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July 22, 1994 <br />'AMAZON PARK DEVELOPMENT PLANNING <br />CRITERIA AND CONSIDERATIONS <br />BEHIND THE <br />PLANNING DECISIONS <br />The act of planning for how Amazon Park will be developed was <br />essentially an exercise of balancing competing needs for park <br />space within the community. The adopted planning documents that <br />govern in this situation (Oregon Statewide Planning Goals, the <br />Lane County Metropolitan General Plan [Metro Plan], and-the <br />Eugene Parks and Recreation Plan) all .contain goals and policies <br />that are. often, to some extent, in conflict with each other. <br />Briefly, all plans speak to the need to preserve and enhance the <br />community's natural resources, and all plans speak to the need to <br />provide a variety bf recreational opportunities in ways that-make <br />them accessible to the population. The oral and written. input <br />received in the Amazon Park planning process affirmed that those' <br />conflicting goals and objectives exist in the community. <br />Fortunately, there is a natural way these interests sort <br />themselves out.: Areas of high natural resource value tend to <br />have not been disturbed at this point because they have been the <br />most costly to access and develop. The areas of low natural <br />resource value include those areas-.that have been disturbed by <br />past use of the land or grading in conjunction with various <br />projects and park improvements. <br />The proposed plan generally-focuses new development in the <br />disturbed .areas,. proposes managing other areas.for~their natural <br />resource value, `and suggests opportunities for recreating <br />wetlands in areas that were filled years ago. Not all <br />recreational amenities that were suggested by the public are <br />being included, and not all suggestions for expanding natural <br />resource values are included.. <br />What follows are a series of "findings!' that are pertinent to <br />Amazon Park. Following that are a series of discussions about <br />each planning decision; and how the findings have affected some <br />of the planning decisions, <br />FINDINGS <br />History: Citizens of Eugene, raising money through the Century <br />Fund, acquired Amazon Park in 1946. Early planners had visions <br />for developing the entire park with greater recreational <br />offerings than are planned today. Before Amazon Creek was <br />engineered for flood control purposes in the late 'S0's, there <br />was frequent flooding. Some rural development along the west <br />side of Hilyard Street had. existed during pre-park days, <br />primarily involving livestock grazing. <br />1 <br />