Concerns

Wildfire and Evacuation

As we are located extremely close to the Urban Growth Boundary and its forested areas, wildfire is a major concern.

The property is a natural firebreak as both the wetlands and oak trees slow the progress of wildfire, giving firefighters the opportunity to protect structures rather than having to create a firebreak.

Without the wetlands and oak trees and the natural firebreak they provide, this area will be vulnerable to a rapid spread of wildfire.

It is extremely difficult for the Fire Department to service this area due to the approved design of the narrow, private streets. The Fire Marshall recommended fire lanes on both sides of the street with no parking. The City disregarded the Fire Marshall's recommendations which seriously endangers the surrounding community.

Safety risks are further increased by the decision to only have one single entrance/exit point. This creates a dangerous evacuation issue. The recent catastrophic fires in Lahaina, Hawaii and the Pacific Palisades neighborhood outside Los Angeles have tragically shown us what can happen when safety is secondary to development.

Hawkins and Timberline are narrow roads making evacuations problematic especially while emergency vehicles are trying to reach the area.

Landslide and Flooding

The property itself has already been deemed a medium risk for landslides. In March 2024, the Videra neighborhood experienced damaging landslides and that was with the erosion protection of the existing oak trees and wetlands. The Planning Commission's decision to remove both the protection of the oaks and the requirement of geotechnical and geological analysis further endangers homes and property in and below the proposed development.

The downstream Videra neighborhood’s culvert is already at capacity and has experienced both flooding and creek bank erosion issues, which have required reinforcement of the bank.

The current stormwater plan does not address the concerns of the Videra neighborhood. It relies on too few swales and individual homeowners to install stormwater detention systems. It also requires individual homeowners to monitor and maintain both the swales and any detention system.

Wetland Mitigation

The project would partially or completely fill eight onsite wetlands. In total, approximately 6,316 cubic yards will be excavated, and 5,819 cubic yards of fill permanently placed within all excavated wetland features (cumulatively).

This is approximately 70% of the existing wetlands on the property. Wetlands have a huge role in the ecosystem.

Additionally, the remaining wetlands will be contained on private lots and only protected by deed restrictions which are rarely enforced and easily ignored. See map of remaing wetlands on private lots

Wetlands are important because they:

Are a natural firebreak in the event of a wildfire.
Act as a recharging system, holding excess water that will then feed Videra Creek during the dry summer months. This has the additional benefit of ensuring that Videra Creek is not seasonal.
Filter stormwater, preserving the quality of the water entering Videra Creek, while also slowing the flow of water, preventing the creek from being flooded and eroding its banks.
Filter, slow, and absorb stormwater, which eliminates flooding.
Prevent land erosion in the steeply sloped areas.
Are a habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, who depend on it.
The wetlands in Videra Oak Meadow are part of the watershed that flows into Videra Creek, which is one of the headwaters of Amazon Creek, sustaining native plants and wildflowers in addition to the wildlife.

Environmental Concerns

The property contains a rare remnant of oak savanna habitat which once dominated the Willamette Valley, but is now down to the last 2-3%. These oaks were relied on by the Indigenous peoples who populated the area. Their fire-resistant bark allowed for field burning, and now protects us from wildfire as they are very slow to burn and their canopies do not explode.

The plan has no protections for any of the increasingly rare oak trees, some of which are 150-300 years old. What the plan also ignores is the undisturbed, critical root zone which contributes to the prevention of landslides, flooding and erosion.

Removal of approximately 70% of the 4.56 acres of wetlands will also remove their natural ability to prevent flooding and erosion, while putting the health of Videra Creek at risk.

The property is a well-used wildlife corridor and habitat for a wide variety of wildlife who depend on it. Since the cessation of previous construction the area has seen a large influx of wildlife who rely on the property for food, water and shelter.

As a wildlife corridor, the property connects the forested Urban Growth Boundary and Videra Park open space with the open space across Hawkins and Skyview Park.

The property is the headwaters of Videra Creek, which flows into Amazon Creek and eventually to the Long Tom River.

Traffic Issues

Due to the lack of public transportation in this area, each unit will likely have 2+ cars. This could result in as many as 328 cars increasing the traffic burden and decreasing safety.

Increased traffic on Hawkins means increased difficulty for Videra and Kismet residents to exit their neighborhoods.

With the opening of Southview and Tanner Park Roads and the proposed additional construction of Timberline Hills, there will be a major increase in traffic in surrounding neighborhoods.

Due to current codes, this development proposal is not required to do a Traffic Impact Analysis. Therefore, the cost of any road modifications required due to increased traffic volume will be borne by the taxpayers.

Due to high speeds and increased volume of traffic, Blacktail Dr. has already qualified for traffic calming measures.

Site Concerns

You might have heard about Eugene's new middle housing code. Middle housing does not mean “Middle Income Housing." It refers to the type of housing between apartment style and single family detached homes. Middle Housing comprises duplex, triplex, fourplex, townhomes and cottage clusters.

Eugene's new middle housing code means that up to 164 or more housing units could potentially be built. The developer will initially develop 37 lots below the 900’ elevation level, with the intention of adding an additional 4 middle housing lots above the 900’ elevation level.

Middle Housing code does not require off street parking. We do not have public transportation in this area; therefore any residents would need their own transportation, with possibly no place to park. If each unit has two cars, there could be as many as 300 or more cars.

This will NOT be middle housing in price, due to the high cost of developing such difficult terrain. The developer will price high to recoup the cost.

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