HomeMy WebLinkAboutOrdinance No. 20530COUNCIL ORDINANCE NO. 20530
COUNCIL BILL 5119
AN ORDINANCE TO REDESIGNATE AND REZONE “THE
WILLAMETTE STATIONERS’ SITE” BY AMENDING THE EUGENE-
SPRINGFIELD METROPOLITAN AREA GENERAL PLAN DIAGRAM;
AND AMENDING THE EUGENE ZONING MAP.
ADOPTED: June 16, 2014
SIGNED: June 18, 2014
PASSED: 8:0
REJECTED:
OPPOSED:
ABSENT:
EFFECTIVE: July 18, 2014
Proposed Plan Designation and Zoning Change
Exhibit A
MA 14-1 and Z 14-3
Subject Site: Lot 17-03-31-11- 1300, Willamette Stationers
Subject
Site
Subject
Site
Subject
Site
´
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02550100
MA 14-1 : Plan Designation changed from High Density Residential (HDR) with /MU & /ND overlay to Commercial (COM) with /MU & /ND overlay.
Current Plan Designation:
Proposed Plan Designation:
HDR with /MU & /ND overlay
COM with /MU & /ND overlay
MA 14-1
Z 14-3 : Zoning changed from Light-Medium Industrial (I-2) with /TD overlay to Community Commercial (C-2) with /TD overlay.
Current Zoning:
Proposed Zoning:
Light-Medium Industrial
C-2 with /TD overlay
Z 14-3
(I-2) with /TD overlay
Caution: This map is based on imprecise source data, subject to change, and for general reference only.
Exhibit B
March 31, 2014
Written Statement – Willamette Stationers
Metro Plan Diagram Amendment /
Zone Change Application
Applicant/Owner: Elizabeth L. Nielsen
510 Oak Street
Eugene, OR 97401
(541) 342-5861
Representative: Philip Farrington, AICP
Farrington Community Planning & Development, LLC
1160 Monroe Street
Eugene, OR 97402
(541) 600-7030
farringtoncpd@gmail.com
Subject Property: 510 Oak Street, Eugene, OR
Lane County Assessor’s Map No. 17-03-31-11, Tax Lot 1300
1. Request
The above-referenced Applicant/Owner of the subject property seeks to amend the
Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan) diagram and rezone the property.
Specifically, we request redesignating the property on the Metro Plan diagram to
Commercial, retaining the site’s existing Plan diagram Mixed Use (/MU) and Nodal
Development (/ND) plan overlays. The Applicant/Owner requests concurrent
amendment of the Eugene zoning map, changing zoning classification for the property
from Light Medium Industrial with Transit-Oriented Development zoning overlay (I-
2/TD) to Community Commercial, retaining the existing zoning overlay (C-2/TD).
Approval of this Metro Plan diagram amendment and zone change would correct the
existing plan/zone conflict, remove non-conforming status from the site’s current
commercial use, align the property’s land use designation and zoning with its long-
standing commercial use, and match the designation and zoning of neighboring
properties with complementary commercial uses.
The Applicant is retiring and seeking to sell the subject property and building. But
that is virtually impossible without first addressing the inconsistency between its
commercial use and zoning. Removing the existing non-conforming status and having
its zoning and land use designation conform to the decades-long commercial use is
important to maintaining the integrity of the use, and is consistent with numerous
City objectives and plan policies as outlined below.
Exhibit B
2. Background
2. A. Site Description
The site is approximately 11,520 sf in size and is located at the southwest corner of
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5/Oak, with 72 feet of frontage along Oak St. and 160 feet of frontage along 5 Ave.
The site includes a 14,193 sf two-story structure built in 1941 as a granary. The
Applicant has owned the site and building since 1966, when she opened Willamette
Stationers, a retail office supply business. Exhibit 1 includes a copy of the property
deed, legal description and survey.
Prior uses of the site are unknown, but Sanborn fire insurance maps included in the
1991 Eugene Downtown Core Area Historic Context Statement show structures on the
site dating back at least to 1895. The existing structure is not listed on any city or
state historic register of landmark sites or structures. The property has access to the
full complement of urban services but the building has limited plumbing, thereby
making it unsuitable for residential purposes without comprehensive redevelopment.
The property is located within the boundaries of the Eugene Downtown Plan area and
inside the City’s downtown parking-exempt area, but outside the boundaries of the
Downtown Urban Renewal District.
As illustrated in photos of the site and surrounding area (Exhibit 2), land uses
adjacent and proximate to the site are overwhelmingly commercial in nature, and the
vicinity has had vibrant commercial and retail enterprises for generations. Exhibit 3
contains a vicinity map showing the subject site within the area. Exhibits 4 and 5 are
the existing Metro Plan diagram and an excerpt of the Eugene zoning map,
respectively.
2. B. Plan/Zone Context
1. Metro Plan designation
Land use designations on the Metro Plan diagram are depicted at a metropolitan scale
(1”=7,000’). As noted in the Metro Plan text: “The Metro Plan Diagram is a
generalized map which is intended to graphically reflect the broad goals, objectives
and policies. As such, it cannot be used independently from or take precedence over
the written portion of the Metro Plan.” (Ordinance No. 20139, p. I-5) As noted in the
Metro Plan: “…the Metro Plan Diagram is drawn at a metropolitan scale,
necessitating supplementary planning on a local level.” (Ibid, p. II-G-1)
The Oregon Court of Appeals noted the limitations in the Metro Plan diagram to
ascertain land use designation for a specific property:
Exhibit B
“…the Metro Plan diagram is only a generalized depiction of land uses.
The Metro Plan diagram provides few clear boundaries between land use
designations. Although some designations appear to border named
streets, most do not, and the diagram’s comparatively small one inch to
8,000-foot scale does not include any depiction of individual lots. As a
consequence, the land use designation for properties near the boundary
between use designations on the diagram is unclear. As indicated by the
Metro Plan, those ambiguities require reference to local government
refinement documents to conclusively determine the applicable
designation.” (Knutson Family LLC v. City of Eugene, 2004-10, 2004-
106; A127379., affirmed 200 Or App 292 (2005))
The Metro Plan designation for the subject site is unclear based upon casual visual
examination of the Metro Plan diagram, given the scale of the Metro Plan diagram and
the small size of the single subject parcel. Therefore the exact boundary between
the Commercial and High Density Residential (HDR) is ambiguous. The Plan diagram
illustrates a High Density Residential land use designation along the railroad tracks,
with a Commercial designation covering most of the remaining central downtown area
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extending north somewhere near 5 or 6 Avenue. City Staff indicated to the
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Applicant that they conclude the HDR designation extends somewhere south of 5
Avenue and includes the subject property, with the Commercial designation extending
ththth
north of 6 Avenue but ending somewhere between 5 and 6 Avenues.
