<br />To:HearingsOfficial,c/oNickGioello,AssociatePlanner;CityofEugenePlanningDivision <br />Subject:UofONorthCampusConditionalUsePermitandWillametteGreenwayPermit <br />Date:September1,2018 <br />From:JamesNeu,350.EUGVolunteer <br />DearHearingsOfficial, <br />TherequestbytheUniversityofOregonfortheproposedUofONorthCampusConditionalUsePermit <br />andWillametteGreenwayPermitisforthedevelopmentofuniversityuses,associateduniversity <br />researchuses,athleticfields,pedestrianandbicycleenhancementsandrestorationofriparianareas. <br />Theproposedathleticfieldsdonotalignenvironmentallywiththeproximitytothesouthbankofthe <br />WillametteRiver <br />ortotheeastendoftheproposedDowntownRiverfrontParkProject.Theproposed <br />athleticfieldswouldhaveaprofoundimpactontheCityofEugeneandtheWillametteRiver. <br />Theapplicationconspicuouslydoesnotspecifythetypeormaterialstheproposedathleticfieldswould <br />becomposedof.However,itdoesmentionͻĭğƩĻŅǒƌconsiderationforsurfacematerialforŅźĻƌķƭͼͲͻǤĻğƩ <br />roundplayingŅźĻƌķƭͼͲͻƦƩĻǝĻƓƷźƚƓofstormdrainagerunoffandstormdrainƒğƷĻƩźğƌƭͼwhichsuggests <br />anartificialsurfacefortheathleticfieldcomposition.Themajorityofartificialathleticfieldsare <br />constructedofcrumbrubber,grounduptiresthatmakeupthebaseofartificialturf,whichhas <br />scientificallybeenproventobehighlytoxicandcausecancerinhumans.Everyplanproposedbythe <br />Universityforthissite,withnoalternativessuggestedbytheAssociateVicePresidentofCampus <br />Planning,saiditwouldbealogicalconclusionartificialturfwouldbeused. <br />AccordingtotheCityofEugeneLandDevelopmentCodesection9.3700,SRPRiverfrontParkSpecial <br />AreaZonewhichencompassesthisareastates,ͻŷĻfundamentalpurposeoftheSRPRiverfrontPark <br />SpecialAreaZoneistoprovideforactivitiesandusesthatcomplementtheresearchandeducational <br />functionsoftheOregonState(OSU)SystemofHigherEducationingeneralandtheUniversityofOregon <br />(UO)inƦğƩƷźĭǒƌğƩ͵ͼTheobjectivesarestatedmorespecificallyinsubsections;2.)ͻƚencouragearange <br />ofprimaryusesthatcomplementtheresearchandeducationalactivitiesoftheOSUSystemofHigher <br />EducationingeneralandtheUofOinƦğƩƷźĭǒƌğƩͼͲ4.)ͻƚrecognizethenaturalamenitiesofthesite, <br />balancingtheopportunityfordevelopmenttousethoseamenitieswiththeƦǒĬƌźĭ͸ƭinterestinproper <br />protectionand,whereappropriate,useofƷŷĻƒͼͲ5.)ͻƚprovidearegulatorycontextthatallows <br />developmentofasuccessfulresearchanddevelopmentparkofbenefittoboththeUofOandthe <br />metropolitanğƩĻğͼͲ6.)ͻƚprovideareviewprocessthatencouragesadesigncharacterizedbydiversity <br />ofbuildingmassandotherfeatureswhichfosterasenseofinterestinandexcitementaboutthe <br />developmentandwhichcomplementtheWillametteRiverandtheaźƌƌƩğĭĻ͵ͼNoneoftheaboveland <br />useobjectivespertaintoathleticfieldsandmoreexplicitlypromoteresearchandeducationalfunctions <br />aswellasmaintainingthenaturalamenitiesofthesite. <br />AccordingtotheCityofEugeneLandDevelopmentCodesection9.3710subsection1.b,PrimaryUses,it <br />ƭƷğƷĻƭͲͼLaboratories,offices,andothernonmanufacturingfacilitiesforbasicorappliedresearchand <br />developmentthatcomplementtheresearchandeducationalactivitiesofOSSystemofHigherEducation <br />ingeneralortheUofOinƦğƩƷźĭǒƌğƩ͵ͼTheintentoftheLandDevelopmentCodewasforbiological <br />researchandmaintainingariparianzone,notthethreeathleticfieldsof305,000sq.ft. <br /> <br />