CC Minutes - 10/15/07 Public Hearing

Home Browse Search

traffic calming, preservation of the neighborhood's rural character and safety. He said the proposed 18-foot street width spoke to those values. Cathryn Treadway , 2820 Friendly Street, Eugene, vice-chair of the Crest Drive Citizens' Association, read a statement from the chair regarding the association's support for nine-foot travel lanes. That width would maintain the unique rural character and aesthetics of the neighborhood. She said that her property would be assessed. John Rude , 1207 Courtney Place, Eugene, stated that his property would be assessed. He reiterated the citizen association's support for 18-foot street widths. He said City staff had dishonored the context sensitive design solution process by advocating for 20-foot widths. He emphasized the importance of 18- foot street widths to preserving the integrity of the Crest Drive neighborhood environment and urged the council's support. Sherie Hawley , 3484 Storey Boulevard, Eugene, said her property would be assessed. She explained the 18-foot street widths were vital because that had been the street width in that neighborhood for 100 years, that width would slow cars down, the new construction would add four to five feet of pavement in addition to the travel lane and could not be accommodated if the travel lanes were wider. She noted that other area in the community and other communities in the state had 18-foot street widths without jeopardizing safety. Christine Sullivan , 1207 Courtney Place, Eugene, said her property would be assessed. She said using a context sensitive design process in the Crest Drive neighborhood had been very challenging because of the complex issues involved. She said there were other more desirable routes for bicycles to take to rural areas and the steep incline in the neighborhood discouraged most bicycle traffic; that would not change if the roadways were wider. She urged support for 18-foot street widths as the best solution for all transportation modes, including bicycles. Christina Gryce , 895 Crest Drive, Eugene, said her property was at the corner of Crest Drive and Storey Boulevard and would be impacted by improvements on both streets. She said the cost of improvements would be high and the greatest percentage of that cost was construction. She said maintaining 18-foot travel lanes would help to contain cost and conserve resources. Barbara Donovan , 885 Crest Drive, Eugene, commented that maintaining the neighborhood environment was a strong value during the design process and it was challenging to balance the needs of all street users with preservation of neighborhood. She said widening travel lanes and adding sidewalks to a 100-year- old road would threaten trees, vegetation, stream corridors and wildlife habitat. She said the 18-foot width would also have a larger footprint than the current roads, but would afford better protection of the environment. Jo Warren , Friendly Street, Eugene, said the estimated street assessments were some of the highest ever seen and she would be unable to afford them. She implored the council to listen to the neighborhood and maintain the nine-foot travel lanes. She questioned why the City would consider widening roads and encouraging more cards. She thanked those who had worked on the context sensitive design process. Fred Long , 810 Crest Drive, Eugene, said he was an assessed property owner, a member of the design team and a bicyclist who commuted to work and rode recreationally. He said that bicycle accessibility and safety was an important consideration during the design process and the Eugene Bicycle Coalition was involved throughout; recent concerns were expressed primarily by one individual and not based on accurate MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 15, 2007 Page 2 Public Hearing