It is, however, clear that the Metro Plan’s Mixed Use Area overlay designation applies
to the subject area and to surrounding areas north of the Eugene downtown central
business district. The Metro Plan’s “Mixed Use Areas” overlay is intended for “areas
where more than one use might be appropriate, usually as determined by refinement
plans at a local level.” (p. II-G-12) The subject property is located within the
boundaries of the Eugene Downtown Plan, which was adopted as a refinement to the
Metro Plan in 2004 (Ordinance No. 20316).
But the Downtown Plan does not contain a land use diagram and therefore cannot be
used to determine on a parcel-specific basis the intended plan designation of the
subject site. The Mixed Use designation is indicative that the site was intended to
have an underlying commercial designation to support true mixed use development,
and is consistent with this request for commercial zoning with retained transit-
oriented development and nodal development zoning overlays. Eugene’s zoning code
for residential uses does not generally permit a mix of land uses, whereas commercial
zoning could implement the Mixed Use designation by allowing residential uses in a
mixed use format.
Although the Applicant and her representatives are unable to conclude that the HDR
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designation does indeed extend south of 5 Avenue on the Metro Plan diagram, and
without conceding that the subject site does indeed have a base HDR designation, the
Applicant nonetheless seeks clarity through the Metro Plan amendment process to
definitively establish a Commercial land use designation on the Metro Plan diagram
Exhibit B
for the site. The Applicant also seeks to ensure that the site’s Metro Plan designation
and zoning are consistent. Regardless of the existing Plan designation for the site, it
clearly is inconsistent with the site’s current Industrial zoning classification.
Therefore, this application requests a Type II amendment to the Metro Plan – changing
the diagram only and not the text of the Metro Plan. As defined in EC 9.7700(2), Type
II amendments change the Metro Plan diagram, and do not meet the standards for
consideration as a Type I amendment (i.e., the proposal does not change the Urban
Growth Boundary, does not require a goal exception, and is not a non-site-specific
amendment to the Metro Plan text). EC 9.7715(1)(b) and (2) allows the Applicant to
initiate this Metro Plan diagram amendment as owner of the subject property, which
is located within the Eugene city limits.
Below the Applicant cites relevant policies from the Metro Plan, Downtown Plan, and
Commercial Lands Study as the policy basis for granting the requested amendment
establishing a Commercial land use designation, and meeting the approval criteria set
forth in EC 9.7730(3).
2. Zoning classification
As noted above the site is currently zoned for Industrial use (I-2, Light Medium
Industrial), which is likely a relic of historic uses of the building and site, and similar
uses and zoning applied historically to properties near the Union Pacific railroad
tracks north of the site. However, virtually the entire area surrounding the subject
property is – and has long been – in commercial use, with adjacent properties to the
north, west, and south all already zoned commercially. Exhibit 4 includes an excerpt
of the City zoning map.
Because the site’s Industrial zoning has long been inconsistent with its generations-
long Commercial land use, the Applicant seeks to change the site’s zoning to align
with its use and to be consistent with the Mixed Use capabilities envisioned in Metro
Plan policies and land use designation. The findings below in Section 3 of this
narrative demonstrate the proposal’s consistency with applicable zone change criteria
in EC 9.8865.
3. Precedent
In 2006 the City Council approved a similar proposal applying a Commercial land use
designation and zoning to the former State of Oregon motor pool site at 445 Pearl
Street (MA 06-2, Z 06-9). Like the subject property, the former motor pool property
had I-2/TD zoning, and a more clearly defined Metro Plan designation of HDR/MU/ND
before being redesignated to C/ND and rezoned to C-2/TD/ND.
As with the motor pool property, the subject site was not included in the City’s
residential buildable lands inventory, so redesignation for Commercial uses did not
hinder the City’s ability to meet its residential land obligations. Unlike the motor
Exhibit B
pool site, the subject property’s existing Industrial zoning confers non-conforming
status to the existing and long-standing commercial use of the building and site,
representing a distinct risk and challenge to future use or redevelopment on the
property.
3. Applicable Approval Criteria
3. A. Metro Plan Amendment
1.EC 9.7730(3)(a):The amendment must be consistent with the
relevant statewide planning goals adopted by the Land
Conservation and Development Commission.
Goal 1 – Citizen Involvement:To develop a citizen involvement
program that insures the opportunity for citizens to be involved in all
phases of the planning process.
Findings:
The City of Eugene has a process for engaging citizens in all phases of the land
use process that is established in the City land use code and acknowledged by LCDC as
consistent with Goal 1. EC 9.7007 requires the Applicant to coordinate with the
applicable neighborhood association (in this case the Downtown Neighborhood
Association, or “DNA”), post and mail notices two weeks in advance of a meeting to
introduce the proposal, and host a meeting for owners and occupants of properties
within 500 feet of the subject site as well as members of the DNA and City staff.
Exhibit 7 includes the mailing lists of owners and occupants of property within
500 feet of the site that were mailed notice of the meeting, copies of the meeting
notice mailed and the notice posted on-site, copies of the meeting sign-in sheet and
notes from the meeting, copies of the graphics (i.e., Metro Plan diagram and zoning
map excerpt) presented at the meeting, and affidavits that mailings and posting
occurred consistent with City code requirements in EC 9.7010 and 9.7700 et seq.
It should be noted further that the Applicant’s representative received only
two responses to the meeting notice mailing – both of which supported the proposal.
Only three people attended the neighborhood meeting, and all three expressed
support for the proposal.
The Applicant’s representative subsequently attended a meeting of the DNA
Steering Committee, and received unanimous support of the proposal from the
members in attendance.
Under EC requirements, this proposal will be subject to duly noticed public
hearings before the Eugene Planning Commission and City Council, with each hearing
affording the opportunity to submit written and/or oral testimony. These procedures
afford opportunities for interested citizens to be involved in the planning and
approval processes, ensuring the requested Metro Plan amendment is consistent with
Goal 1.
Exhibit B
Goal 2 – Land Use Planning: To establish a land use planning process
and policy framework as a basis for all decisions and actions related to
use of the land and to assure an adequate factual basis for such
decisions and actions.
Findings:
In the Eugene Code the City of Eugene establishes procedural requirements for
amending the Metro Plan, the LCDC-acknowledged comprehensive plan for the city.
This requested amendment to the Metro Plan diagram pertains to a parcel-specific
property within the Eugene city limits and is initiated by the property owner, in
compliance with EC 9.7705 and 9.7715(1) and (2).
The requested Metro Plan amendment is a Type II amendment as defined in EC
9.7700 because the request only changes the Metro Plan diagram, and does not
otherwise meet the criteria for a Type I amendment.
