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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/29/1992 Meeting (2) e e e M I NUT E S Joint Public Hearing Eugene City Council Springfield City Council Lane County Board of Commissioners Council Chamber--Eugene City Hall April 29, 1992 7 p.m. EUGENE COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bobby Green, Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Randy MacDonald, Paul Nicholson, Kaye Robinette, Jeff Miller, Mayor EUGENE COUNCILORS ABSENT: SPRINGFIELD COUNCILORS PRESENT: SPRINGFIELD COUNCILORS ABSENT: Shawn Boles, Roger Rutan Lee Beyer, Larry Schanz, Ralf Walters Mayor Bill Morrisette, Bruce Berg, Gayle Deck- er, George Wojcik COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: Marie Frazier, Jerry Rust, Jack Roberts (7:15) Ellie Dumdi, Steve Cornacchia I. PUBLIC HEARING: WILLAKENZIE AREA PLAN Mayor Miller called the Eugene City Council to order. He noted that neither the Springfield City Council nor the Lane County Board of Commissioners had a quorum. He said that the public hearing can occur without a quorum and no decisions will be made at tonight's meeting. A. Staff Report Allen Lowe, Eugene Planning and Development Department, said that the hearing was on the adoption of the draft Willakenzie Refinement Plan with concurrent consideration of amendments to the Metro Plan, TransPlan, and Public Facili- ties Plan. He said that the plan took more than two years to complete. He said that that the Willakenzie area is the fastest growing area of Eugene and MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials April 29, 1992 Page 1 e e e encompasses approximately nine square miles (5,700 acres), which is approxi- mately one quarter of the land within the City limits. Current population is 22,000 and the plan anticipates doubling that at buildout. He summarized the citizen participation process for the plan and said that the Planning Team completed its review of the plan in August 1991 and forwarded its recommenda- tions to the Eugene Planning Commission. Mr. Lowe summarized the sequence of following public hearings and work sessions and said that the Eugene Planning Commission completed its work on the draft plan in December 1991, recommending several revisions to the draft plan. Attachment B to the ordinance adopting the plan outlines the revised draft plan as recommended by the Eugene Planning Commission. Mr. Lowe said that the draft plan recommends 25 Metro Plan amendments, 21 amendments to the street and highway project list of TransPlan, and 17 amend- ments to the bicycle project list in TransPlan. Staff has conducted work sessions with the Eugene City Council and the Lane County Board of Commission- ers. The Springfield City Council declined the offer to hold a work session on the draft plan. Mr. Lowe referred to several maps displayed on the wall, including a land use planning diagram map and a functional classification map. He said that sever- al letters have been submitted on the plan since the agenda packet was mailed to the elected officials. Those letters had been distributed to the officials prior to tonight's hearing. He said that one letter was received from Michael Farthing, representing Nat Giustina, regarding a Metro Plan amendment of 12.2 acres located on the north side of Country Club Road from medium-density resi- dential to high-density residential. A letter was received from Richard Hanson, a member of the Willakenzie Planning Team, commenting on the planning process. A letter was received from Stephen Shepard supporting the revised draft plan recommendation to include Satre/Van Duyn to a collector status, thereby invalidating a previous proposal in the plan to erect a traffic barri- er on that street. A letter from Frederick Batson also commented on the pro- posal to erect a traffic barrier on Satre/Van Duyn. A letter was received from Reverend Timothy Mockaitis, representing St. Paul Catholic Church on the same subject. A letter was received from Debra and Eric Jeffries requesting that their property, which is outside the urban growth boundary (UGB) but is adjacent to a street that is recommended for improvement, be exempt from as- sessment resulting from that project. A letter was received from Sacred Heart General Hospital supporting the draft plan proposal that would allow a second hospital campus to be built in the Coburg/Crescent area. Mr. Lowe submitted the letters into the public record. In response to a question from Mayor Miller, Mr. Lowe said that the public record was closed today at 5 p.m., unless there is a request during the testi- mony that it be left open. Mr. Roberts arrived (7:15 p.m.). Mr. Rust called the Lane County Board of Commissioners to order and read the ordinance. MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials April 29, 1992 Page 2 e e e Mayor Morrisette called the Springfield City Council to order and stated that a quorum is not needed for a public hearing, and that the first reading of the ordinance will be conducted as soon as the ordinance is drafted. B. Opening of Public Hearing Mayor Miller opened the public hearing. C. Public Testimony Ken Tollenaar, 1522 Russet Drive, representing the Eugene Planning Commission, stated that he served as Chair of the Eugene Planning Commission during the time that the Willakenzie Planning Team met and is a resident of the Willakenzie area. He commended the draft plan for resolving many land use issues that exist in the built portion of the plan area and for providing an excellent framework for future development in the undeveloped portion of the area. He said that he attended most of the Planning Team meetings and felt that the plan represents the wishes of the residents of the Willakenzie area. Mr. Tollenaar said that the Eugene Planning Commission approved nearly all the