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Mr. Helton repeated CCPA concerns regarding potential noise conflicts that could arise between a residential structure and the hall. He encouraged the City to work with the hall, as it was an existing use. Ellen Ityman, 3863 Dorchester Lane, spoke regarding the proposed land swap in Santa Clara. She said she assumed that the intention of the urban growth boundary (UGB) was to encourage smart growth and to control urban sprawl. She asserted that having the boundary forced officials, developers, and citizens to carefully consider decisions that could have irreversible repercussions. She understood changes to the UGB in the Santa Clara area were not slated to be considered until 2017. As such, she was deeply concerned that changing the UGB to benefit developers and city coffers at the expense of area residents set a bad precedent. She referred to an Eco-Northwest report, which alleged that the City would lose the ability to regulate development at the Laurel Hill site with the land swap. Ms. Hyman said it took 500 years to make one inch of top soil. She questioned the wisdom of sacrificing good farmland. Ms. Hyman remarked that it seemed the McDougal land swap was a "done deal" and had been in the works for years. She thought it looked "underhanded." She suggested the City purchase the Santa Clara Elementary School site for park development instead. She noted that, should the land swap go through, there would be no funding for park amenities. Additionally, she questioned the wisdom of having staff create a parks survey for area residents. She submitted her testimony in writing. Vanessa Fadjo, 26904 High Pass Road, spoke on behalf of the Santa Clara Committee for Sensible Parks and Open Spaces (SCCSPOS). She acknowledged that she did not live by the land proposed to be swapped for land in the City and developed, but felt it was a move "in the wrong direction." She explained that she was working to become a local, small-scale farmer, having chosen this area of the country because of rich agricultural land and the strength of the locally grown food movement. She had been shocked to learn that the UGB would be altered 12 years earlier than scheduled in order to allow development on Class 1 soils. She thought the loss of this much farm land would set a "scary precedent." She had personally experienced the frustration of coaxing fertility out of lesser soils. She opined that covering prime soils with a housing development outside the UGB would circumvent State planning goals. She referred to Goal 14, which determined that no development should occur on Class 1 soils unless less desirable soil was not available. Ms. Fadjo added that, although she could not speak to the proposed 77-acre park personally, she had met with many Santa Clara residents through her work in the SCCSPOS and none were willing to agree to such a park if it included a 1,000 home development. She stated that the committee's petition now had over 900 signatures in opposition to the development. Randall J. Collis, 2176 Prestwich Place, stated that he had been chairman of the Board of the Oregon Festival of American Music (OFAM) for six years. He related that the OFAM Board had been discussing the potential outright purchase of the Shedd Auditorium, formerly the Baptist Church. He said the purchase would include the parking lot on 8th Avenue and High Street. It had been brought to the attention of the OFAM Board that the City had indicated interest in developing the parking lot as part of its Great Streets project. He stressed the importance of the parking lot to the purchase as OFAM wished to expand its Oregon Music Institute. He noted that the board and City staff had discussed possible alternatives and had not found one that was mutually agreeable at this point. He conveyed that the OFAM Board would only be open to contiguous land swaps. MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 6, 2004 Page 2 Regular Session