Goal 2 requires coordination between affected governmental units, and
therefore the City coordinates referral and review comments from those jurisdictions
and governmental units. The Metro Plan and EC 9.7720 require that this amendment
request be referred to the city of Springfield and Lane County for consideration of
regional impact and/or to consider participating in the public hearing process.
However, since the subject property is wholly within the Eugene city limits and there
is no regional impact associated with this request to amend the Metro Plan land use
designation for a single small parcel, this application will no doubt be processed
through only the City of Eugene, under provisions in EC 9.7735.
Through the quasi-judicial hearing process, City staff review the submittal and
present a report to the Eugene Planning Commission prior to a duly noticed public
hearing. The Commission then makes a recommendation to the Eugene City Council,
who will then hold a public hearing based on the evidentiary record created before
the Commission. The Council’s decision will be the final local authority of this
request.
Because the amendment follows the procedural requirements established by
Code and approved by LCDC as conforming to statutory requirements for Metro Plan
amendments, the amendment is consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 2.
Goal 3 – Agricultural Land: To preserve and maintain agricultural
lands.
Findings:
The subject property is within the Eugene city limits and Urban Growth
Boundary, and the proposal does not involve or affect agricultural lands, designations
and uses. Because Goal 3 excludes lands inside acknowledged UGBs from the
definition of agricultural lands and the property is within the UGB, Goal 3 is not
applicable and the proposed Metro Plan amendment does not affect the City’s
compliance with Statewide Planning Goal 3.
Exhibit B
Goal 4 – Forest Land: To conserve forest lands by maintaining
the forest land base and to protect the state’s forest economy by
making possible economically efficient forest practices that assure the
continuous growing and harvesting of forest tree species as the leading
use on forest land consistent with sound management of soil, air,
water, and fish and wildlife resources and to provide for recreational
opportunities and agriculture.
Findings:
Statewide Planning Goal 4 is not applicable to the proposed Plan amendment
because the subject property is within the Eugene city limits and Urban Growth
Boundary. Because Goal 4 does not apply within UGBs and the proposal does not
involve or affect forest lands, designations and uses, the amendment does not affect
the City’s compliance with Goal 4.
Goal 5 – Open Spaces, Scenic and Historic Areas, and Natural
Resources: To conserve open space and protect natural and scenic
resources.
Findings:
The 1991 Eugene Downtown Core Area Historic Context Statement identifies
the subject site as being within the “Station Area/Fifth Avenue Grouping” and noted:
“The unifying factor of this grouping is that all of the properties relate in some way to
access to the railroad and act as connecting points with industry or commerce in the
town.” (pg. 17) This perhaps explains how the site and others near the railroad tracks
came to have Industrial zoning despite the fact that virtually all of the properties in
the north downtown area have long been in commercial, rather than industrial use.
The building on the subject site is referenced as a contributing resource in the
appendix of the Context Statement. However, it did not have historic or architectural
merit to warrant the property or structure having any local, state or federal historic
landmark designation and therefore is not included in the City’s acknowledged
inventory of Goal 5 resources.
OAR 660-023-0250 does not require local governments to apply Goal 5 when
considering post-acknowledgement plan amendments, such as the one proposed,
unless the amendment affects a Goal 5 resource.
Because it does not affect a listed Goal 5 resource, the amendment is
therefore consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 5.
Goal 6 – Air, Water and Land Resources Quality:To maintain and
improve the quality of the air, water and land resources of the state.
Findings:
The subject property has been located within the Eugene city limits for
generations and is served by all public utilities and services (water, electricity,
Exhibit B
sanitary sewer, stormwater, transportation, etc.) needed to support urban
development.
Any future development or redevelopment on the subject site will have to
comply with applicable development review procedures and regulations that will
protect air, water and land resources from waste and process discharges from
development.
Because the amendment does not propose any changes that would affect air,
land or water resources, and does not amend policies protecting such resources, the
amendment is consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 6.
Goal 7 – Areas Subject to Natural Disasters and Hazards: To protect
life and property from natural disasters and hazards.
Findings:
FEMA flood insurance maps show the site is located outside the established
500-year flood boundary, and is not otherwise located within an inventoried area of
hazard or natural disaster (e.g., earthquake fault line). Established state and local
building codes and development processes ensure that any future redevelopment on
the subject site would not be subject to undue risk to life or property resulting from
natural disasters or hazards. Therefore, approval of the requested Plan diagram
amendment is consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 7.
Goal 8 – Recreational Needs: To satisfy the recreational needs of the
citizens of the state and visitors and, where appropriate, to provide for
the siting of necessary recreational facilities including destination
resorts.
Findings:
The proposed Plan diagram amendment is consistent with Statewide Planning
Goal 8 because it does not affect the City’s ability to provide needed recreational
facilities or programs to citizens of and visitors to the State, or diminish the City’s
ongoing compliance with Goal 8.
Goal 9 – Economic Development: To provide adequate opportunities
throughout the state for a variety of economic activities vital to the
health, welfare, and prosperity of Oregon’s citizens.
Findings:
Eugene Commercial Lands Study
The City of Eugene’s consistency with Statewide Planning Goal 9 has been
established through adoption of the Eugene Commercial Lands Study (CLS). The
following Council-adopted policy directives and implementation strategies within the
Exhibit B
CLS support the Applicant’s proposed Commercial designation on the Metro Plan
diagram:
Policy 2.0: Provide greater certainty regarding the development
of commercial land by resolving major conflicts between the Metro Plan
designations and local zoning of land planned or zoned for commercial
use. (pg. III-3)
Implementation Strategy 2.1: Initiate Metro Plan amendments or
zone changes to correct significant plan/zone conflicts. … (pg. III-3)
Policy 6.0: Promote redevelopment of existing commercial areas
and compact, dense growth by encouraging businesses to revitalize and
reuse existing commercial sites. (pg. III-7)
The CLS acknowledged the problem of having inconsistencies between Metro
Plan diagram designations and zoning. In fact, the CLS noted that such
inconsistencies “creates uncertainty for developers and community members.” (pg.
III-3)
However, the focus of the CLS was primarily upon vacant sites. Given the fact
that the subject site has not been vacant and in continuous commercial use for
decades, the CLS did not include the site among those considered for City-initiated
Metro Plan amendments and/or zone changes to address plan/zone conflicts, as
recommended by CLS Implementation Strategy 2.1.
Implementation through the Envision Eugene process could result in City-
initiated action to address the site’s existing plan/zone conflict, but the uncertainty
for timing of that process and the Applicant’s desire to retire resulted in her direct
application to address the plan/zone conflict and eliminate the uncertainty
surrounding disposition of her property.
Addressing the inherent conflict between the site’s zoning and plan designation
and approving the applicant’s request directly supports both of the above policies and
ensures the eligibility of continued commercial use on the subject site.
