October 9, 2013 <br />City of Eugene Hearing Official <br />City of Eugene Planning and Development <br />Airium Building <br />99 West 10th Ave. <br />Eugene OR 97401 <br />Re: Citizen Comment Document Regarding the Oakleigh Meadows Tentative Planned Unit <br />Development (PDT 13-0001), Willamette Greenway Permit (WG 13-0001) <br />Dear Hearings Official; <br />In Apri12003 my husband and I came to Oakleigh Lane to view a potential house to rent. We <br />immediately fell in love with the house and the neighborhood. We knew that this was where we <br />wanted to live. We had been living in the Whiteaker Neighborhood for the past five years within <br />two blocks of the Willamette River, the Greenway and it's wonderfiil West Bank bike path. <br />Living in a small duplex with little yard we wanted a change, but knew we wanted to stay within <br />walking distance of the Willamette River. This house was perfect! <br />We have lived here since that time and have enjoyed the neighborhood, the beauty of the natural <br />setting and the serenity. I do not want to deny this beautifiil setting to anyone, but the Oakleigh <br />Meadows CoHousing as proposed is just too big and not in keeping with the natural <br />surroundings. The development of Oakleigh Meadow is inevitable and I am impressed with the <br />cohousing model. The owners of the land are previous residents of Oakleigh Lane and I believe <br />their intent is genuine. Unfortunately, the project appears to have grown tremendously under the <br />guiding hands of out-of-town developers. When David and Joan, the landowners, iniiially came <br />to the neighbors talking about their vision they mentioned building 8-10 units. Now several <br />years later under the guise of a consensus model and guided by out-of-town "experts," the <br />project has grown to just short of the maximum allowable. They continue to come back with <br />"we could build more units," but it appears that they are not doing so to create their own open <br />space within their community and shutting out the existing community. I will say that this is just <br />my perception and not based in fact, but perception is important in a cohousing model. Looking <br />at Eugene City Code 9.8320 (13) perception continues to be an important piece of the planning <br />process. The above code states, the proposed development shall be reasonably compatible <br />and harmonious with'adjacent and nearby land uses. The adjacent and nearby land uses are <br />primarily residential, but the proposed PUD consists of homes that are significantly higher in <br />value than the existing homes. One of my concerns with this difference is the interest this will <br />generate in certain factions that are attracted to higher end housing such as salespeople, <br />marketers, criminals, etc. Oaldeigh Lane is a dead end lane that experiences very little iraffic <br />either by auto, bicycle or foot. The individuals we do see come down the lane we recognize as <br />residents, relatives or friends of residents. This has created a very safe environment for the <br />individuals living on the lane and we watch out for each other.. Additionally, the size of their <br />proposed PUD more than doubles the size of our community; this is just too much for our little <br />community and physical area to handle. Forthermore, Oakleigh Meadow CoHousing (OMC) has <br />put forth the minimal amount of effort required to keep the neighborhood iz3.fonhed. Other <br />909 <br />