Planning Team recommendations, including the goals for general land use poli- cy, the general policy calling for maintenance of low-density patterns in existing neighborhoods while also providing higher densities for some undevel- oped areas, most of the commercial allocations, nearly all the subarea poli- cies, most of the transportation elements, and virtually all the public facil- ity and neighborhood design elements. Mr. Tollenaar said that the Eugene Planning Commission recommended revisions in order to achieve greater consistency between the draft plan and the Metro Plan. Key revision categories include residential density and transportation. The commission thought that the draft plan as submitted by the Planning Team did not adequately respond to the need to provide for increased density in the area. He mentioned that in a conversation with John Brown (Planning Team Chair), a discrepancy regarding residential densities in the area was uncov- ered and requested staff to investigate. He said that the commission added approximately 30 acres of land designated for medium-density residential by upgrading land designated as low-density residential and another 10 acres by converting commercial land to medium-density residential. The commission also added a policy statement establishing a minimum density for medium- and high- density residential development. He added that that recommendation would apply citywide and will be presented to the City Council in the future as a code amendment. He added that that recommendation is a response to develop- ment not achieving the plan densities, and, therefore, not achieving goals such as affordable housing, transportation efficiency, economic infrastruc- ture, and energy conservation. He said that minimum densities have been suc- cessfully established in Springfield, Portland, and certain portions of the Willakenzie area, such as the Goodpasture Island Road area. Regarding transportation, Mr. Tollenaar said that the commission disagreed with the functional classification of Satre/Van Duyn and Jeppesen Acres recom- MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials April 29, 1992 Page 3 e e e mended by the planning team. The commission also disagreed with the Planning Team's recommendation that the street between Gilham and County Farm roads be discontinuous. The commission thought that in order to serve its function as a collector, it needs to be continuous. Mr. Tollenaar drew attention to the commission's response to the Planning Team's letter of April 10, 1992. He said that the commission unanimously concurred with the staff response. He clarified that Greg Evans concurred with the staff response, but did not sign the letter. Jim Kovack, 60 West 22nd Avenue, addressed revision 38, which calls for the installation of sidewalks on the portion of North Delta Highway between Green Acres and Ayres roads. He said that the road is a main access road between Valley River Center and the downtown area. He thought that installing side- walks on the west side would interfere with that access. However, he ex- pressed concerns about safety in the area. He suggested that sidewalks and bicycle paths on the east side of Delta Highway would be sufficient. He thought that the sidewalks on the east side of Delta Highway would not inter- fere with traffic travelling 45 miles per hour. Debbie Jeffries, 3800 North Delta Highway, stated that she had submitted writ- ten testimony on her objections to the proposed sidewalk on the west side of Delta Highway between Beltline and Ayres Road. She noted that the draft plan does not include this sidewalk because a large portion of the property on the west side was outside the UGB. She said that the Planning Team believed that assessing property outside the UGB for urban facilities was inappropriate. She said that the recommendation of adding the sidewalk arose at a Eugene Planning Commission work session during which Planning Team members were not permitted to testify, although they were present. She said that staff be- lieved that the assessment could set a detrimental precedent and that amend- ment 13, on page 107, should be dropped. Ms. Jeffries said that the team members represent the residents of the area and their wishes to retain the character of the area. She said that the amendments developed by the commission and staff amended major portions of the plan. She noted that although John Brown attended the work sessions, he was not allowed to testify and felt that the land Conservation and Development Commission (lCDC) Planning Goal 1 was not met. John Brown, 1824 Happy lane, Chair of the Willakenzie Planning Team, said that the team exceeded residential densities required in the Metro Plan by 1,000 units. He requested that staff research this item further before final adop- tion of the plan. He stated that the reason the Willakenzie area is the fast- est growing in Eugene is because residents prefer low-density development patterns and lifestyles. He said that allowing too many people in the area would destroy the character and the success of it. Regarding safety issues, Mr. Brown drew attention to page 119 of the draft plan. He said that response time for the area must improve before more devel- opment is allowed. He strongly suggested opening fire station 6. MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials April 29, 1992 Page 4 e ~ Mr. Brown said that the planning team was unanimously in favor of the proposed Sacred Heart development. Regarding citizen process, Mr. Brown emphasized that the team accurately rep- resented the residents of the area. He urged the elected officials to listen to the informed residents and the people who will be affected by this plan. Stefano Viggiano, representing Lane Transit District, stated that he has sub- mitted a letter from the LTD Board