The CLS also includes area-specific policies, and text for the Central/University
Subarea provides insight into the heritage of the site’s industrial zoning: “Industrial
development was historically an important part of Eugene’s downtown growth and
development.” (pg. III-17) The sub-area diagram also identified areas zoned
Industrial, including “a band along both sides of the railroad between Lincoln & Oak.”
The following adopted policy and recommended implementation action are directly
related to the proposed Plan amendment and concurrent zone change:
Policy 17.0: Recognize that additional commercial development
will occur primarily through redevelopment of existing commercial
sites. (pg. III-15)
Exhibit B
Implementation Strategy 17.1: Within the area from the east
side of Agripac to Washington Street, change the plan designation and
zoning of land currently zoned for industrial use to encourage a mixture
of residential, commercial, and compatible industrial use.” (pg. III-15)
Although only the CLS policies were formally adopted by the City Council, the
above implementation strategy is indicative of the Council’s intent, which is
consistent with the Applicant’s proposal to match plan/zoning designations and long-
time commercial use as a means to ensure continued commercial use of this
downtown property.
Industrial Lands Special Study
City staff confirmed that although the subject site has Industrial zoning, the
Metropolitan Industrial Land Special Study only included vacant land either zoned or
designated Industrial as of 1989. The study’s map for Subregion #4 (Central
University) depicted only two sites in the downtown area – both parking lots located
on the north side of the railroad track.
Therefore, the inventory of Industrial lands required to meet the community’s
needs did not include the subject site, and approving the requested redesignation and
rezoning will not affect the City’s ability to comply with Goal 9 in terms of needed
Industrial lands.
Eugene Comprehensive Land Assessment
As part of the City of Eugene’s process to establish its own Urban Growth
Boundary separate from Springfield (per HB 3337), the City analyzed the sufficiency of
residential, commercial and industrial land within the existing UGB. The subject site
was not included in the Eugene Comprehensive Land Assessment (ECLA) among vacant
sites evaluated for industrial use (consistent with its zoning), residential use
(consistent with its designation), or commercial use (consistent with its existing and
long-standing commercial use) because the site was not vacant and too small to be
considered as a significant redevelopment site.
ECLA did identify a deficit of 118 acres and 361 sites of land currently
designated Commercial that area less than 5 acres in size, and a surplus of both acres
and sites of Industrially designated land less than 5 acres in size (Table 3, pg. 13).
This indicates that redesignating the subject property would not hinder the City’s
ability to provide needed Industrial land, but would be consistent with meeting
Eugene’s projected need for small Commercially designated sites.
The ECLA showed a deficit of 94 acres of High Density Residential designated
land, but a larger deficit of 388 acres of Commercial designated land (Table S-1, pg.
1). City staff confirmed that the site was not included in the Eugene-Springfield
Metropolitan Area Residential Lands and Housing study inventory of residential lands,
nor in the ECLA inventory of commercial and residential lands.
Therefore, approval of the requested redesignation would support the City’s
efforts to meet needed commercial lands, but would not debit from its inventory of
needed industrial or residential lands, or affect the City’s consistency with Goal 9.
Exhibit B
Goal 10 – Housing: To provide for the housing needs of the citizens of
the state.
Findings:
Although the subject site may currently be designated High Density Residential,
the site was not included among those needed to fulfill the City’s housing needs.
Therefore, approval of the requested redesignation will not hinder the City’s ability
to comply with Statewide Planning Goal 10.
The City’s established plan for complying with Goal 10 is the Eugene-Springfield
Metropolitan Area Residential Lands and Housing Study. Although now dated, that
study evaluated supply and demand for housing based upon residential land
designations in the Metro Plan. However, since the subject site was already
developed, not in residential use and not already zoned residential, it was not
included among potential redevelopment sites considered in the study.
In the Study’s 1999 Site Inventory Document, the subject site is within Subarea
2, Central Eugene. The study’s methodology states that it included “all whole or
partial undeveloped tax lots residentially zoned or designated … medium and high
density of an acre or more.” (pg. 1) The map for Subarea 2 did not identify any sites
within the Central Eugene subarea that were designated High Density Residential and
more than 1-acre in size.
Thus, the subject site was not included in the City’s inventory of needed
residential lands to comply with Statewide Planning Goal 10, and redesignating the
subject site to Commercial would not affect the City’s compliance with Goal 10.
As noted above in Goal 9 findings, more recent analysis as part of the ECLA
study also did not implicate the subject property, thereby obviating any demonstrated
need to retain the site’s High Density Residential land use designation.
Goal 11 – Public Facilities and Services: To plan and develop a timely,
orderly and efficient arrangement of pubic facilities and services to
serve as a framework for urban and rural development.
Findings:
The site has been located within the Eugene city limits for decades and is
served with the full complement of public facilities and services needed for existing
and future urban development. Therefore, the proposed Metro Plan diagram
amendment is consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 11.
Goal 12 – Transportation: To provide and encourage a safe, convenient
and economic transportation system.
Findings:
Oregon Administrative Rules 660-012 implement Statewide Planning Goal 12.
Specifically, the State’s Transportation Planning Rule (TPR) in OAR 660-012-0060
Exhibit B
concerns amendments to “an acknowledged comprehensive plan, or a land use
regulation (including a zoning map)…”
The TPR requires a determination as to whether or not the change to the
comprehensive plan or zoning map would “significantly affect’ an existing or planned
transportation facility. OAR 660-012-0060(1) establishes that a plan amendment or
zone change has a significant affect if it would:
(a)Change the functional classification of an existing or planned
transportation facility;
(b)Change standards implementing a functional classification system; or
(c)Result in any of the effects listed in paragraphs (A) through (C) of this
subsection based upon projected conditions measured at the end of the
planning period identified in the adopted TSP [Transportation System
Plan]. As part of evaluating projected conditions, the amount of traffic
projected to be generated within the area of the amendment may be
reduced if the amendment includes an enforceable, ongoing
requirement that would demonstrably limit traffic generation,
including, but not limited to, transportation demand management. This
reduction may diminish or completely eliminate the significant effect of
the amendment.
(A) Types or levels of travel or access that are inconsistent with the
functional classification of an existing or planned transportation
facility;
(B) Degrade the performance of an existing or planned transportation
facility such that it would not meet the performance standards
identified in the TSP or comprehensive plan; or
(C) Degrade the performance of an existing or planned transportation
facility that is otherwise projected to not meet the performance
standards identified in the TSP or comprehensive plan.
Eugene’s adopted Transportation System Plan (TSP) is “TransPlan,” adopted by
the City of Eugene on July 8, 2002 (Ordinance No. 20258) and acknowledged by the
State of Oregon as being consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 12.
