Public Comment Submitted During First Open Record Period

At the Planning Co fission's public hearing on July 14, 2015, and at the end of public testimony, a member of the Planning Commission asked if any Neighborhood Associations were present and, if so, did they wish to provide testimony. It was very telling that no response to these questions was heard from those attending the hearing. In order to effectively communicate information to Association residents/citizens that leads to citizen involvement in land use issues (Statewide Planning Goal 1), it is necessary for the City to provide relevant information to affected Neighborhood Associations so that Association residents can be properly informed and, thus enable citizens to participate in the land use issue. In the e-mail Heather O'Donnell sent Juan Carlos Valle, Southwest Hills Neighborhood Association Board chairman, on June 22, 2015, Heather O'Donnell states: "I sent out the email below in hopes that it would clarify any confusion that there might be given that the property was originally included in (but later withdrawn from) the Envision Eugene Residential Re-designation proposal package from last year". I want to emphasize the word "confusion" in this statement. The e-mail referred to in the above statement was sent out on or shortly after June 12, 2015, which was the same day as notice of the Planning Commission public hearing was mailed to the applicant, owners and occupants of property within 500 feet of the subject property and the Southeast Neighbors. It is likely many affected residents were also confused about this situation at the time of the Neighborhood/Applicant meetings held earlier this year, and it is unlikely that Mrs. O'Donnell's e-mail effectively reduced or eliminated any confusion prior to the Planning Commission's public hearing on July 14, 2015. I am requesting Heather O'Donnell to put the e-mails sent to Juan Carlos Valle in the public record.