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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 4921 =~::... COUNCIL RESOLUTION NO. 4921 A RESOLUTION APPROVING A MULTIPLE- UNIT PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 534 EAST 14th AVENUE AND 535 EAST 14th ALLEY, EUGENE, OREGON (WEST UNIVERSITY SUSTAINABLE HOUSING LLC, APPLICANT). PASSED: 3:2 REJECTED: OPPOSED: Bettman, Zelenka ABSENT: Ortiz, Poling, Taylor RECUSED: CONSIDERED: November 13, 2007 RESOLUTION NO. 4921 A RESOLUTION APPROVING A MULTIPLE-UNIT PROPERTY TAX EXEMPTION FOR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LOCATED AT 534 EAST 14th AVENUE AND 535 EAST 14th ALLEY, EUGENE, OREGON (WEST UNIVERSITY SUSTAINABLE HOUSING LLC, APPLICANT). The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that: A. Dan Neal is the owner of real property located at 534 East 14th Avenue and 535 East 14th Alley, Eugene, Oregon, more particularly described on the attached Exhibit A, and is the registered agent for West University Sustainable Housing LLC. West University Sustainable Housing LLC has submitted an application pursuant to the City's Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption Program (Sections 2.945 and 2.947 of the Eugene Code, 1971), with respect to residential units to be constructed on the property. B. A display ad soliciting recommendations or comments from the public was published in the Register-Guard on August 31, 2007, and advised that written comments would be accepted for a period of 30 days from the date of publication. Recommendations or comments were also solicited from the Planning Commission, and other interested City departments, agencies, and neighborhood groups. No comments were received. C. The Report and Recommendation attached as Exhibit B, which was prepared by the Director of the Planning and Development Department ("the Director") as designee of the City Manager, recommends that the application be approved and the exemption granted. In making the recommendation, the Director found that the applicant submitted all materials, documents and fees required by the application and the City as set forth in Section 2.945 of the Eugene Code, 1971, and is in compliance with the policies set forth in the Standards and Guidelines adopted by Administrative Order No. 53-04-03-F. D. The project consists of the development of eight residential four-bedroom units, and one residential five-bedroom unit, which are not designed for, nor will be used as, transient accommodations. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE, a Municipal Corporation of the State of Oregon, as follows: Section 1. Based upon the above findings which are adopted, and the City Council's review of the Report and Recommendation of the Director of the Planning and Development Department attached as Exhibit B, the City Council approves the application of West University Sustainable Housing LLC for an ad valorem property tax exemption under the City's Multiple- Unit Property Tax Exemption Program for the residential units to be constructed at 534 East 14th Resolution - Page 1 Avenue and 535 East 14th Alley, Eugene, Oregon, and more particularly described on the attached Exhibit A, subject to the following conditions: 1. The project shall consist of eight residential four-bedroom units, and one residential five-bedroom unit, which are not designed for, nor will be used as, transient accommodations. 2. The project shall be completed on or before January 1,2012. 3. The project shall include all of the public benefit design elements as required in the Standards and Guidelines and described in Section 2.2 of the Report and Recommendation attached as Exhibit B. 4. The project shall be in conformance with all local plans and planning regulations, including special or district-wide plans developed and adopted pursuant to ORS Chapters 195, 196, 197,215 and 227. Section 2. The residential units to be constructed upon the property described in Section 1 above are declared exempt from local ad valorem property taxation beginning July 1 of the year following certification of completion and continuing for a continuous period of ten years unless earlier terminated in accordance with the provisions of Section 2.947 of the Eugene Code, 1971. Section 3. The City Manager, or the Manager's designee, is requested to forward a copy of this Resolution to the applicants, and to the other affected taxing districts, within ten days, and to cause a copy of this Resolution to be filed with the Lane County Assessor on or before April 1, 2008. Section 4. