10/11/1954 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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<)99 ~ t..:,)\?) e Ii -- - I II A REPORT OF THE PLAN~ING COMMISSION- REI CIVIC CENTER WAS SUBMITTED AND READ AS 13 Ii FOLLOWS: II Ii "To PROVIDE FOR THE EFFICIENT AND ATTRACTIVE GROUPING OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS; TO Ii ASSURE A CONSOLIDATED SITE FOR BOTH IMMEDIATE AND LONG-RANGE DEVELOPMENT; TO CAPITALIZE ON THE CURRENT INTER-GOVERNMENTAL NEEDS ~HICH CREATE A ONCE-IN~A-LjFE-TIME OPPORTUNITY Ii FOR STARTING A~P.UBLIC DEVELOPMENT CENTER; TO STI MULATE, SIMULTANEOUSLY, PARKING ALLEVIA- ,I II TION, TRA~FIC SIMPLIFICATION, AND PARK DEVELOPMENT; AND TO RECONSTRUCT THE HEART OF II ! EUGENE AS BEFITS ITS STRATEGIC POSITION ON THE MAIN PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY AND AT THE CENTER OF THE UPPER WILLAMETTE VALLEY METROPOLITAN AREA, WE RECOMMEND: I . THAT THE CtTY COUNCI L TAKE ALL NECESSARY, STEPS TO MAKE TH~ ENTI'RE STRI P FROM THE COUNTY COURT HOUSE PROPERTY NORTH TO THE RIVER FRONT, A PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT AREA, TO BE PRESERVED AND ADVANCED ON A COORDINATED BASIS THROUGH ALL FUTURE CITY ACTIONS - ZONING, STREET PLANNING, TRAFFIC REGULATION, PARK DEVELOPMENT, ETC. - WITH FIRST PRIORITY ON THE DEVELOP~ENT OF THE AREA BETWEEN THE COURT HOUSE AND THE RAILROAD, WITH SECOND PRIORITY e ON THE PROTECTION AND ACQUISITION OF RIVER-FRONT LAND, AND WITH DEVELOPMENT OF THE ii ESSENTI AL IN-BETWEEN AREA TIMED AND PLANNED IN ACCORDANCE .WITH FUTURE NEEDS. ,I THAT THE CITY COUNCIL AT THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY ADOPT AS PUBLIC POLICY THE " 2. II Ii DEVELOPMENT OF LANDS ADJACENT AND NORTH OF THE COURT HOUSE PROPERTY AS THE FUTURE SEAT II OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT. Ii I II THESE RECOMMENDATIONS ARE BASED ON THREE SIMPLE REASONS: I I Ii II d I . SOME PLAN IS NECESSARY. ii 2. A cONSOLiDATED PLAN IS ADVANTAGEOUS. I' ,I 3. THIS SITE FOR A-coNSOLIDATED PLAN IS PREFERABLE. I' - ' Ii . SOME FLEXIBLE SCHEME FOR THE FUTURE IS AS NECESSARY IN PUBLIC BUSINESS AS IN ,[ PRIVATE -- SOME SENSE OF DIRECTION, SOME GOAL, SOME PLACE TO BE TEN OR TWENTY YEARS II )1 HENCE. WI THOUT COMMI TI NG I TSELF TO PREC I SE DETA I LS WH I CH CANNOT BE FORESEEN FOR THE I, INDEFINITE FUTURE,. THE CITY C~N AND SHOULD ADOPT A GENERAL SCHEME INTO WHICH PRESENT II AND FUTURE NEEDS CAN BE HARMONIOUSLY FITTED. A PLAN IS NOT A DREAM. IT IS A NECESSITY. I IT IS NOT A BLUEPRINT FOR PARTICULAR BUILDINGS BUT MERELY A GUARANTEE THAT THERE WILL :1 'i BE AN ADVANTAGEOUS PLACE FOR THEM IF AND WHEN NEEDED. EVERY CITY IS RAPIDLY CHANGING, . II AND FEW MORE RAPIDLY THAN EUGENE. IT IS EXTREMELY FLUID, AS SHOWN IN A GENERATIONS'S !I i' CHANGE EVEN AT THE HEART OF THE CITY. A PLAN IS MERELY A WAY OF CAPITALIZING ON SUCH ,[ FLUIDITY - A WAY OF SEIZING THE OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY ARISE. IT ALSO IS A WAY OF II RELATING PUBLIC BUILDINGS TO BUSINESS AND RESIDENTIAL AREAS WITHOUT CONFLICTING INTERESTS, I, CONFLICTING FUNCTIONS, AND