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University of Oregon Indoor Football Practice Facility Sign Variance Application January 22, 2025 12 practical difficulty and unnecessary physical hardship by precluding the [A]pplicant’s ability to attract the public.” Based on the above findings, the unique nature of the indoor and outdoor football practice facilities, and their location within the Autzen Stadium Complex, a strict or literal interpretation of EC 9.6655 General Office Sign standards in this instance would result in practical difficulty and unnecessary physical hardship inconsistent with the objectives of the zoning ordinance. This criterion is satisfied. This criterion is satisfied. (b) Geographic, topographic, or other physical conditions on the site or in the immediate vicinity. As noted above, the Autzen Stadium Complex is the largest outdoor athletic venue in the region. The new Indoor Football Practice Facility, along with the University’s other athletic facilities in the complex, are highly visible and attractive to the public. The Applicant supports the findings of the Hearings Official in V02-01 and incorporates the following findings by reference herein: “[t]he restrictions of the GO Sign [Standards] are simply inappropriate in this setting. They would create both a practical difficulty and unnecessary physical hardship by precluding the [A]pplicant’s ability to attract the public.” The City of Eugene has reviewed and approved multiple variance applications for at least five different University of Oregon athletic facilities (Autzen Stadium, PK Park, the Moshofsky Center, Matthew Knight Arena, and Hayward Field). The prevalence of variance approvals for athletic facilities similar in nature to Autzen Stadium supports the Hearings Official’s position in V02-01 and the Applicant’s position in this request that the GO sign standards are inappropriate to University athletic facilities, including Autzen Stadium. Given the site's unique physical conditions, the new indoor and outdoor practice facilities are the first facilities of the Autzen Stadium Complex that vehicles traveling east on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard encounter. The northern “O” Wall Sign’s purpose is to reinforce this new facility's connection with the other parts of the Autzen Stadium Complex. The size of the sign, like other signage in the complex, was designed to be proportional to the scale of the 130,000 SF facility. The southern “O” wall sign achieves a similar goal by reinforcing the connection to the rest of the Complex for users traveling along Leo Harris Parkway. Based on the above findings, the significant nature of the Autzen Stadium Complex and new practice facilities as a regional destination, and its relation to surrounding development, all of which contribute to the physical conditions of the site, strict or literal interpretation of EC 9.6675(3) and EC 9.6675(4)(a) is contrary to the purpose of the sign code and in this instance would result in a practical difficulty inconsistent with the objectives of the zoning ordinance. This criterion is satisfied.