that includes various recommendations for the draft plan. The recommendations are provided so that LTD will be able to continue providing and improving services to the area. Mr. Viggiano said that alternative transportation modes are linked with higher residential densities and configuration of land use. He said that LTD is supportive of the concept of compact urban growth. Regarding the Willakenzie area, LTD is supportive of encouraging infill and increasing densities partic- ularly along transportation corridors that are best served by transit. Regarding development in opportunity area B, Mr. Viggiano said that lTD recom- mends combining the two development nodes in the southern portion of the op- portunity area because it would be much easier to serve with transit. Regarding the east west connector between Gilham and County Farm roads, Mr. Viggiano stated that LTD supports the commission's recommendation to make the street continuous. He said that without the continuous connector, buses would have to run on Crescent to the south or on the proposed collector on the north edge of the UGB. In either case, buses would be gOing around rather than through the neighborhood. Mr. Viggiano said that the letter from the LTD Board suggests implementation strategies that address various Federal, State, and local mandates designed to increase use of alternative transportation modes. He said that mandates such as the Clean Air Act and the LCDC Transportation Rule must be considered in this plan. Mike Ritchy, 2255 Marie Lane, said that he has been meeting with a group of citizens from the Willakenzie area regarding revision 36--the proposed collec- tor street between Gilham and County Farm roads. The citizens believe that a continuous street would be detrimental to 1) the safety of children attending Gilham School; and 2) the quality of life in the neighborhood. He noted a petition signed by 250 people stating opposition to the proposal. He commend- ed the team and noted that it represented the residents and contained members of other organizations also. He said that the team based its recommendations on two plan goals: 1) to provide compatibility between existing and new de- velopments; and 2) to develop a transportation network that facilitates safe vehicular traffic, minimizes through-traffic on residential streets, minimizes traffic impacts on existing and future land uses, and encourages alternative modes of transportation. Mr. Ritchy said that the original proposal meets those goals. e MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials Apri 1 29, 1992 Page 5 ~ Mr. Ritchy said that the residents do not wish to bring traffic through neigh- borhoods, as LTD wishes to do. He added that the residents feel that LTD already serves the area sufficiently. Timothy Mockaitis, St. Paul Church, 1201 Satre Van Duyn, representing 800 families in the parish, said that he has submitted written testimony speaking in favor of maintaining open access between Satre Van Duyn to Harlow Road and Bailey Road. He said that the area will continue to grow and maintaining open access is convenient and safe. Kathryn Barnes, 1378 Hammock Street, a member of the Willakenzie Planning Team representing the Cal Young Neighborhood Association, concurred with John Brown's testimony and Richard Hanson's written testimony. She said that the residents were not represented in the commission's recommendations. Michael Farthing, PO Box 1147, said that he represents Nat Giustina, who owns 12.2 acres of property north and west of Country Club Road. He referred to his written testimony that outlines a request for a high-density designation on the parcel. He pointed out that there are numerous policies in the Metro Plan which strongly support the redesignation, including the parcel's proximi- ty to the downtown area, its access to freeways and employment centers, lack of adjacent land use conflicts, the existence of facilities, and its confor- mance to principles of compact urban growth. Regarding staff concerns about traffic impact, he noted the report from Jim Branch that states that there is less traffic generated by a high-rise, multi-family development than a low- ~ rise development. He noted that Brant Williams has accepted that evaluation. Regarding the concern about Gillespie Butte, Mr. Farthing said that the butte is not visible from Country Club Road mainly due to vegetation. He said that site review would be applied to the site. He added that the wetland on the north side of the property would be protected. He said that the area south of Country Club Road has lost its medium- and high-density residential designation. He said that this request could replace some of those acres. He submitted a conceptual plan of the proposed develop- ment. John Clague, 315 Ayres Road, stated that the proposed Area A may not be the most effective or cost-efficient choice. He said that other alternatives should be examined. He said that the plan considers future development more than existing development. He was opposed to designating Ayres Road a minor arterial. He pointed out that there are many impediments to obtaining the right-of-way accompanying this recommendation. He said that abutting the road are many front yards with large trees, Ayres Pond, a steep embankment, and large concrete utility poles with high voltage utility wires. He said that the land proposed for the opportunity area is flat farmland. He suggested adding an east/west arterial connecting to Delta Highway which would aid traf- fic problems on Ayres Road and could serve as a collector for future develop- ment in the area. e MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials April 29, 1992 Page 6 e e e Regarding the proposed road connecting County Farm Road and Gilham Road, he said that it would make more sense to construct a new arterial