1400 Cross LLC - Public Hearing <br />Applicant Rebuttal to Open Record Period Testimony <br />Page 2 of 3 <br />with a proposal to expand the existing building or develop a new building on the site, a Site <br />Review application would be submitted and residents within 300 feet of the subject property <br />would be notified. Within that, per Eugene Code 9.8440 Site Review Approval Criteria- <br />General, the applicant would need to address how the "site review plan's general design and <br />character is reasonably compatible with surrounding properties, as it relates to building <br />locations, bulk and height, noise, glare and odors (9.8440(1)" and the "proposal provides safe <br />and adequate transportation systems including streets, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit <br />circulation (9.8440(3)(a) and (b))." With this parameter in place, the applicant is confident that <br />residents would have an opportunity to provide input on the site's future design and that, with <br />all of the development requirements included in a Site Review application, that <br />redevelopment of the site will have a positive impact on the neighborhood's character. <br />C. Economic Vitality of the Whiteaker Special Area Zone <br />We greatly appreciate the concerns raised by neighbors in their public testimony regarding the <br />economic vitality of the Whiteaker Special Area zone. We respond to their concerns below: <br />Testimony received from the neighbors included fears that food processing would not be allowed <br />in the Whiteaker Special Area Zone (the site previously housed Chef Francisco, a frozen soup <br />manufacturing facility from the 1940s to the 1990s) and that the neighborhood is missing <br />essential businesses in the immediate area that are walkable for Whiteaker neighbors, such as <br />hardware stores, daycares, banks, post office/shipping services and health clinics. Per Eugene <br />Code (Table 9.3910), food processing is a permitted use in the Whiteaker Special Area zone as <br />are many other manufacturing uses. Furthermore, should the applications be approved, and the <br />site be rezoned to Whiteaker Special Area, hardware stores, daycares, banks (without a drive <br />thru), and healthcare clinics are permitted in the zone. See Exhibit A for a complete list of <br />permitted uses in the Whiteaker Special Area zone versus the Light-Medium Industrial zone. <br />2. The Satre Group also wishes to address the economic vitality of the Whiteaker Special Area <br />zone. Testimony from neighbors stated that properties in the Whiteaker Special Area zone <br />are sitting vacant and the scarce Light-Medium Industrial properties are being redeveloped <br />and improved. In response, The Satre Group has provided a list of local businesses <br />previously listed in Zone Change application (Z 20-8) that exist in the Whiteaker Special <br />Area zone. These businesses include: <br />• Alex's Garage (1255 Railroad Boulevard); <br />• Last Stand Coffee Company (1235 Railroad Boulevard); <br />• Meili Construction and Prince Puckler's Ice Cream Warehouse (10 Van Buren <br />Street); <br />• Quick Stop Food Store (1131 West 1St Avenue); and <br />• Thinking Tree Spirits and Ojisan's Ramen (88 Jackson Street). <br />These businesses, which would not typically be permitted in the Light-Medium Industrial Zone, <br />can operate inexpensive facilities in the Whiteaker neighborhood and create opportunities for <br />nearby employment. By rezoning the property to Whiteaker Special Area the 1400 Cross Street <br />site could still be used as a manufacturing facility and could open the door for more small <br />business opportunities at a time when many small businesses are suffering due to the COVID-19 <br />pandemic. <br />3. Finally, the City of Eugene does not need this small industrial site to satisfy the 20-year <br />employment land supply. By rezoning this small, largely vacant, and underutilized industrial <br />parcel to allow for a potential mix of uses, including industrial, the project will meet the intent of <br />the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan's Employment Land Supply Study (including the <br />adopted Buildable Lands Inventory). The study concludes that by expanding the City of Eugene's <br />UGB for large parcels the city will meet the need for industrial land from 2012-2032 ("the entire <br />need for industrial land in less than 10 acre sites is accommodated (pg.204))." Thus, the City of <br />The Satre Group • 375 West 4th Avenue, Suite 201, Eugene, OR 97401 0 (541) 686-4540 0 www.satregroup.com <br />