HomeMy WebLinkAboutAmended: IGR Grant Applicat. ~City Council
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AMENDED AGENDA
EUGENE CITY COUNCIL AGENDA
May 18, 2005
Noon CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
McNntt Room, City Hall
Meeting of May 18, 2005;
Her Honor Kitty Piercy Presiding
Councilors
George Poling, President Jennifer Solomon, Vice President
Bonny Bettman David Kelly
Andrea Ortiz Gary Pap6
Chris Pryor Betty Taylor
Please note: This agenda has been amended to reflect the addition of Item A (Consideration of
Intergovernmental Relations Committee Action on Two Grant Applications), and the postponement
of the originally scheduled item (Discussion Concerning Metro Plan Amendment for Public Safety
Special DistricO until the City Council Work Session on May 23, 2005..
NOON CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
McNutt Room, City Hall
Noon A. WORK SESSION:
Consideration of Intergovernmental Relations Committee
Action on Two Grant Applications
12:30 p.m.* B. WORK SESSION:
Santa Clara Community Park Update
Eugene City Council Agenda: May 18, 2005 L:\CMO~2005 Council Agendas~vI050518~A050518Sa. doc
zldjolggFl.
* Time approximate
The Eugene City Council welcomes your interest in these agenda items. This meeting location is wheelchair-
accessible. For the hearing impaired, FM assistive-listening devices are available or an interpreter can be provided
with 48 hours' notice prior to the meeting. Spanish-language interpretation will also be provided with 48 hours' notice.
To arrange for these services, contact the receptionist at 682-5010. Telecommunications device for the deaf assistance
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682-5045. Todas las reuniones del consejo estan gravados en vivo en Metro Television, canal 21 de Comcast y
despues en la semana se pasan de nuevo.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE COUNCIL COORDINATOR AT (541) 682-5010.
VISIT US ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB AT WWW. CI. EUGENE. OR. US
Eugene City Council Agenda: May 18, 2005 L:\CMO~2005 Council AgendasX2dO50518~AO50518S~do¢
/~ City Manager's Office
City of Eugene
777 Pearl Street, Room 105
ME m O ~Lz~ND UM (541) Eugene,682_5010 Oregon 97401-2793
(541) 682-5414 FAX
www.ci.eugene.or.us
Date: May 16, 2005
To: Mayor Piercy and City Council
From: Mary Walston, 682-5406
Subject: Amended Agenda for May 18, 2005
Attached are materials for the item "Consideration of Intergovemental Relations Committee Action on
Two Grant Applications", which has been added to the meeting on Wednesday, May 18.
The item was added to the agenda at the request of Councilor Pap6 and subsequent approval of Mayor
Piercy.
The following items are provided as background for this item: A. Memorandum from Kurt Yeiter regarding TGM Grant Applications
B. Memorandum from Susan Muir regarding EPA Smart Growth Award
C. Excerpt Minutes from May 5, 2005 IGR Committee Meeting
D. Draft Excerpt Minutes from May 12, 2005 IGR Committee Meeting
E. Amended Agenda for May 18, 2005
In his request to the City Manager and Mayor to have the council consider these actions, Councilor Pap6
wrote:
"At the IGR meeting this morning, the committee voted 2 to 1 (I voted against the motion) against
applying for a grant (TGM) and seeking assistance with an EPA Smart Growth Award. Both were to
assist the PDD in analyzing mixed-use development codes in the City. The IGR and Council protocol
allow me to ask that the full council consider this matter when a split vote occurs. The grant is due on
May 19th, so I want the council to discuss this at our next work session on May 18. Please help me to
draft the appropriate motion and get this on the May 18th agenda."
Staff from Planning and Development will be at the meeting if there are questions or information' needs
regarding either of the grants.
CC: Kurt Yeiter
City Attorney
C:~Documents and Settings\ceexmfwWly Documents~nm050516amend.doc
~ Planning & Development
_ Planning
City of Eugene
99 West 10ua Avenue
MEMORANDUM Eugene, Oregon 97401
(541) 682-5377
(541) 682-5572 FAX
www.ci.eugene.or.us
Date: April 29, 2005
To: Intergovernmental Relations Committee
c/o Mary Walston
From: Kurt Yeiter, Principal Planner
Subject: 2005-2007 TGM Grant Applications
Requested Action: Authorize three applications for Transportation Growth Management (TGM) grants
related to Mixed Use Center (nodal) implementation.
