!¸»©«Ɏ'µ²²§´ªɎ1µ­«¸¹ <br />Ɏ <br />ŴŷŻŸɎ$Ɏ!¸¯§¸©²¯¬¬Ɏ+§´«Ɏ <br />$»­«´«ȍɎ.1ɎżźŷųŷɉŶŵŹŻɎ <br />Ɏ <br />ɎɎɎɎɎɎɎɎɎɎɎɎ <br />16 June 2018 <br />Ɏ <br />Mr. Rodney Bohner, Assistant Planner <br />Planning & Development <br />th <br />99 West 10 Avenue <br />Ɏ <br />Eugene, OR 97401 <br />Ɏ <br />Ɏ <br />Ɏ <br />Dear Mr. Bohner, <br />Ɏ <br />I am writing in opposition to the currently planned construction of 94 apartment units adjacent to the <br />Ɏ <br />Willamette River Greenway at Lombard Lane and River Road. <br />Ɏ <br />First, I want to emphasize that I am not opposed to development of this property generally. Although it <br />would be nice to see the open space developed as a park, I'm not against the addition of much-needed <br />housing in Eugene. However, I think this particular plan would be destructive to the character of the <br />Ɏ <br />existing neighborhood. <br />Ɏ <br />The most compelling objection that I have to the proposed development is that it has been planned in <br />complete ignorance of the nature of our existing neighborhood, and without consulting us. Any <br />developer or governmental body who took the time to meet us would find an established neighborhood <br />that is particularly friendly and accommodating to neighbors with limited mobility. Many of our <br />residents are able to get around in Eugene thanks to our proximity to the Willamette River Greenway <br />and our reasonably quiet streets. We're also a community of neighbors who would welcome more <br />residents who had special needs. Rather than a neighborhood that would throw up not-in-my-back-yard <br />resistance to the addition of special needs housing, Eugene has, in the residents of Fir Lane, Lombard <br />Lane, and East Briarcliff Lane, a neighborhood that would be welcoming to development that expanded <br />Ɏ <br />the character of our community. <br />Ɏ <br />Had we been consulted, we'd have emphasized Willamette River Greenway as a resource. The current <br />plan, however, appears to provide no access by its residents to the Greenway. The plan seems to <br />indicate that a parking lot and ungated fence would be installed adjacent to the Greenway. That the plan <br />treats the Greenway as a nuisance rather than a feature seems symptomatic of planning that has been <br />Ɏ <br />dropped into the site without regard to what surrounds that site. <br />Ɏ <br />These three acres would be a perfect site for a development that made use of its location to promote <br />transportation by bike and wheelchair. But that's far from the only way in which the site could be <br />developed in a way that reflected and enhanced the existing surround, rather than diminishing it. I have <br />seen University of Oregon architecture students meeting on these three acres to discuss their possible <br />development, and I know that those students must have proposed uses for this land that reflect what is <br />Ɏ <br />special and worth preserving in the site, even before consulting with the site's neighbors. <br /> <br />