NIR PEARL SON <br />ARCH ITUCT, INC. <br />A statement of support for The Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing Development <br />PUD Application #PDT 13-0001 <br />10/8/2013 <br />D E S I G N S TO S U S T A I N <br />1460 East 21st Avenue , Eugene, OR 97403 <br />T: 541.345.5547 - F: 541.345,5527 <br />www.green - buildi n g.com <br />To the City of Eugene Planning Department Hearings Official, and Planning Staff, <br />I have lived in Eugene's South University Neighborhood over two decades, and have been practicing architecture <br />in and around Eugene for the last decade and a half. I hereby state my support for the Oakleigh Meadow <br />Cohousing Development. <br />The major charge of designers and planners in Eugene and elsewhere is to constantly refine the patterns of urban <br />development to address emerging social, economic, and environmental needs and trends. In so doing, we must <br />employ design principles that support specific local developments, and that are relevant and replicable in other <br />neighborhoods and communities. I believe that most of Eugene's residents including those in the River Road area, <br />would agree that in order to protect and preserve our natural and agricultural resources, we must infill our city's <br />neighborhoods while carefully balancing density and affordability with optimal livability standards. <br />Since their emergence in Europe in the 1960's, cohousing developments have successfully balanced social needs <br />with urban growth standards, in communities throughout the world and the US. Born and raised in a cooperative <br />farming community, I have a deep appreciation of resource-sharing and of communal living principles. These are <br />the guiding principles of all cohousing communities, and they measurably promote the quality of life of cohousing <br />developments' residents and their neighbors. <br />After witnessing multiple attempts by various groups to establish cohousing communities in Eugene over the last <br />two decades, I am excited to see the success of the Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing group. I am personally <br />acquainted with members in this group, am familiar with the work of their design consultants, and have full <br />confidence in their methodology as they strive to build what is sure to become a top-notch real-estate <br />development. I believe that the Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing group is careful in addressing concerns of affected <br />neighbors, and that the safety, livability, and market-value of their neighborhood are among their top priorities. <br />I am looking forward to celebrating the establishment of the Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing, and to following the <br />positive effects of this unique development on our City and our community. <br />Thank You for your consideration, <br />Sincerely, <br />t <br />Nir Pearlson, AIA, LEED AP <br />Principal and Owner, Nir Pearlson Architect, Inc. <br />10/8/2013 1 / 1 <br />945 <br />