12th Avenue between Olive and Willamette streets

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therein, only if the council finds that approval of the vacation is in the public interest. The required public notice and hearing have occurred on the vacation request in accordance with applicable statutory and local code requirements. Consent for the vacation request from abutting and affected owners, and payment of a special assessment for the area of vacated right-of-way, are required by statutes and local code. The vacation request was referred to affected City Departments and public utility service providers; referral responses indicate the following public interests: th  West 12 Avenue contains public utilities, including wastewater, stormwater, and gas, and provides a heavily-used bicycle and pedestrian connection between Olive and Willamette Streets. The following findings demonstrate that the vacation request is in the public interest. This determination is based on the facts that the vacation, by the terms of the ordinance, will only take effect if the applicant’s development project proceeds to permitting and that, through other City actions, the applicant’s development project will include replacement of public infrastructure and enhancement of the bicycle and pedestrian connection through the site as more specifically described below. The transportation system will be further improved given that future development of this site will be subject to current Eugene Code standards for commercial zones, which require bicycle and pedestrian amenities such as bicycle parking and pedestrian connections. The Eugene Code will also require the developer to obtain Traffic Impact Analysis approval, which evaluates the developments impact on the transportation system and requires the developer to mitigate those impacts at its expense. th The current West 12 Avenue right-of-way has an angled alignment and an uneven width. The rededicated right of way will be a uniform 20-foot width located between Olive and Willamette Streets. The new alley would be just south of the existing alley, in a more direct alignment with the existing public access way on the east side of Willamette Street. The applicant proposes to relocate public infrastructure within the new public way, including wastewater, stormwater, bicycle and pedestrian improvements. The existing public alley between Olive Street and Willamette Street is heavily used by bicycles and pedestrians. Redevelopment of the site will include dedication of a new 20 foot wide public alley for bicycles and pedestrians to continue to address this public interest. The new alley will include a 10-foot wide clear zone for bicyclists, free from obstructions and designed in a manner that minimizes potential conflicts. The future alley alignment benefits bicycles and pedestrians by providing a straight alley and without conflicts with automobiles, as vehicular movement will not be allowed in the rededicated alley location. To accommodate the new alley alignment, the developer will install related amenities in the adjacent Olive and Willamette Streets, as follows: 1) a bicycle crossing island at the intersection of West 12th Avenue and Olive Street that prohibits left turns for automobiles; and 2) a replacement crosswalk within Exhibit C: Findings