environment in general, if the vegetation on this property is left intact. <br />Hazardous access to the site <br />There are serious and dangerous access problems related to this project. Fir Lane and Lombard Lane <br />are very narrow streets, which are not suitable for ingress and egress to a project involving 94 <br />apartment units and 128 parking spaces. More critically, access to Fir Lane for vehicles traveling south <br />on River Road requires making a left turn in a very dangerous location. On River Road just north of <br />Fir Lane is a pedestrian crossing with islands and a sign in the middle of the road. Just south of the <br />sign is a small left turn area that can hold a maximum of two cars. River Road carries heavy traffic <br />much of the day, with vehicles traveling upwards of 40 mph. In the few times I drove to this site from <br />the north, I experienced hazardous conditions trying to turn onto Fir Lane. Cars behind me were <br />moving fast as I tried to maneuver into the small area behind the sign, and northbound cars were <br />moving fast also, making it difficult to exit from River Road expeditiously by completing the turn. <br />This location is an accident waiting to happen, and likely would happen more than once. <br />Homes for Good <br />It is my understanding that Homes for Good (and its predecessor organization) acquired this property <br />for the purpose of building low income housing there. That is still a very viable option, although it <br />would be better if the city bought the property for protection of the Greenway and for extending park <br />lands along the river. The city could buy this property using some of the $3.2 million in tax revenue <br />they were recently awarded in their settlement with Comcast. <br />The reasons given by Homes for Good to justify why they need to sell this property simply do not hold <br />up to scrutiny. For example, access to public transit, shopping, schools, and other services are readily <br />available. Lane Transit District's 51 and 52 buses travel River Road daily from 6:00 am to midnight, <br />with stops every 15 minutes. There is an organic produce market a block away, at the corner of River <br />Road and Railroad Ave. A short distance up River Road is a Seven Eleven store, and there is a Fred <br />Meyer and an Albertson's about a mile further north on River Road. River Road Elementary School is <br />nearby on W. Hilliard Lane just west of River Road, and North Eugene High School and Kelly Middle <br />School are also relatively close by. There are numerous restaurants all along River Road, starting a few <br />blocks north of the site. Next door to the property, Maurie Jacobs Park would provide wonderful <br />recreation opportunities for residents of an affordable housing facility there. Lastly, flood zone <br />regulations should not be used as a justification for why Homes for Good needs to sell this property, as <br />the many dams on the Willamette River and its tributaries provide flood protection to this area and have <br />not stopped adjacent residential development from happening. <br />Summary <br />In summary, this project should not be approved for these reasons: <br />1.It is an incompatible use of the Greenway. <br />2.It fails to meet Greenway Permit Approval Critera, including maximizing open space and <br />vegetation, in violation of state law and state goals. <br />3.It would remove 28 trees and a large area of sedges (a wetland indicator species). <br />4.Access to the site presents serious hazards to public safety. <br />5.The large coverage area would detrimentally impact water quality <br />-5- <br />142 <br /> <br />