■PUBLIC INTEREST
Industrial
lands zoning
proposal
controversial
by John Haakanson
A proposal to re-zone 200 acres of
agricultural land for heavy industrial
sites is turning into a land use and
economic growth battle in Eugene
Springfield.
The site is known as the Awbrey
Meadowview area, situated just out
side the existing Eugene-Springfield
urban growth boundary approximate
ly one mile northwest of Mahlon
Sweet Airport.
Proponents of re-zoning say Aw
brey-Meadowview’s size and rail ac
cess make it highly desirable for re
cruiting new industries.
Opponents counter that there are
plenty of vacant sites zoned for in
dustrial use within the urban growth
boundary, and that extending city ser
vices would cost tax dollars at a time
when the city is facing major budget
cuts. They also charge the develop
ment would take irreplaceable farm
land out of production.
Extending city services to the area
would require expanding the existing
urban growth boundary, a line drawn
around Eugene-Springfield to reflect
the land-use needs projected in the
Metropolitan Area General Plan.
Expanding the boundary to attract
industry and jobs means amending the
plan, a step Awbrey-Meadowview
opponent Greg Shaver voted against
recently in his role as a Springfield
planning commissioner.
Planning commissions from Lane
County, Eugene and Springfield must
all make recommendations on amend
ing the metro plan to the elected of
ficials they serve. Then county com
missioners and the city councils of
both Eugene and Springfield vote
separately on the proposed
amendment.
All three electee groups must agree
to any changes in the plan, and Shaver
is hoping the Springfield council will
veto the Awbrey-Meadowview idea,
a move that could mean the land will
never be re-zoned. Shaver says there
is no compelling need for more indus
trially zoned land in the metropolitan
area.
“If no growth means ‘no wrong
growth,’ I’ll wear the label with
pride,” says Shaver, responding to edi
torial criticism of his vote against the
development.
Other opponents of the expansion,
like Robert Emmons, see local atti
tudes about the need for economic de
velopment being taken too for.
“The town perceives itself as being
down, so people want to go hell-bent
for-leather to’get economic develop
ment,” says Emmons, who works at
the city of Eugene’s Parks, Recreation
and Cultural Services Department.
Those in favor of adding Awbrey
Meadowview “claim it’s enough of a
plum that we have to have it in our
inventory,” Emmons says, noting that
there are already 3900 acres zoned for
industrial use within the urban growth
boundary.
One group that would like to see the
parcel added to that inventory is the
Eugene Chamber of Commerce. Vice
President Larry Douglas says adding
200 acres with rail access will let
manufacturing firms know Eugene
means business when it comes to re
cruiting.
“It’s a very important signal,” says
Douglas. “It’s not going to be the shot
heard round the world, but it does ad
dress a long standing problem and
postures the community to accept and
accommodate growth.”
Consultant Jim Saul represents the
current Awbrey-Meadowview own
ers, including L.L. “Stub” Stewart,
Ehrman Giustina, Robert Booth, Faye
Stewart, Dale Fischer and Leo
Rickard. Saul agrees with Douglas’
opinion that there are not enough
large sites with rail access for heavy
industry in Eugene. City planners say
the average industrial parcel size in
the current inventory is 2.3 acres.
There are five parcels ranging in
size from 22 to 64 acres, according
to the Oregon Natural Resources
Council, but Saul says there is a need
for more land with rail service.
“Over the past three or four years
I’ve gotten inquiries for sites of 60
acres or more with rail access,” says
Saul. “This is not a daily occurrence,
but there’s enough interest to warrant
a legitimate response.”
Vicki Dietmeyer, executive direc
tor of the Eugene/Springfield Metro
politan Partnership, also sees a need
for more land capable of attracting
heavy industry.
“We are losing business prospects
to other areas,” says Dietmeyer.
“They have medium to heavy zoned
industrial parks with sewer, water,
electric and gas service, and rail in
place.”
However, Eugene City Councilor
Cynthia Wooten says some land now
zoned for light industry could be re
zoned to attract heavy industry, and
she is not convinced the metro plan
should be amended to include
Awbrey-Meadowview.
“The demand doesn’t indicate the
need for it,” says Wooten. “We’re not
waiting to re-zone, and we could easi
ly re-zone for heavy industrial.”
Another issue that has opponents
concerned is the cost of extending city
services to the area. Nina Lovinger,
who has represented the Oregon Na
tural Resources Council in its oppo
sition to Awbrey-Meadowview says
the move will be expensive.
“It’s going to be a taxpayer ex
pense,” says Lovinger. “To date we
haven’t heard much discussion of this
from the proponents.”
The estimated cost to run sewer ser
vice to the site is $750,000, while ci
ty of Eugene transportation improve
ments would be in the $750,000 to
$850,000 range.
Purchasing and remodeling the ex
isting Lane Rural Fire protection sta
tion would cost just over $1 million,
and annual costs for police and fire
protection are in the $1.4 million
range.
City planners point out that police
and fire services will serve a larger
region than just Awbrey-Meadow
view, so determining exact costs for
that parcel is not possible.
Douglas counters the concerns
about costs by stating many services
are or will be in the neighborhood be
cause of airport expansion plans. He
says the city’s tax base will also in
crease if the area is annexed in the
future, and that will bring in more
revenue.
Grass seed is now growing on Aw
brey-Meadowview, and the area’s
agricultural use presents another hur
dle to re-zoning, since taking farm
land out of production requires an ex
ception to statewide land-use planning
goals.
“To take land out of farm use,
you’ve got to have a need that says
you’re lacking other needed acreage,”
says Springfield’s Shaver.
Shaver says the fact that grass seed
has now eclipsed wheat as Oregon’s
number one agricultural crop should
be considered in deciding whether to
re-zone.
Douglas says the loss of 200 acres
won’t hurt Oregon’s grass seed pro
duction capabilities. He argues that
some loss of resource land is in
evitable as growth occurs.
“It’s a natural phenomenon in terms
of growth of urban areas,” says
Douglas. "You're going to encompass
some rural lands.”
City planner Teresa Bishow says the
Eugene Planning Commission’s next
step is to insure there is evidence that
more industrial land is needed before
making the re-zoning decision.
“There must be a clear, demon
strated need to amend goal three,”
says Bishow, referring to the state
land-use goal that requires preser
vation of Oregon’s farmland.
The next public hearing on the issue
will be before the Eugene City Coun
cil on January 11.
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