Planning Commission

AGENDA Meeting Location: Sloat Room—Atrium Building Phone: 541‐682‐5481 99 W. 10th Avenue www.eugene‐or.gov/pc Eugene, OR 97401 The Eugene Planning Commission welcomes your interest in these agenda items. Feel free to come and go as you please at any of the meetings. This meeting location is wheelchair‐accessible. For the hearing impaired, FM assistive‐listening devices are available or an interpreter can be provided with 48 hours notice prior to the meeting. Spanish‐language interpretation will also be provided with 48 hours notice. To arrange for these services, contact the Planning Division at 541‐682‐5675. MONDAY, APRIL 15, 2013 – REGULAR MEETING (11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.) 11:30 a.m. I. PUBLIC COMMENT The Planning Commission reserves 10 minutes at the beginning of this meeting for public comment. The public may comment on any matter, except for items scheduled for public hearing or public hearing items for which the record has already closed. Generally, the time limit for public comment is three minutes; however, the Planning Commission reserves the option to reduce the time allowed each speaker based on the number of people requesting to speak. 11:40 a.m. II. SOUTH WILLAMETTE AREA CONCEPT PLAN Staff: Patricia Thomas, 541‐682‐5561 1:15 p.m. III. ITEMS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF A. Other Items from Staff B. Other Items from Commission C. Learning: How are we doing? Commissioners: Steven Baker; Jonathan Belcher; Rick Duncan; Randy Hledik, Chair; John Jaworski; Jeffery Mills; William Randall, Vice Chair  AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY April 15, 2013 To: Eugene Planning Commission From: Patricia Thomas, City of Eugene Planning Division Subject: Envision Eugene Implementation: South Willamette Concept Plan ISSUE STATEMENT This work session is an opportunity for the Planning Commission to discuss and comment on the March 2013 final draft of the South Willamette Concept Plan. The Planning Commission will be asked to provide a recommendation to City Council to direct staff to move forward with implementation of the final draft South Willamette Concept Plan. BACKGROUND Two primary goals of the Envision Eugene project are to: 1) determine how Eugene will accommodate the next 20 years of growth in our community, as required by state law, and 2) create a future that is livable, sustainable, beautiful and prosperous. The City Manager’s March 2012 Envision Eugene recommendation includes several strategies and actions to implement the Envision Eugene vision. A primary strategy to accommodate more places to live in a variety of housing types and commercial jobs inside the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) is to use Area Planning to create strong concepts for compact urban development along primary corridors and in core commercial centers. The South Willamette Concept Plan pilots the area planning strategy in the existing mixed use district near Willamette Street, roughly from 23rd to 32nd Avenues and from Amazon Park to the base of College Hill. Since 2010 the area planning process has been underway in the South Willamette district and has benefited from robust public involvement, with participation and interest from over 600 people actively receiving updates or attending public workshops and focus groups. The plan has been built incrementally over time. Several iterations of the concept plan have been developed and refined in public workshops, presented online and evaluated through the use of questionnaires. Modifications and more detailed analysis of the plan, design features and implementation tools have been part of the public conversation. The final draft Concept Plan combines the results of this work into a clear, long-term vision for the area as well as a set of actions for implementing the vision over time. While the Concept Plan itself will not be formally adopted, this document forms the basis for a special area plan and related code changes to be developed and adopted at a future date. The Concept Plan can PC Agenda - Page 1 be reviewed at the link provided in Attachment A. The project history, public process, presentations and workshop reports can be found at www.eugene-or.gov/SWillamette. RESPONSE TO FINAL DRAFT CONCEPT PLAN On March 18, the Planning Commission discussed the final draft Concept Plan and provided comments on the major features of the plan. The Plan was also recently viewed by the public online and at an Open House with Planning Commissioners on April 4, 2013. Comments and suggested modifications to the plan, heard through email and at the open house, are provided in Attachment B. Recommended changes to the March 29 final draft plan are provided in Attachment C. ACTION The Planning Commission is requested to provide a recommendation to the City Council to direct staff to move forward with implementation of the final draft South Willamette Concept Plan, dated March 29th with the recommended changes as outlined in Attachment C. The Planning