Background: TGM grants are provided by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and
Development and the Department of Transportation to help local agencies implement the transportation
planning rule. Eugene has used TGM grants in the past to help pay for nodal planning, including the
Royal, Chambers, and Chase specific area plans; Chambers Reconsidered infill study currently underway;
application of the/ND Nodal Development overlay zone; creation of the R-1.5 zone district; and creation
of informational materials for public distribution and web access. These grants are competitive and mUst
contain a transportation component, usually involving state facilities.
The Proposed Projects: Planning staff recommend the following three projects for the 2005-2007
biennium funding cycle. Two grants involve specific area planning for neighborhood-oriented mixed use
centers in which there is a high level of neighborhood support, and one grant to help align our regulatory
structure with development needs for successful construction of mixed use projects.
1. Walnut Mixed Use Center. The area around the Walnut/Franklin interSection was
identified in TransPlan as a potential nodal development site. A Bus Rapid Transit station is planned
there and will be constructed as part of the first phase of construction. Previous efforts to apply the/ND
overlay in this area caused great public concern and ultimately failed. Recent events and speculation
(e.g., U of O expansion, arena planning, BRT, sales of commercial properties, ODOT studies of a freeway
off-ramp, to name a few) have raised the urgency for a coordinated planning effort, which the Fairmount
Neighbors heartily support. The state recently granted the City $10,000 worth of technical assistance to
provide a planning framework. The City, through nodal planning money allocated in 2003, and
University are funding a preliminary planning scoping report (Phase 1), which will bring all the
stakeholders to the table to explore future development scenarios and opportunities for collaboration.
TGM grant funding is sought for Phase 2, to'refine the concept plans into an agreed-upon development
plan and implementation strategy. Although the details will not be known until we are further along in
the preliminary planning, we expect Phase 2 will include a market analysis, coordinated development
plan, exploration of funding strategies, transportation analysis, and regulations and agreements necessary
to implement the development plan.
Estimated grant request is $200,000.
2. Rasor Park Mixed Use Center. TransPlan identifies the commercial area along the
east side of River Road in the vicinity of Rasor Park as a potential nodal development site. In the past,
the River Road Community Organization has supported the concept of nodal development, even
encouraging application of the/ND Nodal development Overlay zone in this area. TGM funds are
desired to provide the following information based on a study the area involving affected property
owners, business interests, and area residents:
Determination of the most appropriate boundaries for a Mixed Use Center;
Conceptual development plan(s);
Infill opportunities;
Infrastructure needs, including opportunities to improve pedestrian connections
across River Road and between the Mixed Use Center and the river pathway system;
Review of regulations and recommendations for changes, including review of/ND
Overlay.
Estimated grant request is $100,000.
3. Land Use Code Audit: This grant would allow consulting experts and actual
practitioners in mixed use development to examine all of the Eugene Land Use Code and other local
development standards and recommend changes that would better facilitate "good" development. This
process should provide recommendations for alternative methods of development review, which would
supplement the "alternative path" discussions scheduled as part of our local code amendments.
Estimated grant request is $50,000.
Timing: The grant requests are due May 23, 2005. Successful projects may commence as early as
October, and must be completed by June 2007.
Further Information: Please contact Kurt Yeiter, Principal Planner, Planning and Development
Department, 682-8379 or by e-mail: kurt.m.yeiter~ci.eugene.or.us
cc: Jason Heuser
Susan Muir
Allen Lowe
--~ Planning & Development
Community Development
City of Eugene
99 W. 10t" Avenue
ME m O ~ND UM (541Eugene') 682-54430regon 97401
(541) 682-5572 FAX
www.ci.eugene.or, us
Date: May 9, 2005
To: City Council Intergovernmental Relations Committee
From: Susan Muir, 682-5208
Interim Planning and Development Director
Subject: Application for EPA Smart Growth Award
Requested Action:
The Planning and Development Department requests the support of the IGR Committee for an application
to EPA for a smart growth award. This application is due to the EPA on Thursday May 19, 2005.
