CC Minutes - 10/08/07 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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David Thor Johnson , 4986 Hunters Glen Drive, suggested that the councilors give themselves a raise. He heard that the City was considering purchasing land for the Ridgeline Trail project outside of the urban growth boundary (UGB). He urged the council not to forget the Beverly/Green properties which could become parks within the UGB. Tom Halferty , 4510 Manzanita Street, echoed Mr. Johnson. He supported the idea of a green “ring around Eugene.” He supported the concept of the Ridges to Rivers and actually acquiring properties. However, he urged the City to acquire the Beverly/Green properties first. He expressed some concern that the properties would be dropped from the slate. Lisa Warnes , 5020 Nectar Way, heard that the City was applying for a Forest Legacy matching grant for land outside of the UGB. She had “worked around the clock” to get people to back the parks bond in 2006. She felt that “many” people voted for it thinking it would be used to purchase the Beverly/Green properties. She averred that it would kill an important funding tool for the Amazon Headwaters acquisition if outside properties were purchased first. She provided pictures of La Jolla, California, landslides to substantiate her belief that building on hillsides was not prudent. Zachary Vishanoff , a resident living on Patterson Street, averred that giving one’s address acted as a deterrent to some people who would otherwise testify. He believed that there would be more citizen engagement now that this requirement had been lifted. He provided the council with copies of an article on historic buildings on the University of Oregon campus, one of which was MacArthur Court. He said there had been discussion of razing that building, which he believed to be very important. He felt that whether the building should be razed should be a “full community decision.” He opined that the University “had a habit” of leaving low-income houses that it owned empty. He declared that it would be “obscene” to leave 25 or 30 homes empty while there would be a need for housing during the 2008 Olympic Trials. He asserted that the University would have to fix them in order to utilize them and that it was unwilling to do so. He called the University a “slum lord” and the retention of vacant housing “strategic degradation.” He wanted to get the council to rethink weighing in on the University’s alleged request for more autonomy from the Oregon university system. Lyndell Wilken , 3065 Whitbeck Boulevard, member of the Crest Drive Community Team (CDCT), stated that her role in the process had been to represent bicyclists in the community with regard to the design concepts for the Crest Drive area roads. She related that she had a good working relationship with the CDCT but she had one concern. She said there had been bicycle lanes included in the design on the uphill sides of Crest Drive by Wayne Morse Ranch and on Friendly Street through the second open house. She felt that when smaller subcommittees composed of “just street-front people” were convened, the bicycle amenities disappeared. She said it was thought that traffic-calming features would be adequate to slow traffic and make it safe for bicyclists. She thought the issues concerning bicyclists had not been adequately addressed. She underscored that both an 18-foot and a 20-foot road looked narrow to a cyclist. She wanted to find a way to get bicycles out of the traffic lane while retaining a “country look.” Robert Newland , 3895 Vine Maple Street, stated that he was the proposed developer of the property at 1360 and 1372 Patterson Street for which action had been scheduled on a Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE). He wished to underscore that he had worked diligently to design an architecturally interesting building with balconies and courtyards that would incorporate sustainability features. He predicted the structure would enable residents and the City Council 50 to 100 years from now to look back and be pleased that it was not just another “big box” that would densify the area. He asked that the council MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 8, 2007 Page 2 Regular Meeting