CONFLICTING DESIGNS. II Ii A CONSOLIDATED PLAN, FOR A PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT AREA INSTEAD OF SEPARATE PROJECTS Ii Ii SCATTERED OVER THE CITY, IS CHEAPER IN THE LONG RUN, MORE EFFICIENT, MORE CONVENIENT, " " CITY PLANNERS, " AND MORE CONDUCIVE TO INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION. GOVERNMENTAL :i : ~ EXPERTS, AND ARCHITECTS'AGREE ON THE~E ADVANTAGES. PROGRE~SIVE CITIES, LARGE AND " Ii II SMALL, HAVE FOLLOWED THIS SCHEME SUCCESSFULLY, ALTHOUGH MOST ARE SERIOUSLY HANDICAPPED tI BY HAVING WAITED TOO LONG FOR SUITABLE SITES. WHAT EUGENE PROPOSED WOULD BE THE ENVY :1 I I: OF MOST C I TI ES, AS ILLUSTRATED. BY THE WIDE PUBLICITY THE LOCAL PROPOSAL HAS ALREADY i ~ GAINED. UNLIKE SCATTERED DEVELOPMENT, THE CONSOLIDATE~ PLAN WOULD MAKE A TREMENDOUS II " IMPACT ON THE LAYOUT OF THE ENTIRE CITY, GIVING IT A DISTINCTIVE AND ENVIABLE CHARACTER, :! TO SAY NOTHING OF THE, BEAUTY INCIDENTALLY ADDED. THE CONSOLIDATED PLAN IS HIGHLY " i: ADVANTAGEOUS ALSO BECAUSE IT CAN BE DONE jN STAGES. IT IS NOT A SERIES OF ONE-SHOT I' iI AFFAIRS, EACH HASTILY DESIGNED TO MEET AN EMERGENCY; INSTEAD, IT IS AN INTEGRATED LONG- Ii II RANGE SCHEME ACCOMMODATING BOTH EMERGENCIES AND rUTURE DESIRES., IT CAN TAKE CARE or II CITY OR OTHER GOVERNMENTAL BUILDINGS NEEDED TOMORROW, YET NEITHER IRREVOCABLY EXCLUDE :, e Ii THE UNFORESEEN NEED OF TEN YEARS HENCE NOR mBE 'F1 NE IF WE CAN ArFORD IT' DEVELOPMENT , Ii WHICH MAY NOT BECOME A REALITY FOR 50 YEARS. , I THE SITE NORTH or THE COUNTY COURT HOUSE, WHILE NOT IDEAL IN ALL RESPECTS, IS ! I' Ii GENERALLY PREFERABLE TO OTHER PROPOSED SITES EXCEPT IN COST OF LAND ACQUISITION, WHICH " Ii IS OFFSET BY NUMEROUS NON-FINANCIAL ADVANTAGES AND BY THE FACT THAT NO ALTERNATIVE AFrORDS ANY REASONABLE PROSPECT OF COMBINED CITY, COUNTY, STATE; AND FEDERAL SUPPORT. It THE SITE IS ALMOST IDEAL IN THAT IT LIES ADJACENT TO THE BUSINESS AREA, WITHOUT BISECTING I IT, YET REPRESENTS ENOUGH BLIGHTING AND OBSOLESENCE TO CALL FOR REDEVELOPMENT. To BE I I ADJACENT TO BUSINESS, YET TO,OCCUPY SPACE BUSINESS IS GRADUALLY SURRENDERING IS A HAPPY COMBI NATI ON. THE LOCATION IS OTHERWISE DESIRABLE BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO THE FERRY I STREET BRIDGE AND ITS ACCESSIBILITY TO THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING AREAS NQRTH AND WEST or \1 THE CITY. IT LIES AT THE NORTHERN ENTRANCE OF EUGENE FROM WILLAKENZIE, SARINGgrEOD, " I, lND rRE ACCESS ROUTES TO THE PROPOSED NEW NORTH-SOUTH STATE HIGHWAY. IT CAN TAKE ADVAN- I: " II TAGE OF, AND TIE DIRECTLY INTO, THE OVERALL PLANNING FOR BETTER TRAFFIC CIRCULATION. I THE SAME OPPORTUNITY PRESENTS ITSELF WITH RESPECT TO EAST-WEST TRAFFIC, FOR WHICH PLANS I I I ARE ALREADY UNDER WAY FOR SUBSTANTIAL DIVERSION TO A CUX-OFF SOUTH OF THE BUTTE AND NORTH I ,I OF THE RAILROAD, THUS ANSWERING THE VALID ARGUMENT THAT WHROUGH TRAFFIC PREFER~BLE SHOULD Ii NOT BISECT THE PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT AREA. THE PLAN CAN ALSO AID IN ALLEVIATING THE DOWN 1\ TOWN PARKING SITUATION. 11 'I Ii e II I, II ,\ Ii ~ I: