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<br />M I NUT E S <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL <br />April 28,1975 <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />Adjourned meeting of the Common Council of the city of Eugene, Oregon, adjourned from <br />April 14,1975, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Lester E. Anderson at 7:30 p.m. OP <br />April 28, 1975, in the Council Chamber. Council members present were: Neil Murray, <br />Gus Keller, Wickes Beal, Tom Williams, Ray Bradley, D. W. Hamel, Eric Haws. and Edna S~iref. <br /> <br />(0001) I - Public Hearings <br />A. Removal of parking from 6th and 7th Avenues, Blair Boulevard to Ga~field ~tre~t <br />Council members on tour previously viewed the area where removal of parking was <br />recommended by staff. <br /> <br />Al Williams, traffic engineer, explained the parking removal was petitionee as .~e <br />result of a presentation before a service club, and owners of abutting p~operty <br />o far as possible using existing records had been polled for an indicatlc: of aI <br />proval or disapproval. He said there was no attempt to contact other than those <br />directly affected by the proposal. Also. the Traffic Safety Commission 5uppor~' ~ <br />the proposal. <br /> <br />Public hearing was opened. <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />Ed Anderson. owner of Eugene Linen Supply, 1850 West 6th Avenue, ofiered comments <br />with regard to traffic congestion on 6th Avenue. He called attention to available <br />parking space on side streets where cars could be parked with little inconvenience <br />to drivers. He noted the difficulty in crossing 6th from side streets where there <br />were no traffic lights, and suggested a third lane to allow a continuous turn mov~- <br />ment from Garfield. It was his opinion that the parking removal would permit a lot <br />of traffic movement without the cost to the city of extensive road work or requir- <br />ing an expressway vote. <br /> <br />Richard Freeman, 1140 West 6th Avenue. presented a petition opposing the parking <br />removal bearing 60 signatures, many of which he said represented people responding <br />favorably to the traffic engineer's poll. but had changed their mind~. He thought <br />two lanes on 6th and 7th were sufficient to handle the traffic if obstructions <br />created by the State in building the Washington/Jefferson interchange were eliminated. <br />He also thought the railroad tracks presented a problem. that there ~as no access <br />at that point to the overpass (without going through the interchange). <br /> <br />Helen Dougherty. 1055 West 6th Avenue (Boon's Red Carpet Motel), thought the pa~king <br />ban in itself would be enough. but to add three lanes of traffi., would have a really <br />negative effect on small businesses abutting 6th and 7th. And she felt that her <br />parking lot. provided in accordance with code requirements, would have increased <br />use from the general public shopping in adjacent retail stores., She commented that <br />the motel parking was used even now by the public using a nearby phone booth. <br />Ms. Dougherty felt the issue of par~ing on 6th and 7th was a matter of "life and <br />death" for the small businesses on those streets. <br /> <br />Public hearing was closed. there being no further testimony. <br /> <br />- <br /> <br />Traffic Engineer Williams explained that the petition presented by Mr. Freeman <br />contained signatures of people owning property or who were tenants on side streets <br />and not directly affected by the proposed parking removal. Only one of those <br />polled by the traffic division and directly affected had changed positions. With <br />regard to the Red Carpet Mote, he said, prohibition of parking on other streets in <br />the city appeared to have no adverse effect on establishments similar to the Red <br />Carpet Mote. He didn't .think the parking removal would present the problem antici- <br />pated by Ms. Dougherty. Assistant Manager added that experience had shown three <br />lanes of traffic permitted easier access to businesses than two lanes on which <br />heavier traffic had a tendency :0 impede movement. ~C)~ 4/28/75 - 1 <br />