CCMinutes - 11/22/04 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber--City Hall November 22, 2004 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Bonny Bettman, George Poling, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, Betty Taylor, David Kelly, Gary Papd, Jennifer Solomon. Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting of the City Council to order. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Torrey reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Patti Duncan, 4270 Hyacinth Street, spoke on behalf of the Santa Clara Committee for Sensible Parks and Open Space (SCCSPOS). She reiterated the neighborhood's concerns regarding the McDougal Brothers' proposal for a land swap. She related that the neighborhood was not opposed to parks, but it objected to the addition of 1,000 homes in the area. She said schools were already overcrowded and a substantial population increase would exacerbate already dense traffic. She added that she had taken her son out of Irving Elementary School because she considered his classroom to be too crowded to provide her son adequate attention. She conveyed the neighborhood's intention to remain a presence before the Planning Commission and the City Council in their continued opposition to the land swap. Zachary Vishanoff, Patterson Street, asserted that the Prisoner of War/Missing In Action (POW/MIA) flag should fly atop Skinner's Butte on a year-round basis. Mr. Vishanoff reiterated concerns he had about riverfront redevelopment and nanotechnology research. He urged the council to hold public hearings on it. He felt this development had ramifications for all of the population of Eugene that would be felt into the future. In closing, Mr. Vishanoff conveyed his objections to the new playground being installed at Skinner Butte Park. He called it a %ookie-cutter" park, similar to others built in other states. Ray Wolfe, 1473 Luella Street, asserted the City Council majority would unfairly transfer wealth from the poor to the wealthy citizens of Eugene should it grant a ten-year property tax exemption to the 13th Avenue and Olive Street condominium projects. He said some property tax assessment costs were identified in tax bills and others were not and those tax exemptions were not among the identified elements. He averred that one-third of the Lane County taxpayers were financially marginal, at, or below the poverty line income level. He stated that 74 properties were declared delinquent in the previous year and given a one-year notice prior to condemnation proceedings. He felt the proposal to grant the Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) to the condominium project was tantamount to ~reverse Robin Hoodism." He questioned the MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 22, 2004 Page 1 Regular Meeting