Commission may also recommend additional modifications to the plan. NEXT STEPS With the Planning Commission’s recommendation, staff will seek direction from the City Council to proceed with implementation. Implementation tools such as a special area plan, code changes, and potential incentives will be brought before Planning Commission and Council at a later date for formal adoption. ATTACHMENTS A. Link to Final Draft South Willamette Concept Plan, March 29, 2013 B. Comments from April 4, 2013 South Willamette Concept Plan Open House C. Draft changes to the March 29, 2013 final draft South Willamette Concept Plan FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Patricia Thomas at 541-682-5561 or at patricia.thomas@ci.eugene.or.us PC Agenda - Page 2  Attachment B Summary of Individual Comments South Willamette Concept Plan Includes Comments from: South Willamette Concept Plan Open House, April 4, 2013, and Written Comments through April 9, 2013 Design  All the drawings are lovely, would like to see the ugliest possible building (or worst case scenario) that could happen under the recommended design guidelines.  Feels five story height is too tall. Prefers three stories and wider sidewalk for bicycles. Greater setbacks would allow for more light. Regulate the appearance so buildings aren’t “cheap and ugly.” Transitions  23rd‐24th Willamette Street area‐ College Hill neighborhood needs stronger transition measures; 5 story height on Willamette is too compressed; should be lowered to three. Row house character facing neighborhood would help (similar to other areas); consider views from existing homes.  To preserve views of existing homes on College Hill, consider lowering heights on west side of Portland to 2 stories, on the east side of Portland to 3 stories, on the west side of Willamette to 4 stories. Keep east side of Willamette as is.  Concern: Preserve solar access for residents north of 29th.  Concerned about lack of solar access for single‐family lots on the north side of 3‐story buildings.  Suggestion to reduce height along west side of Willamette to 4 stories due to grade change between east and west. Best places for Density  Need to put more density in Southeast neighborhood (+ other “interior” neighborhood areas). All density on busy streets is not attractive to future residents.  Keeping small pockets of low density East of Willamette Street is short‐sighted. Support for new Oak Street and Portland Street apartments and row house areas.  May be better to add larger buildings (seven stories) versus lots of 3‐5 story buildings. There may be less apparent impact with fewer taller buildings.  It’s a mistake to not have row housing in the single family neighborhoods. It fits well there.  Neighbor at 25th and Oak worried about 5 stories blocking sunset  Additional neighbor felt 5 stories too high, 3 story max  Several (5+) individuals commented that the plan needs more density, taller buildings, facing the parkway. Specific comments included: o Support two or three taller towers facing park. o Would like to see tower‐like density along Amazon Park. o Move seven story buildings near bus stops at Amazon (access to transit, parks, views) o Parkway to Oak should all be medium density – it is located near transit‐open space and transportation. Perfect location. PC Agenda - Page 3  o Not enough density near transit stops Uses/Specific Sites  Property owner proposes changing western side (facing Willamette St.) of triangle at Donald and Willamette Streets to mixed use to match proposal for eastern side. Currently there is a conditional use permit for office use on the site. “doesn’t make sense to downzone.”  Property owner on Portland Street immediately south of Goodwill (on 29th Avenue) interested in future potential and also inquired if there were any future limitations on site. Would not want to be required to build to seven story height, though does not object to seen story designation.  A few commented they would like to see Civic Stadium site included in the boundary of the plan.  Regarding the lot on the northwest corner of Oak St and 25th Ave, consider increasing height to 5 stories. The property owner owns an adjacent lot which is slated for 5 stories and she would like to do something oriented to 25th avenue. Would like if business allowed on bottom floor.  Concerned that 7 story buildings in the vicinity of Cascade Manor will interfere with views of Spencer Butte.  4j School Board member reviewed note on Willard School site with 4j leadership team, which supported comment on maps stating that, “change occurs only if site is no longer used as a school.”  Adjacent neighbor to Willard School site voiced strong concern over preserving the camas field on the hill adjacent to Lincoln Street.  Consider leaving Woodfield Station “pure C‐2” (not mixed use). Implementation Process  Commercial property owner wants to see (and be able to comment on) full package of implementation tools, such as incentives, design review, form based code worked out prior to adoption of zone changes for the district.  