<br />HE-33 <br />GabrielCross <br />SustainabilityConsultantwithNewAxiom,LLC <br />th <br />180E.28Ave,EugeneOR97405 <br />(949)2781810 <br />gabe.cross@gmail.com <br />To:HearingsOfficialwiththePlanningDepartment <br />Re:PUDApplication#PDT130001 <br />September30,2013 <br />MynameisGabrielCross,andIamsustainabilityconsultantandadjunctinstructoratLaneCommunity <br />ŽůůĞŐĞ͛ƐEnergyManagementProgram.IlivebetweenAmazonParkandWillametteSt <br />.insouth <br />Eugene.IamwritingtodaytoexpressmysupportfortheOakleighMeadowCohousing(OMC)project. <br />TheOMCistheembodimentofthesmartgrowthconcept,andiscloselyinlinewiththegoalsand <br />valuesheldbytheCityofEugeneandtheEnvisionEugeneprogram.Itrepresentsanopportunityto <br />densifyareaswithintheUrbanGrowthBoundary(UGB),nearexistinginfrastructure.Thisisessentialto <br />accommodategrowthintheŝƚLJ͛ƐfuturewithouthavingtoexpandtheUGB.Italsorepresentsawayto <br />densifywhilemaintainingasenseofownershipfortheresidentsandcommunitypride.Iliveinanarea <br />inwhichsinglefamilyresidentsbuttupagainstapartmentcomplexes,andthedifferenceinattitudeand <br />communityengagementbetweenthosewhoownpropertyandthosewhorentisinevitable.By <br />adoptingthecohousingmodel,theneighborhoodcangetmanyofthebenefitsofincreaseddensity <br />whileavoidingsomeofthecommonpitfallsassociatedwithit. <br />Therehavebeenmanysuccessfulcohousingprojectsaroundtheworld,andtheyallshareonecommon <br />element:acommunitycomingtogethertoimprovetheirassetsandtheirlives.Forthisreason <br />cohousingprojectsareusuallyresponsiblewiththeirlandandrespectfuloftheirneighbors,beautifully <br />aswellasfunctionallydesigned,andfosterandstrengthenthecommunitiestheyinhabit. <br />Forallofthesereasons,IstronglysupporttheOMCproject,andbelievethatthecityofEugeneshould <br />aswell. <br />Sincerely, <br />GabrielCross <br />