CC Minutes - 03/07/05 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

Ellen Hyman, 3863 Dorchester Lane, spoke regarding the survey on urban growth boundary (UGB) expansion. She related that feedback thus far indicated that the survey was too long and that some people felt it was biased in favor of the expansion. She said a Santa Clara resident wanted to be called for the survey and was told she would not be contacted because her name was on a sign-up sheet at one of the City- sponsored park meetings. She wondered why this person would be excluded. She shared that a person indicated that he was called for the survey and was told the upper age limit was 65 years of age and that he was too old. Ms. Hyman reported that the Santa Clara Committee for Sensible Parks and Open Spaces distributed its surveys as an insert in The Register-Guard. Out of 466 respondents, 96 percent wanted the City to maintain the UGB and supported the purchase of park land within the UGB. She stated that the committee drafted an alternative plan, now submitted to the SCCO for a vote, and hoped to be able to submit the plan to the City Council at its next meeting. David C. Woods, 953 West 8th Avenue, echoed Mr. Stathakis' comments regarding development adjacent to the WOW Hall. He questioned the wisdom of giving a developer ~free property and tax breaks" when others could develop the property and keep it on the tax rolls. He wondered what guarantee there would be that the legality of the WOW Hall's agreement with the developers and future residents of the building would not be overturned in court. He asked why a ~perfectly sound" building that insulated the WOW Hall from noise should be destroyed. He requested that a series of public meetings be held to increase public input in this process. Mort Hyman, 3683 Dorchester Lane, indicated that a traffic engineer from the City of Eugene spoke at the last meeting of the SCCO. He did not feel the engineer was very helpful. He said people asked questions about narrow streets with parking on both sides and about the bottle-neck at River Road, River Avenue, and Beltline Road. He also heard some questions regarding the seeming lack of timing between traffic lights. He noted that the traffic engineer was quick to point out that some parts of that area were governed by the City and some by the County, and suggested that some problems needed more attention from public safety officers than from traffic engineers. He asked that someone on the council make a motion to obtain information on the traffic issues and frustrations in Santa Clara. He hoped this would be addressed before traffic was exacerbated by a UGB expansion. Ethen Perkins, 2410 Monroe Street, testified on the proposed Enterprise Zone. He desired the biological diversity of the zone to be maintained. He said he had been studying the Fender's Blue Butterfly and Kincaid Lupine habitat issues and how to define and set up criteria for them to conduct habitat restoration. He hoped that, in the course of setting up enterprise zones, potential habitats for these endangered organisms would be identified and incentives provided to conduct restoration within the zone. He said that he had personally benefited from an enterprise zone and thought such a process was completely feasible. He suggested extending enterprise zones to those who were willing to set aside some land to enhance habitat for endangered species. Zachary ¥ishanoff, Patterson Street, was puzzled about why the Santa Clara survey did not include the opinions of older persons. He attributed this to social engineering. He recommended the councilors read an essay called The Curse of the Creative Class, available on line. Mr. Vishanoff asked why the council was not organizing a public process for the proposed basketball arena. He thought a project of that magnitude warranted attention. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 7, 2005 Page 3 Regular Session