Background:
This application is tied to the City's Mixed Use Development Program and is an attempt to fund a critical
piece of the Mixed Use Two Year Work Program -- the "Toolkit" discussed in the Council's tour packet
from last Friday.
The Environmental Protection Agency will provide an award to four to six communities in 2005-2006 to
promote smart growth. This is not a cash grant. Rather, if Eugene applies and prevails, a team of experts
will come to our community and we receive substantial and intensive technical assistance.
The EPA team of experts would audit our code, administrative procedures, Capital Improvement Plan,
budget and policies to look for barriers to smart growth. They will also identify strategies to better
implement our adopted policies, including new or amended regulations, development review
practices and procedures, and incentives to promote smart growth. The fundamental idea is to
integrate the principles of smart growth into local planning processes to promote infill development.
Because our community has already embraced so many of the smart growth principles in the past, we
believe Eugene would be very competitive in our efforts. The award would also help to promote
interagency cooperation. Our application requires that we identify a local team to assist with the
evaluation and to follow up on the technical assistance. This team has to be broad based to include
members of the public and private sector, public interest groups, civic associations, and individual
citizens. For example, it will likely include LTD, LCOG, 1000 Friends of Oregon, Home Builders, the
Chamber of Commerce, and the Neighborhood Leaders Council.
For Additional Information:
If you have any questions, please contact Richie Weinman at 682-5533, richie.d.weinman@ci.eugene, or
Allen Lowe at 682-5113 or allen.d.lowe(~_~ci.eugene.or.us.
CC: Richie Weinman
Allen Lowe.
Jason Heuser
Page 1 of 2
EXCERPT FROM
MINUTES
Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
McNutt Room--City Hall
May 5, 2005
9 a.m.
PRESENT: Gary Pap6, Chair; Bonny Bettman, Betty Taylor, members; Mary Walston, Jason
Heuser, Lisa Klemp, Mary Feldman, City Manager's Office; Ellwood Cushman,
Eugene Police Department; Kurt Yeiter, Planning and Development Department;
Eric Jones, Scott Duckett, Public Works Department; Glenn Klein, City
Attorney's Office.
1. Call to Order/Review Agenda
Pending the arrival of Mr. Pap6 to the meeting, Ms. Bettman called the meeting of the Council
Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (CCIGR) to order. There were no additions to the
agenda.
2. Approval of Minutes
Ms. Taylor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to approve the minutes of April 21, 2005.
Ms. Bettman noted a correction to page 1 of the minutes, pointing out that the second to the
motion made by Ms. Taylor was incorrectly attributed to her and should instead be attributed to
Mr. Pap6.
The motion passed unanimously, 2:0, as Mr. Pap6 had not yet arrived at the meeting.
3. Citizen's Resolution
Ms. Taylor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to forward the resolution to the council for action
on May 23, 2005.
Mr. Pap6 arrived at the meeting.
The motion passed unanimously, 3:0.
Mr. Pap6 assumed the chair.
4. Grant Proposal Review
Ms. Bettman moved to approve the applications for grants 1 and 2 only.
Mr. Yeiter reviewed three proposed transportation growth management (TGM) grant
applications, noting that TGM grants had been the City's main source of funding for nodal-
related planning. Currently there was one FTE working on all nodal planning issues. The first
grant would be used for the second phase of the ongoing planning for the Walnut Street transit
station area. Mr. Yeiter believed it was a timely grant because of the University's planning for a
new arena, the construction of the Bus Rapid Transit route along Franklin Boulevard, and the
potential of new off ramp from I-5 to Franklin Boulevard. Staff would work with commercial
property owners in the area to determine how the area could best evolve and create a master plan.
Mr. Yeiter said the second grant would be Used for planning in the Rasor Park mixed-use center.
