CC Minutes - 04/14/08 City Council Meeting

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Gerry Gaydos , 440 East Broadway, Suite 300, spoke in regard to Agenda Item 5, regarding the recom- mended design for Crest Drive, Storey Boulevard, and Friendly Street. He commended the process that had brought the design recommendation forward. He underscored that the overall issue was what was best for the City, which would be decided by the council. He asked the council to consider the issues regarding bicycling and safety as well as the need to maintain the rural character, which meant that some people still had larger vehicles such as tractors and recreational vehicles. He pointed out that if access were taken away from someone it constituted a taking. He agreed there should be a compromise between City standards, design, and safety. He thought this might be best served by having the narrow roads that had been approved. He felt that if the City went further and required diverters and traffic calming elements it would cause area residents concern. There were many difficult intersections in the area. He underscored the need to accommodate emergency vehicles. Lyndell Wilken , 3065 Whitbeck Boulevard, stated that she had served as the bicycle/pedestrian representa- tive for the Crest Drive Community Team (CDCT). She said everyone in the process regardless of their position felt passionately about the design for which they advocated. She felt no one could be faulted. She expressed disappointment in the design as presented because she did not believe it provided safe passage for bicycles. She related that many in the bicycling community wanted the full five-foot wide lane. She disagreed with the design and could not vouch for its safety. th Marilyn Milne , 2156 Harris Street, spoke regarding the proposed building project on the corner of 19 Avenue and Alder Street. She thanked Councilor Zelenka on behalf of the neighborhood for “caring about the livability” of the neighborhood. She related that the neighborhood residents had met with the developer of the apartment building. She felt he was concerned and said he was now looking at ways to lessen the impact of the building on the neighborhood. She noted that the neighborhood had representatives on the Infill Compatibility Siting Task Force (ICS) and several members were serving on ICS subcommittees. Ms. Milne stated that many South University Neighborhood Association (SUNA) residents attended the Planning Commission’s recent Minor Code Amendment Process (MiCAP) meeting. She related that they had been disappointed in the planners’ recommendation for “an extremely limited” transition zone between th land zoned R-3 and R-1 on the south side of 19 Avenue. She said one resident had offered suggestions for how to improve the proposal. She averred that current code in the ICS directives did not define density so that it recognized all forms. She cited, as an example, conversion of a residence into a home for five to eight non-related people. She said another MiCAP proposal concerned parking. She felt it would help to have ICS explore parking requirements for R-3 and R-4 developments. She added that they wanted the area thth between 18 and 20 Avenues and Agate and Hilyard Streets to be an ICS test case. She asked the council to “remind City staff to follow through on these directives.” th Victor Stathakis , 935 West 8 Avenue, chair of the Wayne Morse Youth Program, stated that the free th speech terrace was operating again for its 16 year with the advent of the first Saturday Market of the year. He invited the councilors to see Mr. Morse’s legacy in action, which he wanted to pass on to young in particular. He called it a tough venue. He said they were proud of the Saturday Market and the Farmers Market; they had “three great corners.” He related that the fourth corner, however, featured a “disparate bunch of groups.” He invited the City to tap into its expertise on how to better coordinate this area. He noted that they were working well with the County Commissioners but they needed help from the Eugene Police Department (EPD). He remarked that it was not numbers so much as the quality of policing. He averred that they needed “Officer Friendly” who knew the people there and could discern between those who were bad and those who were good. He asked to sit down with representatives of the EPD to talk about the possibility of making the area someone’s beat. He wanted to improve the fourth corner. MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 14, 2008 Page 5 Regular Meeting