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In closing, Mr. Nielson thanked the City because the push for collector status for the neighborhood streets <br />had given birth to solidarity. <br /> <br />Paul Thompson, 2970 Charnelton Street, speaking as chair of the Crest Drive Neighborhood Association, <br />conveyed the opposition of the association, as per the vote in the previous spring. He reminded the council <br />that one year ago the neighborhood association had voted to formally and unanimously endorse the inclusion <br />of context-sensitive design in the arterial/collector street plan. He observed that the work session had <br />indicated that the council would not move ahead with an option on November 8 that did not identify either <br />arterial collectors or local streets and possibly entered into an approach that looked at design options before <br />classification. He asked that, should this approach be chosen, members of the neighborhood be carefully <br />selected to aid in the design. <br /> <br />Diane Thurlow, 217 Crest Drive, called attention to the fact that nearly all of the people who resided in the <br />neighborhood had signs in their yards indicating their opposition to having the street designated a collector. <br />She asked why the issue was not resolved already, given the level of opposition. She commented that she <br />had to back out onto Crest Drive and that she did not find it to be dangerous. She liked the area and the <br />wildlife, adding that she believed property values would go down if the change was instituted. <br /> <br />Kathryn Lorish, 897 West 36th Avenue, thanked everyone present for all of their hard work. She thanked <br />Mayor Torrey and the council for postponing the action from the previous spring. She said she learned <br />since the Crest Drive vote that people were vital. She commented that the cohesiveness of the neighborhood <br />had grown out of the ;;crisis." She stated that nearly 100 percent of the neighbors had signed a petition in <br />opposition to the change in street designation. <br /> <br />Fred Lorish, 897 West 36th Avenue, jokingly suggested a toll booth be installed at either end of the road. <br />He reiterated the neighborhood's willingness to work with City staff and that the neighbors wanted input into <br />what the improvements would entail. He noted that it was the final neighborhood to be added to the <br />Comprehensive Plan and that this was not enough reason to make the change. He hoped City staff and <br />neighbors could work together toward a ~win-win" solution. He conveyed the neighborhood's resolve to <br />work with the City and preserve the neighborhood they lived in. He stressed that the neighborhood would <br />not agree to a change that would increase traffic and the speed it travels at through the Crest Drive corridor. <br /> <br />Matt Shuler, 890 West 36th Avenue, called Eugene a ~distinctive" community. He related that he had <br />enjoyed the passion for democracy and for the neighborhood. He thought City staff, as steward of the <br />community process, was trying to see the issue through new eyes. He pointed out that the new overlay, <br />context-sensitive design, provided the opportunity for Eugene to lead the way and make it a best practice. <br />He suggested that the Crest Drive neighbors had the energy and passion to pursue context-sensitive design <br />and the City should seize the opportunity to deploy that energy in a positive way. <br /> <br />Michael Boutette, 2970 Friendly Street, thanked the City for conducting the hearing. He concurred with <br />comments made by previous speakers. He asked the council to consider who wanted the plan, noting that <br />less than three percent of the neighborhood did. He wondered why, if it was so roundly opposed, the City <br />was continuing to pursue a plan to redesignate area streets. He asserted that the TransPlan was supposed to <br />benefit neighborhoods. He suggested the City work on a neighborhood that did want such improvements. <br /> <br />Marcella Moore, 2812 Friendly Street, stated that she had resided at her residence for 28 years. She <br />opposed the designation of Friendly Street, Storey Boulevard, and Crest Drive as collectors. She loved the <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 25, 2004 Page 7 <br /> Regular Session <br /> <br /> <br />