10/25/1976 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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west of the downtown business core. He said land use in that westside area would be considered upon receipt of .a subsequent report from the Commission; the one under discussion relates only to the Commission's recommendation with regard to moving traffic eastward from the Jefferson/Washington couplet and -- re-examining the objectives of the urban renewal plan and expansion of the re- tail and cultural activities in the downtown area. Jim Saul, planner, in presenting background information with regard to the Commission's recommendation, noted previous distribution to Council members of Planning staff notes and minutes covering public hearings before the Commission on the Blayney and Kayser reports with regard to the area between Charnel ton and Jefferson, 7th and 13th. Based on those hearings, the Commission recommended adoption of policy statement that would recognize the desirability of moving arterial traffic eastward from the Washington/Jefferson couplet and commitment to that goal if shown to be feasible upon determination of the (1) effect on the total transportation network, (2) monetary cost, and (3) social cost, including the effeyt upon other neighborhoods. He said the Commission recognized, as did the Blayney report, that any shift of traffic should be done as part of the over- all ESATS update currently in progress, but shifting the movement eastward would enhance both the residential area and retail activities downtown. The adoption of the recommended policy statement, he said, would not specifically make a com- mitment to :he use of Lincoln Street or any other alternative at this time, but it does s<l'ess the importance of evaluating monetary and social costs and effect upon the total transportation system before any shift is made. Mr. Saul continued that the second policy statement involved reaffirmation of the (;"I'f'5 policy with regard to the promotion of a vital downtown core area and objectives of the urban renewal plan and community goals statements, the renewal area to be expanded to include the block containing the WOW hall at 8th and - Lincoln where major restraints were recommended in considering development of that block. Public hearing was opened. Brenda Krivak, no address given, and Brian Livingston, 1991 Garfield Street, showed slides depicting suggested alternatives for the westside area as presented in a memo previously distributed to Council members. Mr. Livingston said citizens- lay people - should be involved in the planning process before the professional planners had a set plan, that public hearings did not really constitute citizen involvement. He felt citizens should be involved in the transportation system update - ESATS - in the design process before it was completed, not when it was presented in public hearing. He described the Community Design process proposed in their memo. Scott Lieuall en, 1190 West Broadway, thought this was an excellent opportunity to carry out community goals and General Plan statements with regard to routing traffic corridoes around residential neighborhoods rather than through them. He felt the traffic should be moved from Washington/Jefferson and said the neighbor- hood groups, as well as citizens involved in the ESATS update, had support that idea. Where it should be moved to, he said, should be open to further discussion but it should be to an area compatible with that type of traffic. Clark Cox, Jr., 1085 Patterson Street #9, agreed that the present Washington/ Jefferson traffic was out of character with that residential neighborhood. He . also favored further retail expansion of the downtown area rather than putting that activity in a residential area, but he thought it would be impossible to make a concrete decision until the outcome of the ESATS update was known. 10/25/76 - 4 50~