<br />Applicant’s Written Statement - Lincoln Commons Site Review 2 <br /> <br />paved and currently vacant other than a small shop building proposed for demolition to make <br />way for the proposed development. The surrounding area has a mix of existing uses including a <br />variety of small-scale retail shops, restaurants, and other commercial, residential and <br />institutional uses. West 5th Alley is located along the south edge of the site and will provide <br />access to the rear of the proposed apartment building where parking and a common-area <br />courtyard will be located. The half-block area north of the alley including the subject site (and <br />farther to the north and west) is zoned S-W/SR, Whiteaker Special Area Zone, with C-2 <br />Community Commercial zoning immediately to the south of the alley and extending west along <br />West 6th Avenue. A mix of more intensive commercial uses exists farther to the south and east. <br /> <br />As shown on the site plans, the proposed 4-story apartment building will have its primary <br />frontages along both Lincoln Street and West 5th Avenue in an “ L” shape design which the <br />applicant believes will enhance and help activate these primary street frontages by meeting the <br />City’s recently refined setback and landscaping standards, along with convenient building entry <br />locations and pedestrian connections throughout the site, and to existing setback sidewalks and <br />street tree planter strips along both streets. <br /> <br />The applicant believes the proposed design is not only appropriate in the surrounding context <br />of mixed-uses and underutilized/vacant parking areas, but that it will enhance the location with <br />an aesthetically pleasing design that includes 75 new affordable housing units near the edge of <br />Eugene’s Downtown area. As proposed, the building will include a mixture of studio, 1- and 2- <br />bedroom apartments with rents limited to prospective tenants at or below 60% AMI (Average <br />Median Income). The proposed floor plan layout and a table showing the mixture of dwelling <br />unit types, building square footage, internal access and other amenities is included with the site <br />plans for more detail, along with conceptual building elevations showing the outward-facing <br />design of the proposed building. The project will also include common courtyard areas and <br />balconies, a variety of on-site amenities and services, and excellent pedestrian, bicycle and <br />transit access to a wide array of urban amenities in the nearby area. <br /> <br />The following written statement addresses each of the applicable approval criteria and related <br />standards for Site Review approval (in bold) with findings explaining how the proposal meets <br />those standards and reference to the applicant’s site plans for helpful details and visual <br />representations where appropriate. As stated previously, the applicant is electing to follow the <br />City’s “Housing/Clear & Objective” approval criteria at EC 9.8445. This application is subject to <br />review and approval following the City’s Type II procedures at EC 9.7200-9.7230 including <br />public notice requirements and a written Planning Director Decision within 45 days once the <br />application is deemed complete. <br /> <br />The applicant’s review of related code provisions also shows that this Site Review is not subject <br />to the formal Neighborhood/Applicant Meeting requirements at EC 9.7007. Nonetheless, the <br />applicant’s team has been in contact with representatives of the Whiteaker Neighborhood <br />Council and intends to keep those lines of communication open as part of this process. Much <br />like on-going conversations with the project team about the nearby Whiteaker Commons <br />project at West 5th Avenue & Adams Street (120-units of affordable housing), the applicant <br />remains open to information sharing and attending to neighborhood concerns to the best of its