through the farmland than to require traffic to flow down Gilham Road to Ayres Road. He said that building a new road on this land will most likely be less expensive than enlarging the existing road, considering the conflicts mentioned above. Mr. Clague submitted written testimony in addition to a conceptual design of his proposals. Dan Edgar, 55 Ayres Road, stated his opposition to widening Ayres Road. He pointed out that widening the road will require removal of many large trees. He added that a large building would also be affected. He said if the road is widened, the curb on the west portion of Ayres Road should be straightened so that it will not affect nearby neighbors. He said that there are no speed limit signs on Ayres Road and stated that traffic travels too fast on it. James Ed~ar, 55 Ayres Road, said that he was opposed to widening Ayres Road. He thoug t that widening it would allow traffic to go faster. He pointed out that widening it would place an added burden on property owners. He preferred widening roads north of Ayres Road so that traffic could then access Delta Highway. He thought that the proposal to widen Ayres Road was too expensive, and pointed out that many old trees would have to be removed. Walter Pritchard, 2077 Eastwood Lane, said that he was a member of the plan- ning team. He spoke about the need to open a fire station in the area. He also said that the height limitation on Gillespie Butte should be 595 feet, as Lane County planning commissioners have suggested. He added that the plan, as presented by the planning team, represents the residents. He criticized the public involvement process, and believed that the team's recommendations were only valid if the Eugene Planning Commission agreed with them. Tom Lawry, representing Sacred Heart General Hospital (SHGH), stated that allowing the hospital to construct another campus would ensure access to health care for the people in the area. He stated that he had submitted writ- ten testimony on behalf of SHGH. Stephen Shepard, 2190 Oakmont Way, stated that he had submitted written testi- mony expressing his preference to allow Satre Van Duyn to remain open. He said that it would be very inconvenient for parents taking their children to school if the road was closed. Dale Riddle, 975 Oak Street, Suite 800, stated that he represents Aaron Jones who owns approximately six and one-half acres on the south of Gillespie Butte. He distributed a diagram of the ownership on the south of the Butte. He re- ferred to his written testimony regarding the height limitation on the Butte. He stated that the Eugene Planning Commission holds that, with the exception of one tax lot which is adjacent to Mr. Jones', the height limitation should be 585 feet. The exempted tax lot has a height limitation of 595 feet. He said that the draft plan submitted to the Planning Commission called for a MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials Apri 1 29, 1992 Page 7 e e e height limitation of 595 feet for all property. He noted that the Lane County Planning Commission approves of the 595-foot limitation. He referred to the transparency which showed a flat spot on the southwest side of Mr. Jones' property and indicated that Mr. Jones would like to locate the house in that area. He said that a 585-foot limitation would require excavation of rock. He said that Mr. Jones' house would be only approximately 590 feet. Regarding the proposal to change the word nbuildings" to "structures," he stated that the proposed park would be closed to automobile traffic. However, structures would be required to prevent automobile traffic. He added that the park would also require rest rooms which may exceed the height limitation. Al Whittington, 585 Oakway Road, noted that he owns land between Oakmont and Bedford Way and stated that he was opposed to establishing minimum densities. There were no objections to allowing Michael Farthing to complete his earlier testimony. Mr. Farthing mentioned that his written testimony includes a poli- cy suggestion that would establish a high-density cap. Jay Snell, 2778 Cheryl, stated that his son attends Gilham School and ex- pressed concern for the safety of schoolchildren if the road between Gilham and County Farm roads was continuous. D. Close Public Hearing Mayor Miller closed the public hearing. E. Response from Staff Mr. Lowe said that staff would respond during separate work sessions to spe- cific issues heard at tonight's public hearing. He said that work sessions have been scheduled for the Eugene City Council for May 27 and June 8. Work sessions have not yet been scheduled for the Lane County Board of Commission- ers or the Springfield City Council. Mr. Rust requested clear information on the road issues mentioned tonight. He suggested that traffic counts would be helpful. Ms. Bascom requested informa- tion on the proposed sidewalk on Delta Highway. Mr. Robinette and Mr. Nicholson requested clarification regarding the density issue and the discrep- ancy pointed out by Mr. Tollenaar. Ms. Ehrman pointed out the Eugene City Council will tour the Willakenzie area on May 1. Mayor Morrisette adjourned the public hearing of the Springfield City Council. Mr. Rust moved, seconded by Mr. Roberts, to continue the ordinance to another reading on June 10 at 1:30 p.m. in Harris Hall. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Rust adjourned the public hearing of the Board of Commissioners. MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials April 29, 1992 Page 8 e e ~ Mayor Miller adjourned the public hearing of the Eugene City Council. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfu~ '-- ~ .. ~ r '(~ _~_ Micheal Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Kathy Varner) jeo29.042 MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials April 29, 1992 Page 9