AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br />March 14, 2023 <br />To: Eugene Planning Commission <br />From: Gabe Flock, Principal Planner & Project Manager <br />Jeff Gepper, Senior Planner <br />Subject: Deliberations and Possible Action on the Willamette River Greenway <br />Code Amendments (City File: CA 22-1) <br />ACTION REQUESTED <br />At this work session, Planning Commission will continue deliberations and possibly take action <br />to make a recommendation to City Council on the proposed Willamette River Greenway Code <br />Amendments. Draft legislative findings and the updated draft code are included for final review <br />and to help facilitate the Commission's recommendation to Council. <br />BACKGROUND <br />The primary 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 Greenway. If the <br />proposed amendments are adopted, an applicant seeking to develop housing as part the <br />Willamette River Greenway Permit process will be able to choose to proceed either under the <br />new clear and objective standards or using the City's existing discretionary approval criteria. <br />The proposed amendments include tree preservation requirements as part of the existing <br />discretionary review process for Willamette River Greenway Permits, to ensure comparable <br />standards and parity between the two review tracks. <br />The proposed clear and objective approval criteria are intended to ensure that housing <br />development within the Greenway will continue to be reviewed for consistency with the <br />requirements of Statewide Planning Goal 15 (Willamette River Greenway), and meet the "clear <br />and objective" requirements of ORS 197.307 for housing. Overall, the proposed changes are <br />intended to meet the City's obligations under State law, reduce potential barriers to housing <br />development, and maintain a balanced approach to protecting the Willamette River Greenway <br />with effective development standards as part of the Willamette River Greenway Permit Review <br />process. 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 />For more background and details on the process to date for the proposed Willamette River <br />Greenway Code Amendments, please refer to prior Planning Commission agenda packet <br />materials and webcasts including the most recent (second) public hearing held on January 10, <br />2023, and subsequent deliberations held on January 24 and February 14, 2023. <br />Page 3 of 125 <br />