City slows planning changes Byline: Edward Russo The RegisterGuard October 22, 2015 With a potentially farreaching directive, the Eugene City Council on Wednesday slowed the controversial city planning effort to increase building density on multiple blocks of south Eugene. The council voted 53 to delay the Nov. 9 public hearing on the South Willamette Special Area Zone until Jan. 19, 2016. North Eugene Councilor Mike Clark proposed the delay, but his motion also contained potentially major directives that, if approved later by the council after the public hearing, would apply citywide, not just the south Willamette Street area. The city manager will turn those major citywide property development restrictions into a formal ordinance and bring them back to the council for a vote. Residents voice concerns Clark's motion was a response to the proposed landuse rules for the south Willamette Street area, near 29th Avenue, which are supposed to make the area more urban and help meet the city's growth goals by accommodating more residents. Yet the proposals, from city planners and the city's planning commission, have caused an uproar among many south Eugene residents who worry that tootall buildings near their homes would depress property values, cause traffic congestion, ruin their views, reduce their sunlight and cause other problems. For the past couple of months, residents have spoken to or written the council voicing concerns about the planning changes. Delay lets city "engage" Cla rk said the threemonth delay would let the city "engage" residents and property owners so changes could be made in time for the January public hearing. Besides the delay, Clark's motion contains directives to prevent the city changing building rules or zoning on any property citywide currently zoned for lowdensity, singlefamilyhome use (R1), unless none of the adjacent properties have a singlefamily home or duplex and the owner of the R1 zoned property agrees to the rezoning. The directives are needed to protect neighborhoods of mainly singlefamily homes in south Eugene and elsewhere from apartment projects that can harm livability, Clark said. "This council must protect the livability of people's homes," he said. The motion's instructions would apply to "all future planning and proposals" for the city's EnvisionEugeneinspired growth plan, which calls for increased building density along major streets.
Councilors George Poling, Betty Taylor, Greg Evans and George Brown joined Clark in voting for his motion. Councilors uncomfortable The South Willamette Special Area Zone would allow the development of row houses, condos, cluster cottages and other types of attached housing, plus increase maximum building heights in some areas including to seven stories in the neighborhood east of Cascade Manor while lowering top building heights along Willamette Street, which today can be as tall as 120 feet, or 10 or 12 stories. A dozen or so south Eugene residents attended the council meeting, including Bob Larson who lives near Cascade Manor. "We finally got somebody to listen to us," he said. Larson, who helped start a group called South Willamette Neighbors to oppose the building changes, said he has a "new appreciation for our city government." But three other councilors, Alan Zelenka, Chris Pryor and Claire Syrett, along with Mayor Kitty Piercy, said they were uncomfortable with Clark's motion because they did not have time to discuss it and understand the ramifications. Pryor said he could favor "taking a step back" from the South Willamette Special Area Zone with the delay, but he couldn't endorse Clark's other proposals. "I don't want to vote on something that is going to affect the entire city of Eugene without having a little more time to think about it," he said. Clark's motion also states that development standards for nonR1 zoned property with two or more stories should not encroach on the "visual privacy" of R1 parcels. Also, residential properties should not be subject to adjacent buildings that "block solar access or reasonable sight lines," and from "negative impacts arising from vehicle use and loading," according to the motion. "Lack of responsibility" City Manager Jon Ruiz and City Attorney Glenn Klein told the council that it will be difficult to revise the 80page South Willamette Special Area Zone ordinance to incorporate Clark's wording in time for the Jan. 19 public hearing. At the start of Wednesday's meeting, Ruiz told councilors that city planners are aware of residents' concerns. He said some of the worries could be traced to misunderstanding of what the South Willamette Special Area Zone would allow. He suggested that the council delay the public hearing until sometime next year to allow planners to "reach out" to opponents and see if there is a way to address their concerns and "still accomplish the Envision Eugene related goals that have been the basis for the development of the South Willamette Special Area Zone."
After Wednesday's meeting, an unhappy Piercy said the approved motion represents a "lack of responsibility" related to public process, particularly because the directives would apply to other areas. "I'm all for protections for neighborhoods," she said. "But I just want to do that in a thoughtful process, so we understand the implications of the decision we are making." CLARK'S MOTION The Eugene City Council on Wednesday voted 53 on the following motion by Councilor Mike Clark. I move to direct the city manager to: 1) Reschedule the public hearing on the South Willamette Special Area Zone to January 19, 2016. 2) Engage the affected neighbors and property owners and bring back revised zoning and plan amendments for public hearing on January 19th that will accomplish the following: a) Does not change the plan designation or rezone any property currently zoned R1 or immediately adjacent to a property zoned R1, unless none of the adjacent properties have an existing singlefamily home or duplex and the owner agrees to the rezoning. b) Ensures that use and development standards for all properties that are not zoned R1 will protect R1 property residents' livability, including: i) Protecting residents' visual privacy in their homes and backyards, especially from significant intrusion from occupants of structures that are two or more stories; and ii) "protecting residents from significant negative impacts from structures that block solar access or reasonable sight lines; and iii) protecting residents from significant negative impacts arising from vehicle use and loading. 3) Follow the direction above with respect to all future planning and proposals for the new comprehensive plan, code and plan amendments on (previously identified by staff) transit corridors that may impact R1 properties
