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City Acceptance of Non- developable and marginally developable lands <br /> Discussion Paper -DRAFT <br /> Introduction <br /> From time to time the City of Eugene has the opportunity to acquire parcels of undeveloped land. <br /> These parcels are typically non - developable, either economically, due to difficult site conditions, <br /> or through regulatory restrictions, such as the size of the parcel or wetland and open space <br /> designation. A developer or individual may offer an undevelopable parcel or a marginally <br /> developable parcel to the City as a donation, or for sale at or below fair market value, or as a <br /> trade. The acquisition of such parcels can be beneficial to the City, especially if it will enhance" <br /> existing park land, open space, natural resource corridor, or wetland. However, in other instances <br /> such an acquisition could result in a net liability to the City, and as such, acquisitions of this nature <br /> must consider a variety of factors and criteria. <br /> The goal of this discussion paper will be to identify issues which should be evaluated when <br /> looking at developing a set of guidelines and procedures to be used to decide whether or not to <br /> take ownership of a parcel of non - developable land for the purpose of open space and/or natural <br /> resource preservation and enhancement. Once identified, these factors need to be incorporated <br /> into a set of guidelines which facilitate a decision. It is hoped that an offered parcel can then be <br /> evaluated using these guidelines, resulting in a clear answer to the question: Should the City <br /> accept ownership of the parcel? <br /> Lacking formal guidelines supporting a coordinated decision of whether or not to accept a <br /> particular parcel, important issues may not be addressed prior to acceptance of a parcel. The <br /> possibility exists that a parcel which would later create problems for the City could be accepted <br /> for City ownership O c , c..v‘ / ss c � <br /> In developing guidelines and procedures to evaluate the acquisition of non - developable parcels, <br /> the following issues need to be addressed: What criteria will be used to decide whether or not to <br /> accept a parcel? What will be the best use of the parcel if acquired? What funding and finance <br /> issues might be associated with accepting the parcel? What alternatives, besides City ownership, <br /> are there for achieving the desired land use. <br /> )12-/-Q <br /> WI \Ye r <br />