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HomeMy WebLinkAbout220411 WSMINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 April 11, 2022 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Randy Groves Mayor Vinis opened the April 11, 2022, work session of the Eugene City Council in a hybrid in- person and virtual format. 1. WORK SESSION: Middle Housing Code Update City Manager Sarah Medary gave background and introduced the topic. Principal Planner Terri Harding, Senior Planner Jeff Gepper and Associate Planner Sophie McGinley gave a presentation on the topic. Council Discussion: ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Councilor Evans -asked if staff has a looked at any of the proposals on middle housing from the Neighborhood Leader's Council; shared that he received a letter from a constituent requesting Council to take more time to look into middle housing proposals. Councilor Semple -asked about the differences between the staff and Planning Commission recommendations; asked how outreach is done for the people who feel excluded and not informed; stated she would like to take more time to make sure more people are informed; expressed concern about the building height increase; asked how solar setback standards are affected and where residents will park if there is no parking provided. Councilor Clark -said he does not agree with not requiring on-site parking and stated that this will cause disruption in neighborhoods and be a reason for neighborhood conflict; asked if more areas of Eugene will become like Ward 3 where residents will need a parking permit to park in front of their house; asked what people can expect in denser neighborhoods; asked what the likelihood is that problems will be created by not requiring on-site parking; stated most renters will have a car that needs to be parked somewhere and questioned whether this is an intelligent plan or a plan that will generate conflict. Councilor Groves -asked for clarification about the height increase and the area allowed for the roof pitch; asked about the impacts of reducing the pitch height; commented that he feels that the no on-site parking requirement will bring problems deeper into neighborhoods and feels there should not be a waiver for this; stated he would like to hear from as many people as possible at the public hearing for the middle housing code proposals. Councilor Keating -asked how the existing tree canopy preservation will be adopted with new construction; asked if the Planning Commission discussed incentives for tree MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session April 11, 2022 Page 1 canopy preservation; shared his concerns about the "as the crow flies" proximity of frequent transit service; shared the proposed quarter mile approach does not account for hills and the lack of sidewalks, and the difficulty of walking a quarter mile to a transit stop in the south hills; shared it is concerning there are incentives that would prevent residents from plugging in an electric vehicle at their residence; stated he would like to see edits to the parking recommendations near transit lines. ■ Councilor Zelenka -stated that this is not a City proposal and that House Bill 2001 came from the state legislature in 2019; shared the City has to allow duplexes, triplexes and quads in single-family neighborhoods and can not adopt anything less than the minimum standards and, if Council does nothing, the model code would come into effect July 1; stated changes should be made to parking, lot sizes and building height and Council should not enact a "cookie cutter" approach; said that parking issues impact the livability of a neighborhood. ■ Councilor Yeh -stated she is impressed by the community outreach that was done; noted the parking requirement is optional and gives a choice to builders to construct less expensive developments. ■ Councilor Syrett -echoed positive remarks about the inclusive community outreach and engagement process; asked about the incentive for developers in terms of parking requirements; commented she feels there is still some space to discuss the parking proposal; said that staff did excellent job on public outreach and Council should move forward with the public hearing and make a decision. ■ Mayor Vinis -stated the outreach is valuable and has increased public engagement; shared the need to recognize the parking issue will be an incremental change; reminded Council more development along the transit corridors is one of the ways to meet the City's climate goals; stated that Council is building a community for the future. ■ Councilor Semple -commented the minimum requirements model and the Planning Commission's recommendations are both options; asked if the steep roof is to allow for people to live in the attic area; stated that parking is an issue in neighborhoods and gave some examples about street parking; asked where electric cars will be able to charge; asked if the lot parameters are different when there is no parking. ■ Councilor Zelenka -shared an alternative idea for the parking requirement and said the intent was to encourage people to walk to a nearby a transit station; shared some examples where accessing the transit stations in neighborhoods is difficult; commented that Council needs to either remove or modify the parking incentive or identify lots within walking distance to a transit stop; supported requiring property owner to show the transit stops in proximity on the construction plans. ■ Councilor Clark -commented he does not think most of the community wants to live in a place where there are unrealistic expectations about how many people will walk, bike, and take transit; stated opportunities to charge electric vehicles should be provided; said people will use their own personal mode of transportation and at some point, they will not be powered by gas; stated on-site parking provides electric vehicle charging; said congested streets will impact emergency vehicle access and livability in neighborhoods; said he is hesitant for Council to take action to incentivize something that will cause parking problems and he would like to amend the proposed change. ■ Councilor Syrett -stated people will know that parking is not available, and it will not be a surprise to them; stated she has received several hundred postcards from community members encouraging Council to adopt the middle housing code. MINUTES -Eugene City Council April 11, 2022 Page 2 Work Session ■ Councilor Zelenka -stated that incentives for transportation are to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and congestion with cars; asked if solar access applies regardless of HB 2001; stated the solar access ordinance needs to be strengthened; asked if affordable housing and tree preservation ordinances are not in this proposal because they are in other ordinances and will still apply; said he would like to learn more about the existing building height code compared to the proposed code. The meeting was adjourned at 7:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brooke Freed AIC City Recorder (Recorded by Niyah Ross) Link to the web cast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session April 11, 2022 Page 3