The University reached a key agreement with neighbors of the proposed basketball arena who have raised concerns about the impact the new structure will have in their neighborhood.
The Arena Impact Mitigation Agreement, which outlines the measures the University and the city will take to minimize traffic impacts on the neighborhood, was signed by the Fairmount Neighborhood Association, the University and the City of Eugene on Friday morning.
Although the University cannot begin construction on the arena before it receives a conditional use permit from the city, the agreement demonstrates the collaboration and cohesion between University, city officials and local residents. Many of the stipulations presented in the agreement are also outlined in the University’s CUP application.
Shellie Robertson, co-chair of the Fairmount Neighbors Association, said in a University release that although the agreement does not replace a CUP, it is a “landmark” between the signatories.
The document was signed on the last day possible for the neighborhood to submit the agreement to be reviewed by hearings official Anne Corcoran Briggs, who is responsible for granting or refusing the CUP.
“It was a huge accomplishment by all three parties to get this to happen,” Steve Nystrom, a Eugene principle planner, said.
Friday was the final day to submit testimony about the arena to the city before the hearings official closed the record to review the information and either approve or deny the University’s CUP application. Briggs is scheduled to announce her decision Nov. 6.
“It was important for the neighborhood to get this done before the record closes so (the hearings official) knows there is an agreement reached across the board,” Nystrom said. “We made it under the wire.”
The agreement addresses several parking and traffic issues that were a concern for the neighbors.
It stipulates that a new Fairmount Neighbors Event Parking District that encompasses the Fairmount neighborhood be created and monitored by the city. This will limit the additional traffic in the area by restricting parking for event-goers to two hours or less from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day, according to a University release.
Residents and visitors will need a permit to park for more than two hours.
“The University will sell up to 500 arena event parking permits for on-street parking in the district … for men’s basketball games and men’s and women’s post-season basketball games,” according to the release. Additionally, Fairmount residents can receive up to two free residential parking permits.
According to the release, the University will donate the revenue from event permit sales to the city to fund parking enforcement in the neighborhood.
The agreement states that the University will provide approximately 1,750 park and ride spaces for those who will arrive via LTD buses, 2,000 off-street parking spaces, bicycle parking and physical improvements to nearby streets, according to the release.
During events, the University will use traffic control devices and flaggers in the area to minimize through-traffic from driving through the Fairmount neighborhood.
Another key aspect of the agreement is the creation of a monitoring committee that will “review and evaluate the success of the mitigation measures” continuously, according to the release.
“That’s something that is key to this whole agreement,” Nystrom said.
The committee will comprise two representatives from the neighborhood association, two from the city and two from the University.
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