Item 7: PH - Ordinance on Stormwater Development Standards

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Eugene's Comprehensive Stormwater Management Plan says "through an interconnected system of constructed and natural facilities, provide multiple stormwater benefits to the community..." Also, according to the Stormwater manual,: “The purpose of this manual is to provide stormwater management principles and techniques that help preserve or mimic the natural hydrologic cycle and achieve water quality goals.” Yet, mainly this ordinance requires construction of artificial stormwater management facilities. I don't see where "preservation" of natural facilities and the "natural hydrologic cycle" comes in to play with honoring or protecting the River Road and Santa Clara Basin. Without finishing a RR/SC Basin Plan, without meaningful language to incentivize natural drainage outcomes, this ordinance becomes "faux green" is some ways...allowing obliteration of natural drainage and its replacement with constructed 'facilities' --and it has too many exceptions. At the least, can we get codifiable assurance that the City will be open to amending this ordinance if any issues are raised later in our neighborhood basin plan that would logically be addressed in this ordinance? What about including reasonable aspects of the recent Open Waterways ordinance into these development standards? In the Final River Road/ Santa Clara Basin Plan there will be an inventory of drainageways/waterways for our area. We would like to incorporate language into the ordinance that refers to and protects those waterways. The ordinance mostly assumes technical design requirements for engineered solutions, so there is not much mention or even focus on natural solutions. Why not divide up the definition of “Stormwater Management Facility” into “Engineered” and “Natural Facilities (say with (a) and (b) subsections of that definition in 9.0500), and do the same for “Pollution Reduction Facility”? Can an open waterway function as both a stormwater management facility and a pollution reduction facility? It would seem so, but it’s not clear from the language of this ordinance. Also, the exemption for the 3000 square foot minimum is meaningless, it needs to be reduced to closer to 1000. Lastly, it is not often you have a direct opportunity to positively influence policy implementation toward our neighbors in River Road and Santa Clara. Please don’t put the cart before the horse. Incorporate language that will make our Basin Plan whole. Thank you, Rob Handy 455 1/2 River Road Eugene, OR. 97404 689 6372