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Home My WebLink AboutItem B: Joint Elected Officials Metro Plan Amendments ECC UGENE ITY OUNCIL AIS GENDA TEM UMMARY Work Session: Joint Elected Officials Metro Plan Amendments Meeting Date: September 9, 2009 Agenda Item Number: B Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Lisa Gardner www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541/682-5208 ISSUE STATEMENT The purpose of this work session is to follow up on the June 1, 2009, Joint Elected Officials (JEO) meeting regarding the development of a work plan to initiate specific, regional-based changes to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area Plan (Metro Plan). This work session is an opportunity for the council to identify additional amendments for the Metro Plan. Springfield held a similar work session, and did not identify additional amendments. The County also chose not to add additional amendments. BACKGROUND In 2005, the Lane County Board of Commissioners identified 11 issues of concern regarding regional governance and how that governance was affected by policies in the Metro Plan. In response to these concerns, the elected officials agreed to establish a “Little Look” Metro Plan work group, patterned after the state’s “Big Look” working group. The Little Look concluded with a report that acknowledged the mutual respect and understanding established at the work group level, recommending additional dialogue with the full bodies of each jurisdiction to achieve resolution on key issues. Towards the end of 2007, the JEO agreed to meet quarterly to discuss Metro Plan concerns. These quarterly meetings included a reexamination of the results of the Little Look as well as the original 11 issues identified by the board. In March 2009, the JEO approved formation of a subcommittee to evaluate the Board’s concerns. After meeting three times, the subcommittee agreed that preserving the Metro Plan by amending specific problematic provisions was preferable to a substantial update or dissolution of the plan in favor of two separate comprehensive plans. The subcommittee’s recommendation identified four specific elements of the Metro Plan that should be revised (see Attachment A). On June 1, 2009, the JEO voted to support the subcommittee’s recommendation. The JEO directed staff from all three jurisdictions to develop a work plan that includes a timeline, cost estimate and implications for specific changes to the Metro Plan. The work plan would be based on recommendations from each jurisdiction that include, but are not limited to, the following: a)Overarching policies that identify and address regional issues. b)Policies that allow for individual refinement plans for Eugene and Springfield to address jurisdiction specific issues. c)Adjustments to the Metro Plan boundary and text to address jurisdictional issues arising in the urbanizable area and the area outside the urban growth boundary. d)A dispute resolution process that reflects the changes described in a-c above. Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090909\S090909B.doc This work session provides the council with an opportunity to identify additional amendments within the Metro Plan that are not included in the recommendation. The table in Attachment B identifies the issues related to each chapter of the Metro Plan, the influences anticipated to affect them, and the estimated costs to resolve these matters. City of Eugene Planning Staff is working with their regional counter- parts to develop the work plan for regional-based Metro Plan amendments. Attachment C describes a proposed schedule for work plan development. To prepare the City Council for this discussion, City staff has provided an overview of the history and purpose of the Metro Plan and information on future anticipated Metro Plan amendments. Role of the Metro Plan The Metro Plan serves as a long-range comprehensive plan that establishes the policies upon which Eugene, Springfield and Lane County make coordinated land use decisions. The Metro Plan was jointly adopted by the three elected bodies in 1982 and has undergone numerous updates, most recently in 2004. The Metro Plan sets forth general planning policies for coordinated action on growth, development and conservation of resources within the metropolitan area. By jointly adopting the Metro Plan, the three metropolitan area partners recognize the interrelatedness of each others’ growth and transportation decisions. A link to the Metro Plan can be found on the Planning Division’s web page at the following location: http://www.eugeneplanning.org Anticipated Metro Plan Amendments There are a number of recent developments that will necessitate additional Metro Plan amendments (see Attachment D): ? House Bill 3337 requires Eugene and Springfield to inventory their residential land supply and to split the existing joint urban growth boundary into two separate boundaries for Eugene and Springfield. The Metro Plan will need to be amended to reflect this separation of the urban growth boundary. ? The Eugene Comprehensive Land Assessment (ECLA) is currently underway and is scheduled for completion at the end of 2009. If the land assessment shows that there is a deficiency in land supply for the next 20 years of anticipated growth, decisions will need to be made about how to accommodate that growth. Options may include expanding the urban growth boundary, adopting new land use efficiency measures, or a combination of both. Any such changes would require Metro Plan changes or a Eugene-specific refinement plan to the Metro Plan. ? Transplan, Eugene’s local transportation plan, is scheduled to be updated by 2012. A work plan to meet this deadline has been approved by the Land Conservation and Development Commission and calls for an update to Eugene’s Comprehensive Plan to precede the transportation plan update. This will ensure consistency between these inter-related policy documents. ? Recent council actions suggest a local priority to incorporate additional issues into Eugene’s future planning efforts such as economic development, sustainability, climate change, food security, and refined infill standards. Inclusion of any of these issues may necessitate Metro Plan changes or a Eugene-specific refinement plan to the Metro Plan. RELATED CITY POLICIES “A special review, and if appropriate, Metro Plan amendment, shall be initiated if changes in the basic assumptions of the Metro Plan occur…..” (Policy 1, Chapter IV of the Metro Plan). Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090909\S090909B.doc COUNCIL OPTIONS 1. Direct staff to proceed with development of a Metro Plan work plan to address regional issues as identified in Attachment A. 2.Direct staff to proceed with development of a Metro Plan work plan to address regional issues as identified in Attachment A and other issues as specified by the council. 3.Direct staff to provide additional information. CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION The City Manager recommends Option 1, directing staff to proceed with development of a Metro Plan work plan to address regional issues as identified in Attachment A. SUGGESTED MOTION Move to direct staff to proceed with development of a Metro Plan work plan to address regional issues as identified in Attachment A. ATTACHMENTS A.JEO Subcommittee Recommendations, June 1, 2009 B.Potential Metro Plan Revisions by Chapter, May 2009 C.Tentative Metro Plan Regional Work Plan Schedule, July 2009 D.Eugene-Specific Metro Plan Amendment and Refinement Schedule FOR MORE INFORMATION Staff Contact: Lisa Gardner Telephone: 541/682-5208 Staff E-Mail: lisa.a.gardner@ci.eugene.or.us Z:\CMO\2009 Council Agendas\M090909\S090909B.doc