Add to implementation process a future step to apply design protections and incentives to the Civic Stadium site. Landscaping  Planting strips on street typologies need to be wide enough for trees to survive. Transportation/Access  Access to development on 23rd East of Willamette is problematic. There is only one entrance (on Willamette at 23rd and is blocked from 23rd to Amazon Parkway).  Overflow traffic o Preserving College Hill neighborhood: Traffic spillover needs mitigation (near 24th) Consider potential neighborhood traffic/cut through impacts, especially in the 23rd/29th and Olive Street areas.  Shared parking needed in the area  An individual’s suggestions for streets: o A lot of fabulous sidewalk designs in CA. Must be realistic about how many people really walk and bike in the wet drizzly weather PC Agenda - Page 4  o When 29th west of Parkway went down to 3 lanes noted big increase in congestion o Street trees should be on building side of sidewalk, not street side. This way leaves won’t clog drains and clearer path for ADA o Given right‐of‐way width, reasonable sidewalk width should occur to balance all transportation. Not really wide sidewalks.  If we slim down Willamette it will force people to other places due to congestion, such as Springfield  Delivery trucks need to be considered as they currently block traffic on Oak Street.  Roundabouts o Consider building location constraints of feasibility of using roundabouts. o Consider the use of roundabouts – they are not compatible with the best pedestrian environment o Roundabout could work well at 32nd, but not elsewhere  Bikes o Like to see bikes on Portland/Oak for north‐south connection and not on Willamette St. o Make bike ramp at the south end of Portland Street to make a better connection to Woodfield station. o Bicycle route should be planned on side streets not use Willamette (2 people)  Transit o Em‐X is better on Willamette St. ( needs to be served from both sides) o Would like to see the LTD Jefferson loop through the neighborhoods to the West of this area to provide bus service to South Willamette district. This would bring a lot of shoppers. o Not enough density near transit stops PC Agenda - Page 5 Email on 4.6.2013 from Open House visitor: Hello. We spoke briefly at the open house on Thursday, and you asked that I send you some of our comments via e‐mail. My husband and I moved to Eugene a little over a month ago from Washington, D.C., and are living at 23rd and Willamette. I work about 4 blocks south on Willamette and walk to work. When we decided that we wanted to leave DC, we didn’t consider anyplace that would have required us to be a two‐car household… the ability to walk or bike to commute and run day‐to‐day errands is very important to us. One of the main things that put Eugene on the short list of cities for us was the impression that there was a real commitment to recognizing and accommodating non‐car transit. Attending the Open House earlier this week really reinforced for us that we made the right choice in moving to Eugene. It definitely looks like there is a commitment to building more dense mixed‐use walkable neighborhoods, and putting thought into what makes a street pleasant to walk down (while my daily commute down Willamette by foot isn’t bad, it is also pretty clear that the route as it currently is was designed more for cars than people.) We are very excited by the plans as presented and hope they are adopted as the road map for the future of Willamette. Thank you very much! From Nancy Ellen Locke: Dear City of Eugene Planning Commission, Thoughts on the March 18th, 2013 Meeting I was very impressed that the Planning Commission had done their homework and was asking meaningful questions of the planners presenting the South Willamette Street Concept Plan. Thank you for the hard work that you do while sitting on the board. Commissioner Jaworski delivered the best speech of the meeting in 2 lines: "I thought that was the whole philosophy in Envision Eugene. We're not only going to address these goals of so many units and jobs, but we're going to do it in a quality way." While reference was made to Walnut Station’s (WS) Special Area Zone as the "standard bearer" for “this type of planning” – referencing the South Willamette Street Concept Plan. The WS plan has relaxed many standards and that is not what we are seeking from the South Willamette Street Concept Plan. If you take a look at the WS "discretionary" development approval process; it's very loose. And on top of that ‐ approval requires only a planning director’s decision and not any meaningful control by a community process ‐ not even a Planning Commission decision. As I understand the South Willamette Street Concept plan ‐ there would be more oversight than in the planning process in place at Walnut PC Agenda - Page 6 Station. I don’t think that we need relaxed development standards if we are going to build the South Willamette Street Concept Plan that leads Envision Eugene into the future we all hope