IV. CONCLUSIONS


Under direction from the Eugene City Council, a plan which balances wetlands protection and urban development is being developed for west Eugene. All three mapped scenarios represent a balance between protection and development in varying degrees. Staff welcomes public comment on the criteria used in preparing these three scenarios prior to preparation of the WEWSAS. In evaluating the criteria before filling out the attached questionnaires, you may find the following conclusions helpful.

The following are constant among the scenarios:

1. The West Eugene Parkway, Spectra-Physics.development, and existing Metropolitan Plan natural resource areas are all accommodated in the three mapped scenarios.

2. Known rare plant sites are given protection in scenarios A, B and C.

3. Size - sites under 10 acres are given lesser value in all three scenarios.

4. A wetland mitigation plan will have to be developed under all three scenarios, but the degree of mitigation will vary depending on the amount of wetland acres recommended for development.

The following represent some of the major differences among criteria used in preparing the mapped scenarios:

1. Uniqueness - the degree of protection afforded the prairie grassland type wetlands varies, but all three scenarios treat at least some of those sites as suitable for protection.

2. Streamside buffer protection - the width of protection along waterways ranges from 100 to 500 feet in the scenarios. The figures chosen are arbitrary and can change as the WEWSAS process progresses.

3. Scenarios B and C protect sites with WET ratings above the mean score, scenario A assumes development for sites below the mean score.

4. Scenarios B and C protect sites with above average wildlife habitat ratings, while scenario A does not.

5. Scenario C introduces protection for factors of accessibility and ecological diversity, while scenarios A and B do not.

6. Scenarios A and B introduce consideration for development criteria reflecting proximity of public facilities, street frontage, and planned urban land use designation, while scenario C does not.

7. Scenario A gives additional consideration for developing wetlands on disturbed agricultural sites and on human created wetlands, while scenarios B and C do not.