AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br />January 10, 2023 <br />To: Eugene Planning Commission <br />From: Gabe Flock, Principal Planner & Project Manager <br />Jeff Gepper, Senior Planner <br />Subject: Second Public Hearing on Willamette River Greenway Code Amendments <br />(City File: CA 22-1) <br />ACTION REQUESTED <br />The Planning Commission will hold a second public hearing on proposed land use code <br />amendments to create a new set of clear and objective standards for the review of proposed <br />housing within the Willamette River Greenway. Following the March 8, 2022 public hearing on <br />the initially proposed Willamette River Greenway Code amendments, staff took a step back, <br />considered the public input that was provided and made some significant changes and updates <br />to the original Willamette River Greenway Code Amendments proposal. This second public <br />hearing will provide an opportunity for public input on the Willamette River Greenway Code <br />Amendments as updated and amended since the initial draft. Following this public hearing, the <br />Planning Commission will hold a series of meetings to deliberate and ultimately make a <br />recommendation to City Council on the updated Willamette River Greenway Code <br />Amendments. <br />Additional background, links to related materials, and a brief overview of the key changes <br />included in the updated proposed Willamette River Greenway Code Amendments are provided <br />below. For ease of reference, the updated draft proposed Willamette River Greenway Code <br />Amendments are included as Attachment A. <br />BACKGROUND <br />The purpose of the Willamette River Greenway Code Amendments project is to update <br />Eugene's Willamette River Greenway Permit approval process to provide a set of clear and <br />objective approval criteria for the review of housing development within the Willamette River <br />Greenway. If the proposed amendments are adopted, an applicant seeking to develop housing <br />within the boundary of the Willamette River Greenway will be able to choose to proceed under <br />the new clear and objective standards, or choose to proceed using the City's discretionary <br />approval criteria. The proposed code amendments do not change the adopted Willamette River <br />Greenway Boundary, which has been in existence since the mid-1970's. <br />Several key components of the new proposed clear and objective approval criteria are intended <br />to ensure that housing development within the Willamette River Greenway will continue to be <br />reviewed for consistency with the requirements of Statewide Planning Goal 15 and meet the <br />"clear and objective" requirements of ORS 197.307 for housing. The proposed changes are <br />intended to: <br />Page 3 of 39 <br />