Hearings Official Decision - Laserfiche WebLink

development standards. However, the Master Plan itself must be evaluated only against the applicable approval criteria in EC 9.3725 and EC 9.8815. As discussed above, the requested Master Plan including, in particular, the Regulatory Plan under which the UO proposes to obligate itself, satisfies each of those approval criteria. Finally, several opponents argued that Master Plan should be denied because they believe the UO should have more fully engaged the university and broader community in evaluating how the North Campus should be used. Several opponents faulted the UO for the policy, business and economic choices reflected in the Master Plan. However, the city’s evaluation of the requested Master Plan is necessarily based solely on the criteria set forth in the city’s code. Provided they comply with the criteria set forth in EC 9.3725, the applicant’s policy, business and economic choices are beyond the scope of this evaluation. Expiration As explained above, EC 9.3725 requires that the S-RP Riverfront Park Special Area Zone Master Plan approval must be reviewed through the city’s conditional use permit process. Under EC 9.7340(2) “unless the hearing official designates otherwise,” conditional use permits expire 18 months after the effective date of approval unless actual construction or alteration has begun under a required permit, or in the case of a permit not involving construction or alteration, actual commencement of the authorized activity has begun. Similarly, under EC 9.7340(4), Willamette Greenway permits expire 18 months after approval under the same situations “unless the decision specifies otherwise.” The applicant has requested that the Master Plan be effective for 30 years and, therefore has requested the Hearings Official to impose a 30-year expiration date for both the CUP and the WG permit. In making that request, the applicant explains that the Master Plan is a long-range planning document, as required to fulfill the purposes of the S-RP zone. While all uses identified in the Master Plan are permitted uses in the S-RP zone, the Master Plan does not propose or request approval of any development. Rather, over the life of the Master Plan, and as funding and development needs are determined, development would be proposed to implement the Master Plan. The applicant further explains that the typical university capital project takes three to six years to secure funding and complete construction. Even in the unlikely event of multiple projects underway at once, full buildout for the number of projects and improvements possible in the Master Site Plan would take 30 years or longer. Most of the Master Plan opponents object to the requested 30-year timeframe for the requested Master Plan. For reasons primarily related to their lack of trust in the applicant and/or their opposition to the recreational fields identified in the Master Plan, they argue that 30 years is too long a period to permit the UO to implement the Master Plan. While some advocate for different timelines, most argue that as a ‘conditional use’ it ‘should’ expire in 18 months (presumably if construction has not begun), in accordance with the conditional use default expiration timelines in 9.7340(2) and EC 9.7340(4). Some argue that the UO should be required to complete the Master Plan within 18 months. EC 9.7325 requires the requested Master Plan to be ‘reviewed through the conditional use permit process.” It does not, however, propose any conditional uses. Significantly, the Master Plan Hearings Official Decision (CU 18-1; WG 18-2) 21