In short, the goal of the proposed code amendments is to provide a relatively simple but <br />effective means of addressing the requirements of Goal 15 for proposed housing within the <br />Greenway. The intended scope of the changes is limited but definitive; to help reduce barriers <br />to housing development, meet the City's obligations under State law, and maintain a balanced <br />approach to protecting the river as one of Eugene's most valuable natural resources. <br />The proposed amendments will not change the existing Willamette Greenway Boundary (that <br />is, the proposed amendments will not add or remove any lands within the formal boundary <br />where Greenway regulations apply, as adopted and in place since the mid-1970's). As <br />proposed, the regulations will only apply to the review of proposed housing on lands within the <br />existing Willamette River Greenway Boundary that are zoned and designated for those uses and <br />types of development - but subject to review and approval under the Willamette Greenway <br />Permit process. <br />Project Update <br />Planning Commission held the initial public hearing for proposed Willamette Greenway Code <br />Amendments on March 8, 2022. The March 8t" public hearing packet includes a detailed <br />summary of the proposed amendments, project background, related maps and other materials <br />which can be found here. Six individuals provided testimony at the hearing, and the Planning <br />Commission record was held open for one week to allow additional testimony, which has <br />previously been provided to the Commission. All written testimony submitted to date can also <br />be found on the City's project website here. Commissioners also asked a variety of questions <br />which have been addressed with additional information organized under general topic <br />headings, included as Attachment A. <br />After reviewing the public testimony submitted, and through the process of responding to <br />Commissioner's questions, staff recognized the need to pause the process to take additional <br />time to review the various components of the project and to consider potentially necessary <br />revisions to the draft code. The need for this pause was not a complete surprise, given that <br />Eugene is the first jurisdiction in the State to attempt creating a Design Plan and clear and <br />objective standards for housing development within the Greenway. During this time, staff has <br />coordinated with legal counsel and staff at the Department of Land Conservation and <br />Development (DLCD) and Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD), to gain a better <br />understanding of the State's approval process following local adoption. As a result of the <br />additional research and response to issues raised about the initial approval process, the project <br />team would like to discuss several key topic areas with the Commission. Staff anticipates that <br />those discussions will likely lead revisions to the draft code. The information in Attachment A <br />provides a starting point for input on a revised version of draft code. For ease of reference, the <br />current draft code amendments and Design Plan are also included as Attachments B and C. <br />In terms of process, staff recommends that Planning Commission re-open the record at this <br />meeting and direct staff to schedule a new public hearing to allow for more public input on any <br />revisions to the proposed draft code prior to Planning Commission's deliberations and <br />recommendation on the adoption package. <br />Page 4 of 91 <br />