He recalled that the neighborhood had specifically requested the Nodal Development ~ID overlay
zone. The funding would be used to determine if new streets or infrastructure were needed, and
help establish the appropriate boUndaries for the mixed-use area. The neighbors had questioned
the existing boundaries and questioned whether there was more potential for a mixed-use center
further north on River Road in an area not currently designated for that purpose.
Ms. Bettman said one of the neighborhood's concerns was about the need for connecting the east
and west sides of River Road, and asked if that concern would be addressed. Mr. Yeiter said yes.
Public Works Department had some pedestrian crOsses planned along River Road, although not in
this area. Planning staff would work with the Public Works staff to determine the location of the
pedestrian crossings.
Ms. Bettman expressed concern about what she termed "definition creep" from the term "nodal"
to the term "mixed-use." She said that currently, River Road contained pockets of commercial
uses but the residential uses had been preserved. If the City proposed to transition a large area of
River Road to commercial use, the result would be strip development all along River Road. Mr.
Yeiter did not envision that result. Mr. Pap~ pointed out the result of the grant would be a plan
the council could review and adopt. Mr: Yeiter said the study was intended to address
neighborhood concerns about where mixed-use development was most appropriate, how large it
should be, and what types of uses were desirable.
In regard the terms "mixed-use" and "node," Mr. Yeiter said that from a staff perspective, the two
terms were interchangeable. He said that "mixed-use" was evolving to become what was most
appropriate for each neighborhood. He believed people got a more accurate picture of what the
City was aiming for from ~he term "mixed-use."
Mr. Yeiter said the third grant would be used to hire outside consultants to do a Land Use Code
audit to identify obstacles to mixed-use development. The consultant would be asked to review
the code and flag elements of the code that were working counter to nodal development.
Ms. Taylor noted her increasing skepticism about nodal development as it did not appear to be
working. She thought such an audit was needed and asked Ms. Bettman the reason for her
opposition. Ms. Bettman responded that mixed-use centers and nodes were different things. The
City had mixed-use zoning west of downtown, which meant that residences, offices, and
commercial uses existed side-by-side. She said that the nodal concept was completely different.
The council had "bought off" on the nodal concept as a policy approach but had not discussed
and compared the mixed use and nodal concepts and made a policy decision to adopt mixed use.
Ms. Bettman was alarmed to see the extent to which "mixed use" was being substituted for
"nodal" without coUncil discussion. She thought the audit was premature and believed the
outcome would be the deletion of regulations that protected neighborhoods against incompatible
development. She said the audit "deregulates land use and zoning in neighborhoods."
Mr. Pap~ pointed out the council was the only body that could repeal regulations. Ms. Bettman
agreed, but said the consultant would spend a great deal of time and money reviewing the code
and staff would return to the council with 50 recommendations the council would have only five
minutes to discuss. She reiterated the audit was premature, and until the council had discussed
the differences between the mixed-use and nodal concepts, she was unwilling to proceed. She
saw the audit as a "huge" threat to neighborhoods.
Ms. Taylor seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously.
Mr. Yeiter noted that the grant applications must be submitted to the State by May 23, 2005.
Ms. Bettman quoted from the packet the council received for its joint tour with the Planning
Commission of the existing nodes, which referred to the staff intent to seek the grant as a means
to eliminate inadvertent regulatory obstacles to infill, redevelopment, and mixed-use development
in general. She reminded Ms. Taylor of her concern that her neighborhood could experience
more unregulated infill development.
Responding to a question from Mr. Pap~, Mr. Yeiter did not anticipate a carte blanche removal of
all regulations.
Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Pap6, moved to defer consideration of the third
grant application until the next meeting. The motion passed, 2:1; Ms. Bettman
voting no.
DRAFT EXCERPT MINUTES
Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations
McNutt Room--City Hall
May 12, 2005
9 a.m.
PRESENT: Gary Pap6, Chair; Bonny Bettman, Betty Taylor, members; Mary Walston, Jason Heuser,
Lisa Klemp, Mary Feldman, City Manager's Office; Ellwood Cushman, Eugene Police
Department; Kurt Yeiter, Allen Lowe, Planning and Development Department; Eric
Jones, Public Works Department; Glenn Klein, City Attorney's Office.
3. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Smart Growth Award
Mr. Yeiter and Mr. Lowe were present for the item.
Ms. Bettman asked staff to define "smart growth." Mr. Lowe said it was a nationally used term for a
development concept that embodied many or most of the concepts the City had in its Growth Management
Study in regard to mixed use development, compact urban growth, smaller lot housing, diverse housing
types, transportation-efficient development, and containment within an urban growth boundary.
Ms. Bettman asked if the audit to be funded by the award would determine if the City's code was at odds
with its growth management policies. Mr. Lowe said no. The award would bring in a group of specialists
who would assess Eugene's program in its entirety, including its policies, codes, and procedures for
approving development. Ms. Bettman said the results of the award sounded a lot like the audit discussed
by Mr. Yeiter the previous week. Mr. Lowe acknowledged some overlap between the award and that
grant. He added that over the past two years, most of the funding for the implementation of the City's
growth management policies was from grants. The award was another way to achieve the "new tools"
element of the two-year work plan, which was intended to be an audit of the City's programs to determine
if they were the right fit for the City's policies.
Ms. Bettman asked where the specialists would look for barriers. Mr. Lowe cited as an example the
City's alley pavement standard, which was for seven inches of concrete. That standard stood in the way
of the construction of accessory units or any alley-access development. Many communities adopt a
different standard, and Eugene had not looked at alternatives that would lower the cost and facilitate
development in alleys.
Ms. Bettman said it appeared the effort would require the time of City staff. She did not support the
award application as it sounded like a redo of policy direction the City was in the process of trying to re-
evaluate. The process being proposed looked to her like it would be another process dominated by those
who could afford to participate, such as paid representatives from the Eugene Area Chamber of Com-
merce, as opposed to "folks who are working for a living and trying to nm a neighborhood organization."
If the award Was for an audit of how the code affected neighborhood livability, safety, and property
values, or how the City policies contribute to sprawl as opposed to creating a "new urbanism" landscape,
she would be supportive. However, she believed the audit accelerated a policy direction the council had
DRAFT EXCERPT MINUTES---Council Committee on May 12, 2005 Page 1
Intergovernmental Relations
not discussed and which she thought was going the wrong direction.
Mr. Yeiter noted the EPA award provided the City with an opportunity to have a national team inform it
about the available financial incentives for infill and redevelopment. Ms. Bettman said she was sorry the
City was in a place where it could not take advantage of that opportunity. She noted that the award
dictated a public process outside the council's purview. Until the council had given the Planning and
Development Department some specific policy direction about the direction it wished to take with
removing obstacles to infill and higher density in urban core neighborhoods, she could not support any
such grant or award.
Ms. Taylor agreed with Ms. Bettman. She had been alarmed by the groups that were proposed to be
involved. She said the input of the Neighborhood Leaders Council did not carry the same weight as the
voice of the chamber, the homebuilders association, and the Lane Council of Governments. She said the
City had the ability to conduct such an audit without the award.
Ms. Bettman, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to reject the application.
Mr. Pap6 determined from Mr. Yeiter that staff saw nothing in the application that contravened current
council policy or was at odds with the City's Growth Management Study policies. Mr. Yeiter said staff
believed the award would help to implement those policies. The funding would be used to carry out the
two-year work program. Responding to a question from Mr. Pap6, Mr. Lowe indicated staff would
welcome the input of the council or the Planning Commission acting as the Citizen Involvement
Committee in regard to the participants in the process; the listed groups were samples of representative
groups.
Mr. Pap6 noted his opposition.to the motion as he believed the award was intended to help implement the
City's Growth Management Study policies.
The motion passed, 2:1; Mr. Pap~ voting no.
The committee considered the transportation growth management (TGM) grant proposal held over from
the previous week.
Ms. Bettman, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to reject the TGM grant application to au-
dit the code to remove obstacles to density and mixed use. The motion passed, 2:1; Mr.
Pap6 voting no.
DRAFT EXCERPT MINUTES--Council Committee on May 12, 2005 Page 2
Intergovernmental Relations