10/10/1983 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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Jim Williams, 2870 Riviera Court, Springfield, Manager of the University e Book store, said he was speaking on behalf of some of his employees who were concerned with the lack of reasonable parking if the program were implemented. He felt that adequate concern for employee parking needs had not been considered and the area encompassed in the proposal was too far-reaching. He suggested that adoption of the proposal be postponed until these concerns were studied. Sandra Bond, 1200 West 4th Street, Eugene, said she was an on-call employee at Sacred Heart Hospital and therefore worked a variety of shifts and hours. She said she usually came to work or left work in the dark, and she did not want to walk any distance from the hospital in the dark. She said she has always managed to park within two or three blocks of the hospital on a well-lighted street during the eight-and-a-half years she has worked there. She said public transportation did not operate at the hours when she traveled to and from work. She also explained that adequate parking in the Sacred Heart parking structure was not available due to the overlap in shift hours. She questioned why the curbs within a three- or four-block radius around the hospital were painted yellow when the new structure was completed, thereby removing needed parking spaces. Donald Smurthwaite, 2550 Bowmont Drive, Eugene, said he also worked at BLM, the second largest employer in the WUN area. He said the BLM employees also resented not being informed or included in the decision-making processes. Mr. Smurthwaite said the City could not charge for a service that it could not guarantee. He questioned the study by the City that attributed 70 percent of the cars parked in the area to commuters, stating that the bulk of the problem lay in the densely populated University area and that the proposed program e would solve nothing. He suggested that the City eliminate many of the unused two-hour parking zones in the area south of 13th Avenue between Oak and Hilyard Streets, stating that many of these areas were not used during the early morning or afternoon hours. He said the program represented a commuter tax, another example of the City failing to understand the problems of its residents. He said he sympathized with the residents' problem, but stated the City was over- looking the true factors creating the problem. He said people would not pay over $200 per year for a non-service and that the congestion would continue at the same level. Greg VanDyke, 729 East 11th Avenue, Eugene, thanked the council for the oppor- tunity to review the parking program. He hoped the meeting would demonstrate enough concern that the council would temporarily rescind or modify its previous decision. He read a petition signed by 371 Eugene residents opposing the proposed West University Neighborhood parking program, stating the program failed to account for all the parking needs of residents within the area. He said the proposal was a good attempt, but it was too inflexible to be effective over such a diverse area. He said he lived in a fraternity one-half block from the program area, explaining that most of the fraternity's parking was in the program area because there were only 23 parking spaces on Alder Street. He said the members of the fraternity were not being given equitable parking for the amount of money they spend in the West University area. He felt the proposal appeared to be an attempt to raise revenue for the City, forcing students to pay for parking. He said the parking fee was not a deterrent to parking as stated by staff. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 10, 1983 Page 4