AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br />June 14, 2022 <br />To: Eugene Planning Commission <br />From: Gabe Flock, Principal Planner & Project Manager <br />Subject: Work Session on Willamette River Greenway Code Amendments <br />(City File: CA 22-1) <br />ACTION REQUESTED <br />At this work session, Planning Commission will resume the process of considering proposed <br />land use code amendments that would create new set of clear and objective standards for the <br />review of proposed housing within the Willamette River Greenway. Staff will present Planning <br />Commission with information responding to Commissioner questions; provide an update on <br />additional work that has occurred since the initial public hearing, including updates on staff's <br />current thinking about process and key topic areas; and request Commission input and <br />direction on next steps. <br />BACKGROUND <br />The primary purpose of the Willamette River Greenway Code Amendments project is to update <br />Eugene's Willamette Greenway permit approval process to provide a set of clear and objective <br />approval criteria for the review of housing development within the Greenway. Several key <br />components of the new clear and objective approval criteria are proposed to ensure that <br />housing development within the Greenway will continue to be reviewed for consistency with <br />the requirements of Statewide Planning Goal 15, and will comply with the "clear and objective" <br />requirements of ORS 197.307. These key components, which were included in the draft code <br />and were discussed at the initial public hearing, are briefly summarized below: <br />• Proposed Greenway Setback generally 100 feet from top-of-bank along the river, <br />subject to exceptions for developed residential properties and existing adopted <br />Greenway setbacks in certain areas. <br />• Limit on Maximum Length of Building Facades of 80 feet, when the facade is located <br />within 40 feet of the Greenway setback line. <br />• Native Landscaping Buffering to require a 10-foot wide native landscape buffer along <br />the development side of the setback line, with a combination of low screen shrubs and <br />canopy trees required every 30 feet <br />• Limitations on Walls and Fencing within and near the proposed setback to help protect <br />views to and from the river. <br />• Limitations on Parking and Vehicle Use Areas between new buildings and the <br />Greenway setback line. <br />• Pedestrian Access Standards including required on-site pedestrian paths and public <br />access connections toward the river. <br />Page 3 of 91 <br />