<br />AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br />September 10, 2024 <br /> <br />To: Eugene Planning Commission <br /> <br />From: Doug Singer, Engineering Development Review Manager, Public Works <br /> <br />Subject: Work Session - Proposed Amendments to Stormwater Development Standards <br />ISSUE STATEMENT <br />This work session in an opportunity for the Planning Commission to receive information on the <br />proposed amendments to the land use code for Stormwater Development Standards. The Planning <br />Commission is scheduled to hold a public hearing, begin deliberations, and potentially make a <br />recommendation regarding the proposed Stormwater Code Amendments (City File: CA 24-3) on <br />September 24, 2024. <br />BACKGROUND <br />The City of Eugene’s Stormwater Development Standards regulate the location, design, construction, <br />and maintenance of stormwater facilities applicable to the development of new and replaced <br />impervious surfaces. Eugene’s Stormwater Development Standard shave been in place since 2006 and <br />are a requirement of the City’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Municipal <br />Separate Storm Sewer System Discharge Permit issued by the Oregon Department of Environmental <br />(DEQ) in order to comply with the federal Clean Water Act. The Stormwater Development Standards <br />are an important element of the City’s multi-faceted stormwater program aimed at protecting and <br />improving the water quality of Eugene’s streams and rivers, including Amazon Creek and the <br />Willamette River. <br /> <br />The City’s first-term NPDES Stormwater permit was issued in 1994 and subsequently re-issued in 2004, <br />2010, and most recently in 2021. The NPDES permit includes measures that fulfill the Clean Water Act <br />requirements for municipalities over 100,000 in population. Each time the permit is reissued, the <br />requirements are modified to further improve water quality, unless the receiving streams are meeting <br />water quality standards for their designated beneficial uses. <br /> <br />The 2021 NPDES Stormwater permit requires the City to update its post-construction stormwater <br />pollutant and runoff control program to prioritize on-site retention of stormwater runoff for improved <br />runoff volume reduction and pollutant removal. This program applies to new development and <br />redevelopment projects that create or replace 1,000 square feet or more of impervious surface. The <br />land use code changes are designed to more clearly align the City’s stormwater development standards <br />with current federal and state clean water requirements to prioritize, emphasize, and promote low <br />impact development and green infrastructure approaches to stormwater management. <br /> <br />The proposed amendments will continue to require applicants to select stormwater quality facilities <br />from the City’s Stormwater Management Manual. They also provide additional clarification and <br />refinement to the priority order, related criteria, and exceptions. For example, the proposed changes