Projection of impacts backs plan for armory.

Byline: JEFF WRIGHT The Register-Guard

A 122,000-square-foot armory on acreage just north of Lane Community College would cause minor traffic, noise and other impacts, a draft environmental review concludes.

The Oregon Military Department, which released the document, wants to build the $26.2 million armory for use by the Army National Guard and Navy and Marine Corps reserves. It would include an indoor firing range and accommodate as many as 450 vehicles on training weekends.

The Russel Creek Neighbors Association, citing a host of objections ranging from wetlands to weapons safety, is fighting the project in both state and federal appeals court.

Dan Stotter, an attorney representing the Russel Creek neighbors, said he's not surprised by the draft's findings.

"I expected that the Oregon Military Department would say that the best plan is the plan they already have," he said. "They're supposed to do environmental review to guide their decision, and they're using it to rubber-stamp their decision."

Stotter said neighbors continue to believe that many of the project's impacts relating to traffic, noise, sewage, water quality and other issues are significant. He said the project also "opens the door to more commercialization" in the 30th Avenue corridor, which is outside Eugene's urban growth boundaries.

Maj. Jason Schwebel, the military department's chief of construction, said the draft assessment was compiled by the Lewis Berger Group, an environmental consulting firm based in Washington, D.C., over 10 months and at a cost of $31,250.

Schwebel said he's pleased by the conclusions, but emphasized that the report is only a draft and could be revised after considering other input. The department hopes to break ground in 2003, he said, but added, "We want to take our time and do it right."

The draft assessment concludes that only 0.15 acres of "low-quality" wetlands would be lost, to make way for an entry road on the property. Most of the armory would be built on the uplands portion of the 35-acre site, and a buffer would be maintained between the developed area and the wetlands, the report said.

Large white oak trees on the site have been damaged by past construction, but would be spared to the greatest extent possible, the report said.

Noises generated by the armory's indoor firing range would not be noticeable, the report said. Analyses indicate that firing range noise at the nearest residence, about 200 feet away, would be 19 decibels - far below the 45 decibels that already exists because of freeway traffic and other sources, the draft said.

Air quality would be affected primarily through increased vehicle emissions, according to the report. On drill weekends, the number of vehicle trips would increase by an estimated 8.2 percent on East 30th Avenue and 6.4 percent on McVay Highway, the two roadways that would be used to reach the armory.

As many as eight convoys could report to the armory each year, with all but two of them limited to 15 or fewer vehicles, the assessment said.

Air quality, noise and other environmental impacts would be greatest during construction, the report said. Construction hours would be limited to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m..

The project doesn't affect any threatened or endangered species and poses no serious groundwater, storm drainage or contamination problems, the report said. Proposed mitigations include landscaping and measures to control runoff and prevent soil erosion.

The project shouldn't adversely affect property values, the report said. But Stotter said that could depend on who owns the property - neighbors who want a rural residential atmosphere or developers eager to build up the area.

The armory - featuring classrooms, assembly hall, kitchen, vehicle storage and vehicle maintenance - would replace the existing Eugene armory and two smaller armories. In addition to a training and readiness center for military reservists, it could serve as a central disaster response center.

Most of the property is zoned for exclusive farm use. But thanks to a law passed specifically for the project by the 1993 Legislature, an armory is allowed in such a zone if located within a half-mile of a community college.

Lane County Circuit Judge Lyle Velure ruled last December that the project complies with local land use law and can go forward. The Russel Creek neighbors have appealed that decision, and also filed a complaint in federal court alleging that the state Military Department "jumped the gun" by obtaining a state land use permit before it had a formal proposal or completed environmental review.

Neither appeal has a court date scheduled, though legal briefs are due next month. Lane County commissioners, asked last month to OK construction of an entry road to the project, decided to wait until the court cases are resolved.

The U.S. Senate, meanwhile, earmarked $9 million for the project last month, on top of $8.3 million appropriated by Congress last year.

MORE INFORMATION

To see a copy of the assessment: Visit Eugene Public, Springfield Public or Lane Community College library; or visit the Web at www.mil.state.or.us/Agi-E/AFRC.html.

To comment: Send written comments by Aug. 19 to Scott Stuemke, Attn: AGI-ENV, P.O. Box 14350, Salem, OR 97309-5047. For more information, call [phone].