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its adoption. The foregoing Resolution adopted and effective the 13th day of November, 2007. ~H~ . ity Reco er' Resolution - Page 2 S'te,.e,(~~W ..~ ..........-... p~ Dv.Jvv0~ -..... .. ...... ~."...~........-..............._-..._..__....._......-.."...........................----. ttll1ll""'f Uf4llG""""1r. Th~ last 60 feet of t~. Lot Hu~bered . tu Blq~k 8 of that pa~t of t~e City of 1~I.Ae. in L.ne COua~y~ OresoQ, 'ori8inel1y pldtt*d and re~QTded .A Scott'. Ad<<1~1oA to- tbe To~n of Eugene C~~JJ Lane Couuty. O~~8ont as .platt.d lAd reeorde4 Be Psg- ~02 of Va1u.. l~ Lane County Ore&~n need Records. .are p.~tieulaw1, ~..cribe4 .s fol1oYB. to-~~~: B~ainnin8 at th~ ~o~theest ~or~at o! Lot 4 in Slock 8 of tbe~ par~ at .the Ci~1 of EuseD_, !u L&Ad Countr, ordloQ, which vue or11tna1ly platted and 'r~e1)J'd.cl as Seott 'a A.~d~t~.9'ft t,9 ..Th~. TQ~1\. b! - BU8.eue C1tr, ~BtJ.$ COl1nt.y ~ Or4gon, as platted..~d reeor.ed tu Volume I, Page 602. Lane County Or-soD Dee~.~8dord.i and runn~DS tbence Soutb Along the eas~ .~d. of said Lo~ 4. 160 feet. more or leas_ to the n~r~h 11Qc of the alley r~nntnl throulh aa1d Blo~k; ehenee Weat elana the north line ot alley 60 fQ$tl ~henc. Nort~ ~a~allel with tbG c.at 11ne of aiad Lot' 4 and 60 fQ~t distGnt ~h.~.from to the gQ~tb line of l4eh A~enue Bast !n AA1d City of Eugene;' and th6rtC~ Ea5t alung the. sDuth line of .a~d Avenve ~o ~b~ plcce Qf b~81~Alng, all b~1na i~ add a pBr~ of the City of !uRe~e, Laue CDun~y, Oreson. ATTACHMENT B REPORT AND RECOMMENDATION of the Director of the Planning & Development Department West University Sustainable Housing LLC Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption The Director of the Planning & Development Department of the City of Eugene finds that: 1. Dan Neal is the registered agent for West University Sustainable Housing LLC, and is the owner of real property located at 534 East 14th Avenue and 535 East 14th Alley, Eugene, Oregon, and more particularly described in Exhibit A attached to the Resolution approving this tax exemption. West University Sustainable Housing LLC has submitted an application pursuant to the City's Multiple-Unit Rental Housing Property Tax Exemption Program (Section 2.945 and 2.947 of the Eugene Code, 1971) with respect to the residential units to be constructed on the real property. 2. I have reviewed the application and specifically find that the project to be constructed will result in an eligible structure for the property tax exemption as defined in the Standards and Guidelines, will be located within the downtown core area, the construction will be completed on or before January 1, 2012, and: 2.1 The applicant has submitted all materials, documents and fees required by the City; 2.2 Design elements that benefit the general public have been included in the project, which consist of: 2.2.1 Sustainability features. Architect and general contractor with expertise in the area of sustain ability have been hired. The sustainability features of this project add approximately 15% to the cost of the project, so many of these features are feasible only if the MUPTE is approved. These features include: - Use of fiberglass windows rather than windows constructed from vinyl. - Reliance on natural lighting which uses more windows and skylight tubes. - Landscaping features that use native species which will reduce the need for fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. - U se of solar electric system that uses mono-crystalline modules to generate electricity for the site in cooperation with EWEB. -Use of sustainable products: Marmoleum for kitchen and bathroom floors; carpeting in the bedrooms and living rooms that use recycled materials as backing; paints having no volatile organic compounds; siding consisting of long-lasting corrugated metal in certain areas and Hardi Plank elsewhere; baseboards constructed of medium density fiberboard; cabinetry using glues free of formaldehyde; plumbing and electrical products selected based mainly on energy efficiency; composition roof with longer useful life than typical 20-year products. -Treatment of stormwater on site. F:\CM0\2007 Council Agendas\M07l113\S071113D.doc 2.2.2 Responsiveness to adjacent historic structures. There are no adjacent historic structures. The building currently on the 534 East 14th lot is over 50 years old, but according to City of Eugene Senior Planner Ken Guzowski, is not a historic structure. 