Eugene’s 1999 Arterial and Collector Street Plan (ACSP) and the City’s Street
Classification Map (Appendix C of the ACSP) serve to refine TransPlan and establish
street classifications for arterial and collector streets. The ACSP and Street
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Classification Map identify 5 Avenue and Oak Street as being Local Streets when
abutting the subject property, with Oak Street classified as a Minor Arterial street
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from 6 Avenue southward.
The subject property is also within the boundaries of the Central Area
Transportation Study (CATS), last updated in 2003 as a refinement of TransPlan. The
CATS boundaries include the adopted Downtown Plan boundaries.
Eugene City Council recently enacted Ordinance No. 20514 revising certain city
code standards regarding downtown and mixed use development, and amending
TransPlan’s Transportation System Improvement (TSI) Roadway Policy #2. The code
revisions included amendment to Eugene Code section 9.8670 establishing the
Exhibit B
“Downtown Traffic Impact Analysis Exempt Area.” This TIA exempt area is illustrated
in EC Map 9.8670 and is coterminous with the Downtown Plan boundary, so includes
the subject property.
As amended, TSI Roadway Policy #2: Motor Vehicle Level of Service reads as
follows:
1.Use motor vehicle level of service standards to maintain acceptable
and reliable performance on the roadway system. These standards
shall be used for:
a.Identifying capacity deficiencies on the roadway system.
b.Evaluating the impacts on roadways of amendments to
transportation plans, acknowledged comprehensive plans and
land-use regulations, pursuant to the TPR (OAR 660-12-0060).
c.Evaluating development applications for consistency with the
land-use regulations of the applicable local government
jurisdiction.
2.Acceptable and reliable performance is defined by the following
levels of service under peak hour traffic conditions:
a.Level of Service F within Eugene’s Downtown Traffic Impact
Analysis Exempt Area;
b.Level of Service E within the portion of Eugene’s Central Area
Transportation Study Area that is not within Eugene’s Downtown
Traffic Impact Analysis Exempt Area; and
c.Level of Service D elsewhere.
3.Performance standards from the OHP shall be applied on state
facilities in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area.
The amended policy above was also codified in EC 9.9650 under applicable
TransPlan policies.
Council action under Ordinance No. 20514 also amended Metro Plan
Transportation Policy F-15. This policy language is identical to that above in
TransPlan TSI Roadway Policy #2, with only changes to numbering to correspond with
formatting in the Metro Plan.
Exhibit 6 of this application includes transportation analysis performed by a
competent licensed transportation engineer. The analysis demonstrates that the
proposed Commercial designation and zoning would not generate more trips under a
reasonable worst case scenario of potential Commercial uses than could be allowed
under the existing Industrial zoning and/or High Density Residential land use
designation (presuming staff’s assertion that the site indeed has an existing HDR
Metro Plan diagram designation).
Based upon the above facts and those included in the attached transportation
analsyis, the following demonstrates the proposal’s consistency with requirements of
the TPR and Statewide Planning Goal 12.
Exhibit B
Transportation Planning Rule (TPR) Analysis
(a)Change the functional classification of an existing or planned
transportation facility;
Response: Even under a reasonable worst case scenario, the proposed amendment
will not result in uses that generate traffic volumes sufficient to warrant changes in
the functional classification of roadways abutting or near the subject site. Because
the Plan diagram amendment and zone change do not alter the functional
classification of any existing or planned roadway, the proposal does not trigger the
above criterion to determine that the amendment would have a “significant effect.”
(b)Change standards implementing a functional classification system; or
Response: The proposed Plan diagram amendment and zone change do not alter
any standards implementing the City’s functional classification system. Therefore,
the requested amendment does not meet the above criterion and does not
“significantly affect” the transportation system under the TPR.
(c) Result in any of the effects listed in paragraphs (A) through (C) of
this subsection based upon projected conditions measured at the end
of the planning period identified in the adopted TSP [Transportation
System Plan]. As part of evaluating projected conditions, the
amount of traffic projected to be generated within the area of the
amendment may be reduced if the amendment includes an
enforceable, ongoing requirement that would demonstrably limit
traffic generation, including, but not limited to, transportation
demand management. This reduction may diminish or completely
eliminate the significant effect of the amendment.
(A) Types or levels of travel or access that are inconsistent with
the functional classification of an existing or planned
transportation facility;
(B) Degrade the performance of an existing or planned
transportation facility such that it would not meet the
performance standards identified in the TSP or comprehensive
plan; or
(C) Degrade the performance of an existing or planned
transportation facility that is otherwise projected to not meet
the performance standards identified in the TSP or
comprehensive plan.
Response: In TransPlan, the City’s adopted Transportation System Plan, the
City of Eugene reduced mobility standards for the downtown area to a Level of
Service “E” – a level below the LOS of “D” allowed elsewhere in the community. In
amending EC 9.9650, TransPlan TSI Roadway Policy #2, and Metro Plan Transportation
Exhibit B
Policy F-15, the City has gone further, establishing a mobility standard of LOS “F” for
the area within the Downtown Plan boundary, including the subject property.
The Applicant’s TPR Analysis establishes that intersections abutting and near
the subject site operate currently at LOS “A” in the AM peak hour, and at LOS “B” in
the PM peak hour. (Exhibit 6 – Table 6, pg. 10)
Tables 7 and 8 of the TPR Analysis demonstrates that using the reasonable
worst case commercial uses allowed under the proposed Commercial land use
designation and/or C-2 zoning would not degrade the level of service in either the AM
or PM peak hours. (Ibid., pg. 11)
Tables 9 and 10 demonstrate that at the end of the TransPlan planning period
(the year 2027), traffic generated under the reasonable worst case commercial uses
allowed under Commercial land use designation and zoning would still not fall below
acceptable levels of service permitted anywhere in the community, and would also
not exceed the reduced LOS adopted by the City for the downtown area and subject
property.
The TPR analysis in Exhibit 6 establishes that the proposed Plan amendment
and zone change does not have a “significant affect” on the transportation system as
defined in subsection (c)(A)-(C) above because the proposed Plan amendment and
zone change would not result in land uses that would be inconsistent with the existing
functional classifications of streets near the subject property, would not result in
reduced performance standards below those allowed in the TSP (i.e., LOS “F”), and
would not worsen performance of transportation facilities below minimum levels
allowed in the TSP.
Therefore, the proposed Plan amendment and zone change does not trigger the
“significant affect” standards of the TPR (OAR 660-012-0060(1)), and is consistent
with Statewide Planning Goal 12.
Goal 13 – Energy Conservation: To conserve energy.
Findings:
The Metro Plan and its neighborhood refinement plan, the 2004 Eugene
Downtown Plan, support compact urban development integrated with effective
transportation options. The proposed Plan diagram amendment legitimizes the long-
standing commercial use on the site, and allows for potential mixed use development
consistent with existing and proposed Metro Plan and zoning overlay designations.
