City approves land annexation.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - The City Council on Monday gave a unanimous nod to a resolution to annex 14 acres adjacent to Symantec Corp.'s current call center into the city limits.

The resolution is a step toward the software company expanding its campus and building a new facility. The land is within Springfield's urban growth boundary, but annexation would allow the permit and development process to begin. The annexation now goes before the county boundary commission, which will decide its fate.

The vote was 5-0, with Councilor Dave Ralston absent.

According to plans submitted to the city May 16, Symantec is considering doubling the size of its campus by adding a 205,000-square-foot research and development facility.

The California-based company submitted tentative plans to build a two-story office building on 14.14 acres immediately west of its existing customer service center on International Way.

The company mentioned no time-line for completion of the center in its paperwork nor did it say how many jobs it might create. Symantec moved to Springfield from Eugene in 2002 and had obtained an option to buy the 14.14-acre parcel from Sony Disc Manufacturing for a future second phase. The company now owns the land, said Colin Stephens, the city's planning supervisor who presented the recommendation for the annexation's approval to the council.

Earlier in the evening, the council held a work session and public hearing with the Lane County Board of Commissioners to discuss a redevelopment plan for an area in Glenwood.

City planners and architects have worked more than three years on the proposal, which is a redevelopment plan for 48 riverfront acres in the Glenwood dubbed "Subarea 8: The River Opportunity Area."

"It's the last developable riverfront area between the two cities," architect Otto Poticha said during the work session.

Their proposal doesn't call for zone changes, said city planner Susanna Julber. If approved in July, it would lay the groundwork for individual developers to apply for zone changes.

The plan calls for what's known as nodal development, which is designed so residents can live, work, shop and play within walking distance.

Because of the de-emphasis on cars in nodal development, features such as drive-through businesses and gas stations would not be allowed in that neighborhood, Julber said.

The plan would allow for a mix of uses. According to papers submitted to the council for the work session, 30 percent to 60 percent of the land would be set aside for residential use, 10 percent to 30 percent for employment purposes such as offices and 25 percent to 35 percent would remain open space for drainage, riparian areas and public right of way.

The riparian requirements drew comments from two of the three men who spoke during the public hearing. The proposal calls for an average of 75 feet setback from the river.

Springfield resident and former City Councilor Fred Simmons said he supports the "dream" of redevelopment and acknowledged the work that had gone into planning so far, but said he thought the setback should be at least 100 feet.

The proposal has, Simmons said, "a couple little glitches in it that need to be addressed, but I do want to say the dream is great."

Eugene resident Zachary Vishanoft said he thought the term "nodal development" is a politically correct word for growth and his 3-minute speaking time ran out before he could finish reading a passage that compared nodal development to a cult.

In other business, the council approved its $242 million 2005-06 budget after some discussion about whether to add a half-time public information officer before or after the city chooses a new manager. The current budget allows $68,189 for the position, an amount that includes wages, benefits, material and services.