to see. We need realistic ways to address our highest priority aspirations and concerns. And YES, we do want to get something better than what would “just happen within the market”. The South Willamette Street Concept Plan is very everyday, simple and rather plain. We started with the idea of 3 towers and have whittled it down to none. I would love to see a tower that respected the views and sunlight requirements of its neighbors and over looked Amazon Park (think Central Park, NYC) and the South Sister in the distance. We have to keep in mind that we are addressing Willamette Street now; and there are very real plans to build an EmX Line down Amazon Parkway along the east side of the Willamette Street Concept Plan in the future. While we have seen many "pretty" images in the draft report that showed nice things that could be built under the concepts; we have never seen any “worst case scenarios”. What would the maximal build out, with the highest density/intensity and the plainest/ugliest allowable form look like? We have talked needing change and about the GOOD. The BAD & UGLY we haven’t discussed or seen. It was pointed out that "single‐family options”, were much more likely to occur as new development than as redevelopment because of the need to assemble multiple properties. Well there are folks who have been assembling multiple properties for years in the South Willamette Street Concept Plan area. The names that jump to mind are Jennifer Wilson and John Lawless. Take a quick look at the names on the tax lots in the South Willamette Street Concept Plan area and you will see that others have also have bought up multiple lots. Here I would like to point out that I have seen the Tipping Point in action and redevelopment within the South Willamette Street Concept Plan area at work. Some small older homes were removed along Portland Avenue and two duplexes were built in their place. On a South Willamette Street space was cleared and some student housing style apartments were built. The cute little cottage development west of Amazon Parkway that seemed to be getting a lot of attention could accommodate denser thoughtful re‐development. Look at the newish development on the northeast corner of Tyler Street and West 28th Avenue and you will see a plan that works well in an established single family homes neighborhood. I also agree that we need to be planning for the next 20 years vs. the next 40‐50 years. We know now that in 20 years, many things will have changed drastically. One example is the population will have lost many of the Baby Boomers and many of the remaining will be about to step on the proverbial banana peel. We also have a very low national birth rate now. These could be an indication that there will be smaller populations in the future. Will our future generations be living in a Eugene that is woefully over built? We will have cars and trucks that drive themselves, more computer jobs, Global Warming, and who knows what else. There are too many factors that we can only guess at today; so limiting our planning to 20 years, really does seem to be good enough. These are concerns that are related to the South Willamette Street Concept Plan, but also address the neighborhood in general west of the Concept Plans’ general area: Concern #1 Refinement plans needed now… PC Agenda - Page 7 Neighborhoods are in serious need of refinement plan policies and code improvements to halt the incompatible development that current code allows. Concern #2 Keep the character of FAN… While some parts of the South Willamette Street Project area are a bit warn down at the heel, protecting the character of the FAN is still very important. Keep the Big Box Stores at Woodfield Station only!! Concern #3 “Honey, Where are the car keys?? The South Willamette Street Concept Plan is a 20 minute neighborhood along Willamette Street. That area could enlarge itself by over 3,000 households and become huge, if LTD put in a bus that looped through the FAN Neighborhood. The bus could head south on South Willamette Street, turning west on West 29th/ West 28th Avenues, turning south on Chambers Street, and east on West 24th Avenue until it reached Jefferson Street. The route would then swing north on Jefferson Street where it would next turn east on West 18th Avenue and left again returning to South Willamette Street and beginning the route again. The western half of the entire neighborhood could become a part of the 20 Minute Neighborhood Plan and relieve the needs for many motor vehicles to drive to and from their “local shopping center”. This is a part of the Envision Eugene Sustainability Plan – fewer cars on the road. At this time it takes riding 4 buses, #1 going downtown, #2 coming back to Willamette Street, #3 going back downtown and then #4 coming back to the neighborhood. shop in the “local shopping district”. Concern #4 Just what does “On the Corridor” mean? I think that we need a good working definition of just what “on the corridors” means. LTD considers a ¼ mile walk to the bus stop “on the