Furthermore, approval of the Plan amendment will allow continued vibrant
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commercial development at the site on a walkable “Great Street” (i.e., 5 Avenue, as
identified in the Downtown Plan) with bike lanes and transit service, and proximate to
inter-urban rail. The amendment, therefore, will encourage energy conservation and
is consistent with Statewide Planning Goal 13.
Exhibit B
Goal 14 – Urbanization:To provide for an orderly and efficient
transition from rural to urban land use.
Findings:
The proposed amendment involves property that has been urbanized for well
over a century, and has all needed urban infrastructure in place to serve existing and
future development. Because the proposed Plan amendment does not involve of
affect the transition from rural to urban land use, Statewide Planning Goal 14 is not
applicable to the proposed Metro Plan diagram amendment.
Goal 15 – Willamette River Greenway: To protect, conserve, enhance
and maintain the natural, scenic, historical, agricultural, economic and
recreational qualities of lands along the Willamette River as the
Willamette River Greenway.
Findings:
Because the subject property is not within the Willamette River Greenway
boundaries, does not trigger Greenway permit requirements or affect the City’s
ongoing compliance with Statewide Planning Goal 15, this goal is not applicable to the
proposed Metro Plan diagram amendment.
Goals 16 through 19 – Estuarine Resources, Coastal Shorelands,
Beaches and Dunes and Ocean Resources
Findings:
These goals are not applicable to this Metro Plan diagram amendment because
the subject property does not affect and is unrelated to estuarine, coastal, ocean or
beach and dune resources.
2.EC 9.7730(3)(b):Adoption of the amendment must not make the
Metro Plan internally inconsistent.
Approval of the requested amendment to the Metro Plan diagram for the small
subject site does not result in any inconsistency with policies contained in the Metro
Plan, any refinement to the Metro Plan, or render the Metro Plan internally
inconsistent.
Exhibit B
3.B. Zone Change
The following are findings of fact and conclusions of law that demonstrate this zone
change request from I-2/TD, Light-Medium Industrial/Transit Oriented Development
zone to the C-2/TD, Community Commercial/Transit Oriented Development zone is
consistent with the applicable approval criteria in Eugene Code (EC) Section 9.8865.
1.EC 9.8865(1):The proposed change is consistent with
applicable provisions of the Metro Plan. The written text of
the Metro Plan shall take precedence over the Metro Plan
diagram where apparent conflicts or inconsistencies exist.
The Metro Plan designation for the subject site is unclear based upon casual visual
examination of the Metro Plan diagram, given the metropolitan scale of the Metro
Plan diagram and the small size of the single subject parcel. Therefore the exact
boundary between the Commercial and High Density Residential is ambiguous.
It is, however, clear that the Metro Plan’s Mixed Use Area overlay designation applies
to the subject area and to surrounding areas north of the Eugene downtown central
business district. The site’s existing Industrial zoning needs to be changed for uses to
comport to a designation supporting Mixed Use development.
The Mixed Use designation is indicative that the site was intended to have an
underlying commercial designation to support true mixed use development, and is
consistent with this request for commercial zoning with retained transit-oriented
development zoning overlay. Eugene’s zoning code for residential uses does not
generally permit a mix of land uses, whereas commercial zoning can implement the
Mixed Use designation by allowing residential uses in a mixed use format.
The Metro Plan’s “Mixed Use Areas” overlay is intended for “areas where more than
one use might be appropriate, usually as determined by refinement plans at a local
level.” (p. II-G-12) The subject property is located within the boundaries of the 2003
Eugene Downtown Plan, which was adopted as a refinement to the Metro Plan. But
the Downtown Plan does not contain a land use diagram and therefore cannot be used
to determine on a parcel-specific basis the intended plan designation of the subject
site. As noted below in response to EC 9.8865(2), there is policy direction within the
Downtown Plan demonstrating the proposed zone change’s consistency with that
refinement plan.
Given the ambiguity of the subject site’s base Metro Plan designation on the Metro
Plan diagram, the text of the Metro Plan – as well as supporting refinement plans –
must be consulted to help determine the site’s land use designation. The following
demonstrates that this proposed zone change is consistent with and supported by the
following Metro Plan policies and therefore supports the proposed Commercial zoning:
Exhibit B
A.22 Expand opportunities for a mix of uses in newly developing
area and existing neighborhoods through local zoning and
development regulations. (III-A-9)
Findings:
Using the City’s locally established process to rezone the subject property
would be consistent with the above Metro Plan Design and Mixed Use policy and the
site’s Mixed Use overlay designation on the Metro Plan diagram. Rezoning the site
provides the ability to expand opportunities for a mix of uses within the existing
downtown area by removing the existing non-conforming Industrial zoning,
legitimizing existing and long-standing commercial use on the site.
B.6 Increase the amount of undeveloped land zoned for light
industrial and commercial uses correlating the effective supply in
terms of suitability and availability with the projections of demand.
(III-B-4)
Findings:
Although zoned I-2 for light medium industrial uses, the subject site’s decades-
long commercial use would be brought into conformity with approval of the proposed
rezoning, thereby increasing the amount of commercially zoned land and allowing the
site’s zoning and existing and future commercial uses to correspond consistent with
the above Metro Plan Economic Element policy.
B.16 Utilize processes and local controls, which encourage
retention of large parcels or consolidation of small parcels of
industrially or commercially zoned land to facilitate their use or
reuse in a comprehensive rather than piecemeal fashion. (III-B-5)
Findings:
The Applicant is not consolidating multiple parcels, but approval of the requested
rezoning to Commercial through the established locally administered zone change
process will facilitate retention of long-standing commercial uses, and ensure the
viability of continued commercial uses on the subject site consistent with the above
Metro Plan policy objective.
B.23 Provide for limited mixing of office, commercial, and
industrial uses under procedures which clearly define the conditions
under which such uses shall be permitted and which: (a) preserve the
suitability of the affected areas for their primary uses; (b) assure
compatibility; and (c) consider the potential for increased traffic
congestion. (III-B-6)
Exhibit B
Findings:
Approval of the zone change request to Commercial will most effectively allow
the potential for future mixed use development consistent with the site’s existing
Mixed Use overlay designation, other zoning parameters affecting mixed uses, and the
considerations referenced in the above Metro Plan policy.
F.15 Motor vehicle level of service policy:
a. Use motor vehicle level of service standards to maintain
acceptable and reliable performance on the roadway system.
These standards shall be used for:
(1) Identifying capacity deficiencies on the roadway system.
(2) Evaluating the impacts on roadways of amendments to
transportation plans, acknowledged comprehensive plans
and land-use regulations, pursuant to the TPR (OAR 660-
12-0060).
