Item A: EWEB Master Plan - Laserfiche WebLink

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Staff also responded to a number of questions and comments about the proposal at the work session. Additional responses and relevant materials are organized by topic and addressed below. Public Access to, and within the EWEB Riverfront Site The council asked how this master plan would promote access to the site both as a destination, and for casual use. The master plan and related code provisions ensure a new public street system that reconnects the site to downtown from 5 and 8 avenues. This will provide the critical thth connection linking downtown to the river. The plan envisions this primary riverfront street as a “Great Loop” that provides pedestrian- friendly, bicycle, vehicular and transit access to the site from downtown. The concept also includes the ability to close sections of this riverfront street for festivals or other public events, but otherwise provide a convenient, pleasant streetscape environment for a wide variety of potential users, whether as residents, retail customers, or park users. The proposed bike path and boardwalk, adjacent to “Restaurant Row” and the new riverfront park, can accommodate a variety of users including bike commuters and more casual recreational users. Transit service was closely considered in the master planning process with the involvement of a focus group that included Lane Transit District staff, City transportation staff and a variety of community members with interest in transportation issues. As a result, the primary street has been designed to ensure that it will accommodate future transit service, but with the realization that the specific type and location of service will depend on future build-out and a variety of details that naturally come later in the redevelopment process. Attachment A includes an excerpt from the master plan that shows the site’s relationship to regional, community and local transit service including rail, EmX, and the Breeze. It shows existing routes and how bus service could be routed to the site in the future. The vision for the EWEB property is to expand the range of opportunities for commercial and residential development throughout the entire downtown and to create the desired mix of uses and high quality development within a compact urban core as called for in Envision Eugene. The proposal is intended to help realize the potential for this site to be a special destination downtown, where residents, visitors, downtown employees, and students come for activities that strengthen downtown, reinforce the identity of the community and its ties to the area’s most significant natural resource, the Willamette River. Willamette Greenway and Water Resource Protections There are two primary types of land use regulation that apply to natural resource/water resource protection on the EWEB Riverfront site:  Willamette River Greenway (Goal 15)--The majority of the EWEB site is within the Willamette River Greenway Boundary. As such, a Willamette River Greenway permit is included in the adoption package. This permit and the proposed code include a new Willamette River Greenway setback to ensure protection of the expanded open space, riparian area and scenic values along the river.  Water Resource Overlay Zoning (Goal 5)--While the typical setback for the Willamette River is 100 feet from the top-of-bank, the EWEB site is almost entirely developed up to the current bike path with either paving or buildings. As such, future development in the “prior developed areas” is exempt from these setback and use restrictions. EWEB, S:\CMO\2013 Council Agendas\M130612\S130612A.doc