bus route”. I have been told by Reed Dunbar that the Traffic Department is putting a crosswalk on West 18th Avenue between Polk Street and Friendly Street at Van Buren Street because of the length of the “supper blocks” in that area. That is another example of the ¼ mile distance for pedestrians. My example is ‐ I consider myself to be living on the Amtrak Line because I can catch a train with a $20.00 taxi ride and that includes the tip. Sincerely, Nancy Ellen Locke from Christine Thompson: Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. It was helpful to learn more about the project and I hope it was beneficial for you to hear another neighbor's (and planner's) perspective. As you know, I support the overall intent of the plan. However, I have some specific concerns that I hope can be addressed. Below is a summary of some of the suggested changes we discussed: 1) Consider increasing the allowed densities/heights in areas immediately adjacent to the commercial core to accommodate desired development opportunities. It seems appropriate that density should radiate out from the core of the commercial area. Increased density can work if appropriate transition strategies are in place. PC Agenda - Page 8 2) Identify the key existing positive attributes of the area (e.g., Amazon Park, College Hill residential area, etc...) with a statement about the plan's intent to protect/enhance these features. A plan such as this should work to protect the significant and positive attributes of this area. 3) Refine the "transition area" in the College Hill single‐family residential neighborhood to better recognize and protect the unique attributes of this historic Eugene neighborhood. This is my biggest concern. Unlike the other residential neighborhoods near Willamette Street within the project area, College Hill extends all the way to the Willamette Street edge (north of 24th Avenue on the west side of Willamette Street). Therefore, I recommend a lower scale/density along this residential portion of Willamette Street when compared to other parts of the study area. I recommend a maximum height of 3 story apartments along the Willamette Street edge transitioning to enhanced single family options (or perhaps row houses) facing the historic homes on Portland Street/Willamette alley. In addition, I suggest that you carefully reconsider the scale of development on the south side of 24th Avenue between Portland Street and McMillan Street. It seems appropriate to further reduce allowed densities in this block to maintain continuity along this street. A more natural transition area is 1/2 block south along 24th Place, closer to the heart of the commercial district. 4) Add a new "transition" approach to address potential cut‐through traffic in single family neighborhoods when development occurs. Traffic calming measures could be implemented as needed to correlate with the established street classification system. 5) Note the need for an assessment of transportation implications and opportunities as a "next step." This is recommended since the current project was unable to undertake this important step. 6) Add the Civic Stadium site, a significant "opportunity site," as an area that would be considered for any forthcoming incentive programs and possible transportation system solutions (while recognizing that priority should be given to preserving and reusing the stadium as part of future development proposals). Also, note the need to work with the 4J School District to determine ways to move forward as a "next step." Thanks again for the opportunity to provide my comments. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions. I appreciate the time you, other staff, and the Planning Commission have put into gathering feedback and reviewing suggested changes. Christine Thompson FAN Resident PC Agenda - Page 9  Attachment C Recommended Changes to March 29th final draft South Willamette Concept Plan April 10, 2013 Map Changes Places for Business and Living Map, page 28 3225 Willamette Street: change from “apartment/condo” to “mixed use” Heights, Stepbacks and new Zones Map, page 30 From Willamette Street between 24th and 22nd Avenues and west to Portland Street and Willamette Alley: change to Apartment Condos with Row House Character. Reduce height of Willamette‐facing portion of buildings from 5 stories to 4 stories. Additionally, change to Apartment and Condos with Row House Character on lots adjacent to east side of Willamette Street between 24th and 23rd Avenues. Implementation Plan Changes Add future implementation steps:  Investigate access management, traffic calming and mitigation of overflow business‐oriented traffic into and through surrounding residential areas.  Investigate access options to 23rd Avenue Apartment/Condo and Mixed Use area, including access from Amazon Parkway.  Consider extending the future special area plan, development incentives, form based code and design guidelines to Civic Stadium site in coordination with school district decisions about the site. PC Agenda - Page 10