8A | WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020 | SIUSLAW NEWS
Development from page 1A
The process of gaining
approval for this large
project has made the time-
line for final approval a
multi-meeting affair, with
numerous stops and starts
along the way.
There have been more
than two dozen letters and
emails sent to the City of
Florence, and to coun-
cilors, who have raised
concerns with several ele-
ments of the plan. Those
concerns have been recog-
nized by city staff and ad-
dressed in public hearings
and virtual meetings that
have been taking place
since spring.
Many of these concerns
were repeatedly men-
tioned by residents, three
of whom filed official
objections to the Plan-
ning Committee deci-
sion. These three appeals
outlined their respective
objections and the offi-
cial documents related to
those appeals were pre-
sented to councilors at
Monday’s meeting.
During a Planning
Commission meeting held
Sept. 8, the discussion and
deliberation of the appli-
cations included the re-
sults of new traffic counts
and studies, as well as peer
review comments, initial
discussions of stormwater
removal and the necessary
inclusion of native vegeta-
tion in landscaping for the
PUD.
The end result of the
Planning
Committee
meeting was the condi-
tional approval of Resolu-
tion PC 20 07 PUD 01 and
PC 20 08 SUB 01, with 36
conditions that need to be
met prior to the issuance
of Certificates of Occu-
pancy.
The PC’s decision to
approve the application,
pending fulfillment by
the applicant of condi-
tions required by the city,
resulted in appeals being
filed by three individuals
whom claim the process
and the results are flawed
— thereby invalidating
the application filed by 3J
Consulting on behalf of
the applicant, APIC Flor-
ence Holdings.
Three appeal requests
were submitted to the city
during the 12-day win-
dow allowed in response
to the PC decision, and
the reasons for the appeal
were detailed in the forms
needed to process the ap-
peal.
These items were dis-
cussed individually by
FarleyCampbell and two
petitioners who partici-
pated in the last Monday’s
meeting: Alan Matisoff
and Steve Williams.
In the materials pro-
vided to councilors, staff
provided a summary of
the issues raised by the ap-
pellants.
According to the staff
report, “Steve Williams,
Darryl and Debra Fisher
and O. Gary and Fran-
ces Plunkett filed appeals
per FCC 1-1-7 related to
timing, design and instal-
lation of Rhododendron
Drive and its intersection
with 35th St., density,
stormwater plan design
and infiltration, native
vegetation retention, qual-
ity of life, internal park-
ing, short term rental
mitigation, neighborhood
compatibility,
required
setbacks, wetland miti-
gation and construction
bonding.”
The list of items pre-
sented to the councilors
included questioning left-
hand turn lane require-
ments from Rhododen-
dron onto 35th Street,
questions as to the possible
usage of the properties for
short-term rentals, storm-
water management, neigh-
borhood incompatibility
and a lack of a Phase 1 Site
Investigation Report, and
density standards, among
other concerns.
Each of these issues was
reviewed and planning de-
partment staff responded
in detail, citing City Code
and precedent in the re-
sponses.
The lack of a site investi-
gation report is one of the
more challenging of the
concerns raised by the ap-
pellants, as any building in
an area that has wetlands
must be investigated be-
fore any construction can
be approved.
Staff responded directly
to this point by highlight-
ing a decision made by the
Planning
Commission,
which was included in the
materials provided for the
meeting.
“Prior to receiving ap-
provals for final PUD or
final plat, the developer
shall obtain the services
of a qualified hydrogeolo-
gist (not only a geologist)
and perhaps someone that
is a coastal geomorphol-
ogist to supplement the
proposed stormwater plan
and assist in preparation
of the Phase 1 Site Inves-
tigation Report that can
bring a better understand-
ing of all the factors in
play related to how infil-
trated groundwater affects
hydrology in this sub-ba-
sin and those adjacent up
and down-grade,” staff
wrote. “In the event the
Phase 1 Site Investigation
reveals wet areas and wet
soil types, then a Phase II
Conditional Use permit
would be reviewed before
the Planning Commission
as required by Title 10
Chapter 7.”
That would require the
applicant to demonstrate
how they would mitigate
the risk of hazardous soil
types through their storm-
water management design.
“There is risk to the
applicant should they
proceed in advance of
completing this investiga-
tion work; required Site
Investigation work must
be completed prior to site
disturbance,” staff wrote.
“The above condition ad-
dresses this requirement.”
FarleyCampbell was not
pressed by the council on
the comments included
in the appeals, with the
council expressing that in-
formation shared by staff
was comprehensive in its
rebuttal to most of the
concerns raised.
Mercedes Serra of 3J
Consulting was the point
person for the applicants
and presented a recap of
the areas which the appli-
cant believed countered
four of the main. These
were issues of compati-
bility, compliance with
development standards,
stormwater management
plans and traffic and safe-
ty concerns.
There was also the city
requirement that “devel-
opment enhancements” be
added to the PUD propos-
al and Serra detailed those
enhancements.
“The first development
enhancement
includes
providing high quality de-
signs using Old Town and
Main Street architectural
standards. The proposed
development will meet the
Old Town design require-
ments as defined by city
code,” Serra said. “The
second development en-
hancement is to provide
more recreational space
than required. The project
exceeds the recreational
space requirement and the
third enhancement is to
provide onsite amenities
reflecting value for both
active and passive recre-
ation.”
Serra next addressed the
more challenging issues in
the appeal — stormwater
removal and traffic con-
cerns — by pointing out
that the PUD applicant
had hired firms to conduct
additional traffic studies
and to create a stormwa-
ter plan, which would not
add to the water removal
done by the city. Both of
those firms’ reports were
accompanied by data and
illustrations, and were in-
cluded in the meeting ma-
terials.
After nearly two hours
of testimony and review of
dozens of pages of infor-
mation, the council decid-
ed to delay a final discus-
sion and vote until Nov. 9,
when the council will hold
a special session on the ap-
plication.
This was done to allow
for legal review of the eve-
ning’s work product and
to allow staff to respond
to any additional concerns
which might be created by
actions of the developer.
In addition to the main
item on the agenda, there
were an additional three
items which were passed
by consent with little dis-
cussion.
There has been some
confusion among resi-
dents regarding the PUD
proposal and a requested
annexation by Benedick
Holdings LCC for prop-
erty located on Oceana
Drive. The proposed an-
nexation will be discussed
at the Nov. 10 Planning
Commission meeting and
is separate from the Rho-
dodendron and 35th Street
development — which is
a proposed development
within city boundaries.
All of the materials pre-
sented to the city council
are available for viewing
online at ci.florence.or.us.
The next regular meet-
ing of the Florence City
Council will be Nov. 2, be-
ginning at 5:30 p.m.
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