Dog Days of August Alert the Watchdogs of the Greenway!
Watching and waiting for the impending release of the Hearings Official's ruling on the Lombard Apartment proposal by Evergreen Housing Development Group, the Greenway Guardians are prepared to file an appeal with the Eugene Planning Commission, if necessary.
In addition to the excellent quality and quantity of testimony opposing Evergreen's pave-and-run proposal, State Goal 15 ["To protect the natural, scenic, agricultural and recreational qualities of lands along the Willamette River"] was recognized when the City Attorney took a bite out of the developer's attempts to flagrantly disregard the Willamette River Greenway Requirements:
"..The applicant has submitted a Willamette Greenway Permit application and staff is recommending approval of the application on its merits. However, regardless of the Hearings Official’s determination on the merits of the application, the Hearings Official cannot, as applicant urges, rely on ORS 197.307 ["Effect of Need for Certain Housing in Urban Growth Areas"] to ignore or refuse to apply the approval criteria of EC 9.8815 ["Willamette Greenway Criteria and Permit Standards" download full document].
"EC 9.8815 is necessary for compliance with ORS 390.314 [Oregon's "Policy toward Outdoor Recreational Resources"] Goal 15, and The Metro Plan. ORS 174.020, as well as the various statutes requiring compliance with the statewide land use planning goals noted in this memo, support the conclusion that the City’s obligations to comply with the requirements of Goal 15 within the boundaries of the Willamette River Greenway must take precedence over a housing developer’s right to clear and objective standards within the Greenway. The criteria in EC 9.8815 are applicable to this application."
—Summary of memorandum submitted to the Hearings Official by Lauren Sommers, Eugene City Attorney.
To see the entire document, click here.