CC Minutes - 06/12/06 Work Session

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Yeiter said yes, to some degree; the street treatment helped define the level of adjacent development and pedestrian accessibility. Mr. Papé asked if the City had a process to reach other decisions about the project. Mr. Yeiter said yes, during the second phase of the project, when all interests would again be brought together. Staff wanted to ensure that people understood the ramifications of their preferences. He added that it was likely staff would return at key points for further direction from the Planning Commission and the council. Ms. Ban asked how the project affected bicycle traffic. Mr. Yeiter noted the bicycle connection near Agate Street, where many bicycles cross Franklin Boulevard. He said that the City had not yet heard from residents to the north. He hoped to engage the bicycle commute community as that could affect the design of the street. Ms. Bettman recalled that in May 2003, the City Council adopted a modified boundary for the node that th removed a section of the neighborhood south of 17 Avenue in response to residents’ concerns. The boundary had been at Moss Street, but the boundary shown on the map in the Agenda Item Summary went beyond that. She asked if the council adopted a new boundary. Mr. Yeiter clarified that the boundary shown was the study area boundary. The node boundaries remained the same until further City Council action. Ms. Bettman recalled that the definition of a node called for its center to be a quarter-mile from the edge, which was why the boundary was moved to Moss Street. She was concerned about the study boundary. Ms. Bettman appreciated the expertise brought into the community and regretted she had conflicts preventing her from attending the presentations. She hoped staff did more such education to overcome business community objections to boulevard treatments. She said that Alan Jacobs made a presentation at the Oregon League of Cities regarding boulevards that demonstrated such treatments reinvigorated commercial activity. Ms. Bettman called for design standards for the high-density development to make such development more palatable to neighbors. She suggested the City consider bringing in additional outside expertise to discuss design standards that would help such areas to accommodate higher densities without destroying property values. She maintained that for residents, the issue was “not really density, it was design,” and suggested that higher density housing could serve as a transition area between lower density residential and commercial areas. Ms. Bettman said the City could utilize the expertise of entitles like Calthorpe Associates or Congress for the New Urbanism to assist in those efforts. Selection of Third EMX Route LTD’s Director of Development Services Stefano Viggiano said the goal of the meeting was to discuss the selection of a third EmX corridor. He noted the upcoming completion of the first corridor, the Franklin EmX corridor, which would connect downtown Eugene and Springfield. Mr. Viggiano reported that the board decided on ten-minute headways in the corridor and LTD purchased additional buses to ensure that occurred. Mr. Viggiano said the second corridor, which would be a continuous route between downtown Springfield and Gateway, was under consideration and he anticipated the board would make a final decision on the route in September 2006. Funding for the project was coming together and, if everything went well, it should be under construction in 2009 and open for service later that year or in 2010. MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 12, 2006 Page 4 Work Session