[NLC] Council passes all MiCAP amendments

[Paul Conte]

Hello all,

On Monday night, City Council adopted all the 
land use code amendments recommended by the 
Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team plus two 
additional amendments that address incompatible infill.

Summary of code amendments that will help protect neighborhoods:
•  Reduce (by one) the excessive number of 
dwellings allowed on hundreds of R-2 zoned lots 
in the JWN by limiting the “rounding” calculation.
•  Measure maximum building height (35 feet in 
R-2 zone) to the top of the building, instead of halfway up the roof.
•  Properly measure require distance to nearby parks for open space credit.
•  Close loopholes in the “flag lot” definition and standards.
•  Set sensible lot frontage and width 
requirements (35’ unless there’s an approved site 
review plan). Close loophole in measuring lot width.
•  Close loopholes in prohibition against new alley-access-only lots.
•  Require early neighborhood involvement in development process.
•  Close loophole in refinement plan policies’ 
definition of “residential character” so policies 
encompasses all relevant characteristics.
•  Require reasonable building height transitions 
along E. 19th Ave in South University area.
•  Require adequate off-street parking for five- 
and six-bedroom apartment complexes near university.
•  Strengthen protection for natural storm water 
drainages in River Road and Santa Clara areas.
•  Properly calculate allowable dwellings by 
excluding streets and alleys from lot area.

(You can learn more about these code amendments 
at: <http://jwneugene.org/micap.html>http://jwneugene.org/micap.html .)

Council's action was the culmination of a twenty 
month process in which many of you and hundreds 
of other citizens participated and expressed the 
need for code changes to prevent the ongoing 
negative impacts of incompatible infill. At the 
June 16 public hearing, City Council also 
received a petition signed by over 300 people supporting the amendments.

This was a great victory for residents of all 
neighborhoods, and one of the main reasons these 
amendments passed was the strong positions the 
NLC has taken in recent years to support infill 
compatibility standards. The NLC's analysis and 
recommendations on "priority" amendments last 
year were also very influential in gaining ICS Task Team and Council support.

Over the past couple of months, I've had a number 
of discussions with various City Councilors, and 
I had a lengthy and fruitful discussion with 
Mayor Piercy on Monday. I believe the Mayor and 
most, if not all, Councilors are strongly 
supportive of effective infill standards. Kitty 
in particular has developed a solid understanding 
of the issues and recognizes that livability and 
smart growth aren't in conflict, and we don't 
need to trade one against the other. Great cities 
are built on great neighborhoods, and Eugene 
urgently needs to revise its code to assure our 
neighborhoods are not degraded by thoughtless development.

The Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team is 
continuing its work to develop additional 
recommendations to help protect the livability 
and character of neighborhoods. I urge 
neighborhood leaders to encourage residents to 
become involved in this process so we can 
complete the substantial work that needs to be done.

Thanks to all of you for your work on behalf of our neighborhoods.

Please feel free to contact me if you'd like more 
information about MiCAP or other infill issues.

Best wishes,

Paul


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