2.2.3 Use of higher quality materials that contribute to longevity. The project will reflect a high level of attention to detail. The exterior design of the Steelhead Townhouses will include the integrated usage of three different compatible siding materials and a variety of interesting design details. The interiors will feature granite countertops along with many other high quality finishes which are reflected in items such as cabinetry, floor coverings, and light fixtures. The bicycle storage area will be unique, functional, attractive, secure, and will have a roof to protect bicyclists from the elements when they are getting their bicycles in and out of storage. 2.2.4 Prominent entry facing the public street. The Steelhead Townhouses will have an attractive entry on 14th Avenue. Landscaping features and open space will be prominent. The Steelhead Townhouses will avoid a big box type of appearance to create a more attractive, livable environment for the West University neighborhood. 2.2.5 Number of units by which minimum density is exceeded or which incorporate three or more bedrooms to encourage families. Because all nine of the Steelhead Townhouse units will have four or more bedrooms, they are well suited to families as well as student groups. Marketing of the townhouses will focus on families such as university or hospital employees who might find it desirable to live close to their employment and across the street from the new West University Park. Increasing the density in this area will assist in creating additional housing close to the urban core. 2.2.6 Number of available ADA accessible units. The units will have unlimited ADA accessibility in the open spaces and on the first floor of each townhouse. The upper floors are only accessible by stairs, and, therefore, the upper floors are not wheelchair accessible. The applicant notes that safety and accessibility features will be included throughout the project to enable a wide variety of disabled persons to gain access to as much of the project as possible. For example, fire alarms will be suitable for the hearing and sight impaired. 2.2.7 Responsiveness to neighborhood character and safety in respect to height, mass, architectural detail. landsca?ing and o?en space. The project contains over 600/0 open space, significantly more open space than required by the Code for multi-family housing in this zone. The height of the townhouses will be limited to three stories, no higher than other structures in the immediate area. The high level of architectural detail and landscaping plan for this project will enhance the character of the neighborhood. Exterior lighting will be well designed and located which should reduce the amount of transient activity in the area. 2.2.8 Number of units designed for home ownership. The Steelhead Townhouses are not designed for individual homeownership, and will be available for lease only. 2.2.9 Solicitation of comments from relevant neighborhood associations. The applicant did not submit comments from the West University Neighborhood Association. However, the F:\CM0\2007 Council Agendas\M071 1 13\S071 1 13D.doc applicant has contacted the West University Neighborhood Association and anticipates that the Association will consider this MUPTE application at their meeting on October 4, 2007. 2.3 The project was monitored through the City's regular processes with respect to planning, permit and building and safety requirements to insure compliance with all local regulations; 2.4 Currently, there is a two-story, four-unit rental structure on the 534 East 14th property and a two-story, four-unit rental structure on the 535 East 14th property; and 2.5 The owner has stated in the application and provided evidence that the project would not be feasible with the quantity and quality of sustainability features planned without the tax exemption. 3. A display ad soliciting recommendations or comments from the public regarding this project was published in the Register-Guard on August 31, 2007. The period for comment expired on September 30,2007. No comments were received. Therefore, based upon the above findings, the project is in conformance with all applicable local plans and provisions of the Eugene Code, 1971, planning regulations, the Metropolitan Area General Plan, and the criteria set forth in the City's adopted Standards and Guidelines for Multiple-Unit Housing Property Tax Exemption, and I recommend that the application be approved. Dated this _ day of , 2007. Director, Planning & Development Department, City of Eugene F:\CM0\2007 Council Agendas\M07l I l3\S07lll3D.doc