(3) Evaluating development applications for consistency with
the land-use regulations of the applicable local government
jurisdiction.
b. Acceptable and reliable performance is defined by the following
levels of service under peak hour traffic conditions:
(1) Level of Service F within Eugene’s Downtown Traffic
Impact Analysis Exempt Area;
(2) Level of Service E within the portion of Eugene’s Central
Area Transportation Study (CATS) area that is not within
Eugene’s Downtown Traffic Impact Analysis Exempt Area;
and
(3) Level of Service D elsewhere.
c. Performance standards from the OHP shall be applied on state
facilities in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area. (III-F-8)
Findings:
The subject property is within the boundaries of Eugene’s Downtown Traffic
Impact Analysis Exempt Area. Roadways within this area may perform at a Level of
Service of “F.” The Applicant’s transportation analysis in Exhibit 6 demonstrates that
roadway intersections adjacent to and near the subject property currently operate at
LOS “A” or “B” in the morning and evening peak hour periods, respectively.
The Applicant’s traffic engineer conducted a reasonable worst-case scenario of
traffic generated by uses allowed in the proposed C-2 zone, versus those allowed in
the existing I-2 zone and High Density Residential uses matching the site’s existing
Plan designation (as indicated by City staff). This analysis demonstrated that based
upon the reasonable worst-case scenario, the proposed zone could result in an
increased number of peak hour trips under the proposed C-2 zone, but that Levels of
Service would remain well within the acceptable performance standards allowed by
the above Metro Plan policy, and codified in TransPlan and Eugene Code 9.9650.
Exhibit B
Therefore, as demonstrated in the attached transportation analysis (Exhibit 6)
and Metro Plan amendment findings above, both incorporated herein, the proposed
zone change is consistent with the above Metro Plan transportation policies and with
Statewide Planning Goal 12.
2.EC 9.8865(2):The proposed zone change is consistent with
applicable adopted refinement plans. In the event of inconsistencies
between these plans and the Metro Plan, the Metro Plan controls.
Downtown Plan
The 2003 Eugene Downtown Plan is the neighborhood area refinement to the Metro
Plan applicable to the subject site. The Downtown Plan does not have a plan diagram
and therefore cannot provide a parcel-specific land use designation for the subject
site. However, the Downtown does have policies that support the proposed zone
change.
Building a Downtown Policy 3: Facilitate downtown development by
re-designating and rezoning underutilized properties, such as surface
parking lots, to a commercial land use designation and a commercial
zone such as C-2 or C-3.” (p. 14)
Findings:
The subject site has an existing surface parking lot at the rear of the existing
structure housing commercial uses, as called for in the Downtown Plan’s Great Streets
implementation strategy (see below). The proposed rezoning confers the potential for
that parking area to be redeveloped and/or the site or structure to be more
intensively developed with a greater density or mix of uses, consistent with this Metro
Plan policy.
Adjacent property to the south is zoned C-2, as are nearly all other properties
off Oak Street to the south toward the downtown central business district. Although
not an underutilized property, changing zoning as proposed to C-2 would facilitate
future development and use of the site for commercial use as called for in the above
policy.
Furthermore, the proposed zone change is supported by the Building a
Downtown Implementation Strategy H:
“Create a single zone to unify the downtown core, including the new
Federal Courthouse and riverfront areas. Consider amendments to an
existing commercial zone, such as C-2 or C-3, and overlay ones such as
/TD, /ND, and the Broadway Overlay Zone.” (p. 14)
The City of Eugene has not taken action to establish a single zoning
classification for all downtown properties or to consolidate existing zoning overlays.
However, approval of the requested zone change to C-2 would be consistent with this
Exhibit B
Implementation Strategy by aligning zoning for the subject property with others
adjacent and to the south into the downtown core, as well as removing the
inconsistency between its use since at least 1966 and its Industrial zoning.
The Downtown Plan also establishes the concept of “Great Streets,” including
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5 Avenue. The Plan notes that this street “has its own retail character and historical
identity, different from other Great Streets, due to varied building types, setbacks
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and activities. Design guidelines for 5 Avenue need to respond to the quirky and
fragmentary quality of the avenue, the historic context, and the development
potential that exists along its length. These guidelines need to stress filling in the
gaps along the street and encouraging buildings with minimal setbacks and parking in
the rear.” (pp. 16-17)
Because the site already has a configuration with long-standing commercial
retail character, zero setbacks, and parking at the rear of the structure, the proposed
zone change furthers continued commercial use on the site consistent with the
Downtown Plan and its Great Streets concept.
The Downtown Plan’s Special Places Implementation Strategy B is also
supportive of the proposed zone change:
“Amend the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan to
redesignate the train station from industrial to commercial land use,
and rezone to a commercial zone such as C-2 or C-3.” (p. 22)
This application proposed to amend the Metro Plan diagram and rezone the subject
property. Because other properties around the train station are also zoned I-2, and
precedent has been set for redesignating and rezoning similar property (i.e., the
former State motor pool site), changing zoning for the subject site to C-2 is consistent
with this Downtown Plan implementation strategy.
Eugene Commercial Lands Study
As an adopted refinement to the Metro Plan, the October 1992 Eugene
Commercial Lands Study helps satisfy the community’s compliance with Statewide
Planning Goal 9 (Economy). As stated in the study document: “The main goal of the
study is to decide if there is a need to make any changes to the supply of commercial
land or to existing City policies or regulations based upon local community
objectives.” (p. I-1)
Among these objectives established in the study is a vision in which:
“Downtown continues to serve as a major employment center for office-
based commercial, government, and specialized retail activities. It is a
vital area that includes a mix of activities such as office, specialty
sotres, a new public library and housing.”
“Commercial growth strengthens the local economy and occurs in a way
that fosters compact growth and preservation of environmental
resources.”
Exhibit B
“Existing commercial buildings are adaptable to new uses and are
reused, thus helping to lower commercial vacancy rates” (pp. I-1-2)
Policies and implementation strategies within the Commercial Lands Study that
are relevant in supporting the above objectives and EC 9.8865(2) are below:
“Policy 2.0: Provide greater certainty regarding the development of
commercial land by resolving major conflicts between the Metro Plan
designations and local zoning of land planned or zoned for commercial
use.”
“Implementation Strategy 2.1: Initiate Metro Plan amendments or zone
changes to correct significant plan/zone conflicts. …” (p. III-3)
Approving the Applicant-initiated zone change concurrently with a
redesignation on the Metro Plan diagram to Commercial will correct the existing
plan/zone conflict. Consistent with the above refinement plan policy and
implementation strategy, approval of the requested zone change would remove the
non-conforming status between the site’s existing zoning and long-standing
commercial use, and provide greater certainty for future commercial use on the
subject property.
