Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Mayor Piercy observed that the councilors, for the most part, agreed that they wanted to find ways for people to live more densely while doing it in a way that preserved the character of neighborhoods. She had some concern in regard to the impact affordability was having on the School District 4J. She related that she recently spoke with School Superintendent George Russell about this and there was some question of what the community would do when young families could no longer afford to buy houses. She asked the council to consider what the City would do if only wealthy people could find a house in the City while other areas became “ghettoized.” She said working families were struggling to find a place in the community and if things keep going on this track, they no longer could afford to live in Eugene. She felt one could go into almost all neighborhoods in the City and find “all different kinds of housing and all different levels of income” and this was something to be cherished. Councilor Bettman agreed with the mayor’s sentiments. She said they had to work to preserve affordable single-family housing as it existed in “traditional urban core neighborhoods.” She asserted that allowing “blanket up-zoning” to this level of density in single-family areas would be detrimental to the neighborhood as it would increase the number of rental units and contribute to the high turnover of area residents. Councilor Taylor considered the housing in the neighborhood in question to be middle-income housing and thought it should be protected. Roll call vote; the motion to substitute Councilor Papé’s motion passed, 6:2; councilors Ortiz and Kelly voting in opposition. Roll call vote; the substitute motion passed, 6:2; councilors Ortiz and Kelly voting in op- position. The meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Dennis M. Taylor City Manager (Recorded by Ruth Atcherson) MINUTES—Eugene City Council September 11, 2006 Page 7 Regular Meeting