CC Minutes - 12/12/07 Work Session/Workshop

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Ms. Solomon also favored option 1a and preferred the more formal urban forest landscaping approach, instead of trying to recreate native habitat. Mayor Piercy determined there was consensus regarding urban forest landscaping. Ms. Bettman stated that she liked option 1a, but preferred the supporting elements in the second option. She preferred a Northwest-inspired design instead of steel and glass. She felt that a connection to nature should be reflected in preservation of riparian areas and access corridors as well as access in a dense urban environment to community public spaces, instead of using urban land for plazas. She said softness should be a part of the building design instead of being achieved through landscaping, which increased maintenance costs. She objected to investing in renovations to a building the City did not own and felt that locating a police patrol facility at 2nd Avenue and Chambers Street with a large surface parking area was contrary to sustainability. Mr. Penwell remarked that GSA had been considering separate ownership of the portion of the federal building that might house municipal court functions. Mayor Piercy appreciated the connection to the river and green elements in the designs and preferred option 1. She noted there was a sky bridge from the current City Hall to the Lane County building across Pearl Street and wondered whether a similar feature would be possible in a new facility to maintain that connection between governmental entities. Mr. Poling commented that he would not be interested in the federal building except on a temporary basis during construction as the intent of a new city hall facility was consolidation. He pointed out that a police patrol facility would require significant parking as officers could not rely on public transportation or bicycles to report to work, particularly in an emergency situation. Mr. Zelenka said he liked option 1 and suggested the addition of a water feature to the plaza area at the entrance. He wanted to see an architectural design that was more reflective of the Northwest and less steel and glass. He was in favor of using the federal building for court functions, but the City would need ownership or a long-term lease of the space to justify the cost of renovations. He understood the need for significant parking associated with a patrol facility, but felt the $24 million cost was too expensive. He asked how much of that cost was land acquisition. Mr. Cohen said land acquisition would be approximately $1.7 million assuming approximately $12 per square foot. He said the design was still being developed and the facility could be more functional and modest because it was not a public building like City Hall. Mr. Zelenka stated that the city hall and patrol facility projects needed to move forward in tandem. Ms. Taylor said she was disturbed about building a massive parking lot and if the patrol facility were downtown it would be easier to use public transportation. She suggested that officers could drive their patrol vehicles home. She liked the idea of using the federal building if the space could be purchased or leased on a long-term basis. She asked how a new building would be more linked to the river than the current City Hall. Mr. Cohen said the intent was to begin developing 8th Avenue as a great street and a connection between the park blocks and the river. Mr. Clark concurred with the importance of encouraging alternate modes of transportation, but was pleased that the police facility would have adequate vehicle parking, as that was an integral part of effective police functions. He did not believe that individual transportation modes would ever be eliminated and should be MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 12, 2007 Page 4 Work Session