Press Room

Sep 30, 2003

DEVELOPMENT REPORT
Joe Harwood for the Eugene Register-Guard

Retail, housing development gains momentum

The commission recommended that the City Council approve Arlie’s request to amend the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan and rezone parts of the parcel. The City Council will hold a public hearing at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 13.

Arlie’s proposal includes offices, stores, row houses, townhouses and hundreds of apartments on property where PeaceHealth at one time wanted to build a new hospital before switching to a Gateway site. Many of Arlie’s Crescent Village buildings would feature offices or shops on the ground floor, with living quarters above.

The city’s planning staff has generally lauded the plan and has recommended approval. The idea behind such developments is to limit sprawl and cut traffic by letting people work, live and shop in one neighborhood.

The Eugene real estate firm is asking the city to change 5.6 acres of the residential land to office use, and another 5 acres from residential to mixed-use commercial. The changes would allow three-story offices, a large grocery store and other commercial development.

To speed the project along, the Planning Commission recommended that the Metro Plan land use changes and the zoning changes be handled concurrently. Typically, a landowner must first obtain a Metro Plan amendment before seeking a zone change.

"We were surprised and really pleased they were willing to do that," said Larry Reed, Arlie’s director of planning and development.

The commission recommended caps on the intensity of the development, however. Arlie’s proposal includes a grocery store of 35,000 to 60,000 square feet. The commission proposed a maximum of 50,000 square feet.

"We don’t want a huge store that’s going to be a regional draw. We want people to shop locally," said Chuck Rusch, president of the commission. On the other hand, he said, if the store is too small, it won’t succeed as a business.

One element in Arlie’s favor is that the mix of residential and commercial uses would generate less traffic than if the parcel was developed wholly as a series of apartment complexes, according to a traffic impact analysis Arlie submitted. Also, the Oregon Department of Transportation wrote to support the development.