HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Infill Compatibility Update
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Work Session: Infill Compatibility Standards
Meeting Date: December 10, 2008 Agenda Item Number: B
Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Terri Harding
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541/682-5635
ISSUE STATEMENT
This work session is an opportunity for the council to review early task team findings and discuss
current status and proposed next steps for the Infill Compatibility Standards (ICS) project.
BACKGROUND
The ICS project was initiated by City Council action and added to the Planning Division work program
in July 2006. Staff was hired for the project in October 2006, and March 2007. A Planning
Commission subcommittee was established in November 2006, and met regularly beginning in January
2007, to lend guidance to the project. Following a period of public outreach, including tours with
neighborhood volunteers, and interviews with “sounding boards” of community members, a major
public kickoff event for the ICS project and its companion project, Opportunity Siting (OS), was held in
October 2007. Following this meeting, a task team comprised of 16 neighborhood association
representatives and six others, representing the residential design, development, building, and affordable
housing policy fields, was established. Members were approved by the Planning Commission in
November 2007.
Project Purpose and Goals
On July 17, 2006, the City Council approved with modifications the Planning Commission’s strategy for
addressing infill standards and opportunity sitingThe Planning Commission’s strategy included a draft
work program with the following stated general steps for creating a work plan for ICS:
A.Develop a “toolkit” that lists possible actions and the applicability of these to different circumstances.
B.After public outreach, prioritize neighborhoods and preferred approaches. Develop a detailed work
program that will result in the application of the most appropriate tool to local problems.
The ICS Task Team began meeting in November 2007. In January 2008, a Charter and Organizational
Rules and Structurewere adopted. In February 2008, the task team adopted the following goals statement:
Create and adopt land use code standards and processes that:
(a) Prevent residential infill that would significantly threaten or diminish the stability, quality,
positive character, livability or natural resources of residential neighborhoods; and
(b) Encourage residential infill that would enhance the stability, quality, positive character,
livability or natural resources of residential neighborhoods; and
(c) So long as the goal stated in (a) is met, allow for increased density, a variety of housing types,
affordable housing, and mixed-use development; and
(d) Improve the appearance of buildings and landscapes.
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Project Update
Task teammembers researched and wrote their own interim report documenting the process thus far (see
Attachment C for Table of Contents). The report as a whole is not attached due to its size and to save on
printing costs; however, a copy is available for viewing in the Council Office. In addition, the report is
available for viewing and downloading at www.eugene-or.gov/infill. The main contents of the interim
report are a series of “issue papers” outlining the recommended topics to be presented to the public for
input in the next phase of work (winter 2009).
It is important to note several factors related to the interim report:
·The report is a compilation of three draft committee reports, and does not imply task team
agreement on the content of each committee report.
·The current list of issues is preliminary and incomplete.
·Each issue is currently developed to a different level of detail.
·Due to the varying levels of development of the issues, it is not known whether solutions can be
implemented for all of the issues listed within the timeline currently proposed. During the next
steps, staff and the task team will develop a clearer understanding of the breadth of work needed
to move toward prioritization and implementation.
Next Steps
To continue moving the ICS project forward, the project team and Task Team are planning the
following next steps for January-July of 2009:
Broad Public Outreach (January- February 2009)
Although the task team includes broad geographic representation of neighborhood residents as well as
six people from various professions relating to residential development, the next step is to engage a
broader audience from the general public. A next step is proposed to plan and conduct a broad public
input process to introduce the topic of infill standards and gain input on the preliminary list of issues.
Planned activities include:
·Four neighborhood workshops held in different parts of the city
·Small group meetings with stakeholder groups
·Website newsletters and public input forms
Issue Refinement and Prioritization (February- March 2009)
Utilizing the input gathered from the public, the list of issues will be refined and prioritized. Issue
refinement and prioritization will be critical to moving forward with a manageable list of solution
proposals. Similar to the Minor Code Amendments Process (MiCAP), the selection of priorities will
allow the most pressing issues to move forward to implementation in a timely manner.
Alternative Solution Development (April- May 2009)
Once the list of top priority issues is finalized, staff will work under task team guidance to develop
alternative methods of addressing the issues. This step utilizes conceptual solutions, and outlines their
relative advantages and disadvantages.
Solution Selection (June 2009)
The task team will compare the alternative solutions and recommend a solution for each of the top
priority issues. The task team recommendations will be considered at work sessions where solutions
will be selected to move forward to code writing.
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Code Writing and Adoption Process (July 2009)
Task team members will guide staff development of adoption-ready code language for each of the
selected solutions. The code amendments will proceed through the Type V land use application process,
including public notice as required by state law and Eugene Code 9.7500, findings of compliance with
applicable statewide planning goals, Metro Plan policies and refinement plan policies, planning
commission work sessions, public hearings and deliberations, and City Council work sessions, public
hearings and deliberations.
Staff will continue to keep the council informed of project progress through website updates and council
newsletter articles.
RELATED CITY POLICIES
·The City Council has included infill standards as a priority item on the Planning Division Work
Program.
·The Growth Management Policies, in particular 1, 2, 6, and 9, speak to issues of infill and
compatibility.
COUNCIL OPTIONS
No formal action is required at this time. The ICS Task Team will be asking the Planning Commission
and City Council for input on issue refinement and prioritization in early 2009.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
No action is required; therefore, no recommendations are offered by the City Manager at this time.
SUGGESTED MOTION
No action is required; therefore, no motions are offered by the City Manager at this time.
ATTACHMENTS
A.Infill Compatibility Standards Project Timeline
B.Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team Membership
C.ICS Task Team Interim Report Table of Contents
Note: The ICS Task Team Interim Report is not attached in its entirety due to its size and to save on
printing costs. A copy is available for viewing in the Council Office. In addition, the report is available
for viewing and downloading at www.eugene-or.gov/infill, in the left hand column, under the section
titled related documents, “ICS Task Team 11-2008 Interim Report.”
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Terri Harding
Telephone: 541/682-5635
Staff E-Mail: terri.l.harding@ci.eugene.or.us
Project Website:
www.eugene-or.gov/infill
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