Capital Hill PUD Page 12 of 67 <br />Planned Unit Development Application - Tentative Stage - Written Statement <br />March 3. 2017 Revised:June 19. 2017 <br />Written Statement <br />The following are the Tentative Planned Unit Development criteria as set forth in EC 9.8300 and our <br />responses. This information addresses the development known as the Capital Hill PUD and will specifically <br />be reviewed under the General Housing criteria. Code criterion is in plain text and responses are in italics. <br />EC 9.8300 Purpose of Planned Unit Development. The planned unit development (PUD) provisions are <br />designed to provide a high degree of flexibility in the design of the site, the mix of land uses, and potential <br />environmental impacts. In other words, they are intended to: <br />(1) Create a sustainable environment that includes: <br />(a) Shared use of services and facilities. <br />(b) A compatible mix of land uses that encourage alternatives to the use of the automobile. <br />(c) A variety of dwelling types that help meet the needs of all income groups in the community. <br />(d) Preservation of existing natural resources and the opportunity to enhance habitat areas. <br />(e) Clustering of residential dwellings to achieve energy and resource conservation while also <br />achieving the planned density for the site. <br />As the development site is above the 700 foot elevation and is located in the South Hills, the <br />Eugene Code requires that Planned Unit Development criteria be used. Moreover, three of the tax <br />lots are zoned with the Planned Unit Development overlay (1PD), which also requires the Planned <br />Unit Development criteria. <br />Through the flexibility of the PUD process, any particular design element or conflicts with code can <br />be adjusted to reach mutually agreed upon solutions or an understanding that adheres to the spirit <br />of the code. The PUD purpose statements and our responses to it throughout this written statement <br />provides the flexibility that allows the project to be approved as designed. <br />NOTE: <br />A comment was made by city staff during the initial design phases of this project that the PUD <br />looked like a "traditional subdivision". Experience tells us that when designing on steep properties <br />in the South Hills that contain a large quantity of significant trees, larger lots are the best way to <br />preserve natural vegetation with respect to the land use code. <br />Time and time again, when city staff considers PUD applications, existing trees are given greater <br />weight than proposed housing and greater consideration is provided to the following Envision <br />Eugene Pillars. <br />• Protect, repair and enhance neighborhood livability <br />• Protect, restore and enhance natural resources <br />Without clear and objective measures against which to evaluate the level of tree removal as it <br />relates to the pillars, the decision making path becomes one of subjectivity. <br />Other pillars that are to be considered are: <br />• Provide housing affordable to all income levels <br />• Provide compact urban development and efficient transportation options. <br />The pillars are considered aspirational. They are not criteria "for approving or denying an <br />individual land use application" (Eugene Comprehensive Plan, Pg. 1-1. Unadopted). While the <br />Envision Eugene pillars are an important framework for guiding legislative efforts, they are not <br />intended to evaluate land use applications. <br />This is a proposal for housing. More housing means more options for all income levels. Currently <br />there is a housing shortage in the City of Eugene, as well as a subsequent rise in the cost of both <br />housing and rent. <br />This proposal clearly provides compact urban development, increasing the current use of the <br />property from 6 units on approximately 13 acres to 34 - 41 units (combined existing and <br />Schirmer Satre Group • 375 West 4 m Avenue, Suite 201, Eugene, OR 97401 • (541) 686-4540 <br />