1 <br /> <br />Findings in Support of the <br />River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood-Specific <br />Code Amendments <br />City of Eugene <br />(City Files: CA 23-3) <br /> <br />Overview <br />The City of Eugene and Lane County, in collaboration with the River Road and Santa Clara <br />Community Organizations and neighborhood volunteers have been working together on an updated <br />neighborhood plan that creates a vision for growth and development in a manner that respects the <br />area’s unique characteristics and opportunities. <br /> <br />The adoption package for the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan (Neighborhood Plan) <br />includes an ordinance adopting the new Neighborhood Plan, repealing the 1987 River Road-Santa Clara <br />Urban Facilities Plan, and amending certain sections of the Eugene Springfield Metropolitan Area <br />General Plan (Metro Plan), and a separate ordinance adopting a set of changes to the Eugene Code that <br />apply only within the Eugene city limits and the boundary of the Neighborhood Plan. These findings <br />only address and support the ordinance amending the Eugene Code. The Eugene City Council and the <br />Lane County Board of Commissioners will adopt a separate ordinance and set of findings in order to <br />approve the Neighborhood Plan, repeal the 1987 River Road-Santa Clara Urban Facilities Plan, and <br />amend the Metro Plan. <br /> <br />As a part of River Road-Santa Clara neighborhood planning, a set of changes to the City of Eugene’s Land <br />Use Code are proposed. The purpose of the Code Amendments is to: <br />• Implement important land use policies and actions from the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood <br />Plan and Action Plan. <br />• Promote walkable neighborhoods through pedestrian-friendly building design standards. <br />• Support a shift to less auto-oriented land uses in alignment with city-wide climate and <br />transportation goals. <br /> <br />Land Use Code Amendments <br />The proposal involves a Type V Code Amendment pursuant to EC 9.8060 to establish the following River <br />Road and Santa Clara neighborhood-specific code amendments (Code Amendments) that apply to <br />properties located within the city limits and within the boundaries of the River Road-Santa <br />Neighborhood Plan: <br />• In the C-2 Community Commercial Zone, the Code Amendments apply the following design <br />standards: <br />o Limit building height to 60 feet (current limit is 120 feet). <br />o Apply transition standards (setbacks, landscaping, and/or fencing) to new buildings and <br />building additions that increase the square footage of floor area by 20% or more for any <br />development on property abutting Low Density Residential (R-1) zoned land. <br />o Require buildings fronting River Road to provide a main entrance facing that street or <br />facing the corner where River Road and another street intersect.