Although the subject site was not included among the mapped sites with
“significant plan/zone conflicts” (see Commercial Land Study Appendix C-4), this is
because the study analyzed only “vacant commercial sites above 5 acres in size where
there is a conflict between what is shown on the Metro Plan Diagram and existing
zoning.” (Ibid, Appendix C-3) Nonetheless, approval of the proposed zone change
would provide greater certainty for continued existing or future commercial use,
development and/or redevelopment of the subject site, consistent with Policy 2.0
above.
“Policy 6.0: Promote redevelopment of existing commercial areas and
compact, dense growth by encouraging businesses to revitalize and
reuse existing commercial sites.”
“Implementation Strategy 6.2: Identify and remove disincentives to the
relocation or expansion of businesses in the downtown.” (p. III-7)
Existing Industrial zoning is not consistent with the subject site’s existing and
decades-long commercial use. Rezoning this property would remove any pre-existing
non-conforming status to commercial uses on the site, and promote the potential for
future site use, development and/or redevelopment for commercial or mixed use
consistent with the above policy and the site’s Metro Plan Mixed Use overlay
designation. Approving the proposed zone change would also eliminate any
disincentive for continued existing or future commercial use of the site by removing
the site’s non-conformity between use and zoning, consistent with the above
implementation strategy intended to further Policy 6.0.
Exhibit B
“Policy 12.0: Concentrate development in existing commercial areas to
minimize traffic impacts on the rest of the city.”
“Implementation Strategy 12.1: Commercially designate and zone
properties with sufficient size and lot depth to permit internal traffic
circulation.” (p. III-10)
As illustrated photographically on Exhibit 2, the subject site is located within a
robust existing commercial area at the north end of the downtown area. The site has
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parking allowing for internal traffic circulation at the rear of the building off 5
Avenue. Rezoning the subject site to Commercial (C-2) would acknowledge and
legitimize existing and long-standing commercial use of the property consistent with
the above policy and implementation strategy.
“Policy 17.0: Recognize that additional commercial development will
occur primarily through redevelopment of existing commercial sites.”
(Refer also to related policies and implementation strategies on pages
III-7 and III-8.)
“Implementation Strategy 17.3: Within the area from the east side of
Agripac to Washington Street, change the plan designation and zoning of
land currently zoned for industrial use to encourage a mixture of
residential, commercial, and compatible industrial use.” (Refer to map
in following section) (p. III-15)
This Central/University Subarea policy and implementation strategies support
the proposal by using the City’s existing program of applicant-initiated zone changes
to bolster continued commercial use and potential re-use, development, and/or
redevelopment in a commercial and/or mixed use format consistent with Policy 17.0,
Policy 6.0 and relevant implementation strategies cited above.
The subarea map on page III-18 of the Commercial Land Study identifies areas
zoned industrial on “A band along both sides of the railroad between Lincoln & Oak.”
Approving the requested zone change from Industrial (I-2) to Commercial (C-2) is
wholly consistent with the action called for in Implementation Strategy 17.3, thus
furthering Policies 6.0 and 17.0, and demonstrating the proposal’s consistency with
the Commercial Lands Study and Downtown Plan as refinements to the Metro Plan.
TransPlan
Eugene’s adopted Transportation System Plan (TSP) is “TransPlan,” adopted by
the City of Eugene on July 8, 2002 (Ordinance No. 20258) and acknowledged by the
State of Oregon as being a refinement to the Metro Plan and consistent with
Statewide Planning Goal 12.
Eugene’s 1999 Arterial and Collector Street Plan (ACSP) and the City’s Street
Classification Map (Appendix C of the ACSP) serve to refine TransPlan and establish
Exhibit B
street classifications for arterial and collector streets. The ACSP and Street
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Classification Map identify 5 Avenue and Oak Street as being Local Streets when
abutting the subject property, with Oak Street classified as a Minor Arterial street
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from 6 Avenue southward.
The subject property is also within the boundaries of the Central Area
Transportation Study (CATS), last updated in 2003 as a refinement of TransPlan. The
CATS boundaries include the adopted Downtown Plan boundaries.
Eugene City Council recently enacted Ordinance No. 20514 revising certain city
code standards regarding downtown and mixed use development, and amending
TransPlan’s Transportation System Improvement (TSI) Roadway Policy #2. The code
revisions included amendment to Eugene Code section 9.8670 establishing the
“Downtown Traffic Impact Analysis Exempt Area.” This TIA exempt area is illustrated
in EC Map 9.8670 and is coterminous with the Downtown Plan boundary, so includes
the subject property.
As amended, TSI Roadway Policy #2: Motor Vehicle Level of Service reads as
follows:
4.Use motor vehicle level of service standards to maintain acceptable
and reliable performance on the roadway system. These standards
shall be used for:
d.Identifying capacity deficiencies on the roadway system.
e.Evaluating the impacts on roadways of amendments to
transportation plans, acknowledged comprehensive plans and
land-use regulations, pursuant to the TPR (OAR 660-12-0060).
f.Evaluating development applications for consistency with the
land-use regulations of the applicable local government
jurisdiction.
5.Acceptable and reliable performance is defined by the following
levels of service under peak hour traffic conditions:
d.Level of Service F within Eugene’s Downtown Traffic Impact
Analysis Exempt Area;
e.Level of Service E within the portion of Eugene’s Central Area
Transportation Study Area that is not within Eugene’s Downtown
Traffic Impact Analysis Exempt Area; and
f.Level of Service D elsewhere.
6.Performance standards from the OHP shall be applied on state
facilities in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan area.
The amended policy above was also codified in EC 9.9650 among other
applicable TransPlan policies.
Council action under Ordinance No. 20514 also amended Metro Plan
Transportation Policy F-15. This policy language is identical to that above in
TransPlan TSI Roadway Policy #2, with only changes to numbering to correspond with
formatting in the Metro Plan.
Exhibit 6 of this application includes transportation analysis performed by a
competent licensed transportation engineer. The analysis demonstrates that the
Exhibit B
proposed Commercial designation and zoning would not generate more trips under a
reasonable worst case scenario of potential Commercial uses than could be allowed
under the existing Industrial zoning and/or High Density Residential land use
designation (presuming staff’s assertion that the site indeed has an existing HDR
Metro Plan diagram designation).
Based upon the above facts and those included in the attached transportation
analsyis, the following demonstrates the proposal’s consistency with requirements of
TransPlan, the TPR and Statewide Planning Goal 12.
3.EC 9.8865(3):The use and density that will be allowed by the
proposed zoning in the location of the proposed change can be
served through the orderly extension of key urban facilities and
services.
The subject property already has access to all key urban services needed for existing
and future commercial and/or mixed uses and densities, consistent with the above
criterion.