01/09/1961 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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~2"'2 l' >, e 1/9/61 AS SIDEWALK LOCATIONS, ,RESPONSIBILITY FOR STORM SEWERS, STREET INTERSECTIONAL COSTS, STREET COSTS FOR EXCESSIVE WIDTHS OR THICKNESS OF PAVING, CULVERTS OR BRIDGES, THESE MATTERS SHOULD BE SPELLED OUT IN FULL AND ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL. II ,I I il Ii " ,> " ! ANOTHER MATTER OF INTEREST AND CONCERN TO THE THREE PRIMARY GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES IN THE EUGENE-SPRINGFIELD METROPOLITAN AREA IS THE ADOPTION OF UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR SUB- DIVISION DEVELOPMENT. THIS NEED HAS BEEN DISCUSSED BY LANE COUNTY, SPRINGFIELD AND EUGENE AT THE MAYOR'S COORDINATING COUNCIL. IN FAIRNESS TO ALL PEOPLE -- THE HOME OWNERS, BUILD- ERS, THE CURRENT OR FUTURE RESPONSIBLE POLITICAL AGENCY, AND THE TAXPAYERS -- LAND BEI~G SUBDIVIDED FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT, OR ROADS BEING CONSTRUC1ED, SHOULD:BE IMPROVED TO HIGH STANDARDS UNIFORMLY ADOPTED BY LANE COUNTY AND THE TWO CITIES. IN THIS WAY OWNERS qF HOMES IN NEW SUBDIVISIONS AND THOSE WHO INVEST IN NEW STREET CONSTRUCTION CAN BE ASSURED OF A SOUND I NV.ESTMENT AND UN I FORM PUBL I C MA I NTENANCE OF STREETS A~D PUBLI C .UT I LI TIES. PHYSICALLY, THE EUGENE-SPRINGFIELD .AREA IS ONE CITY. No PART SHOULD BE MADE SUB-STANDARD BY INADEQUATE CONSTRUCTION OF:INSUFFICIENT IMPROVEMENT. NEW DEVELOPMENTS CAN AND MUST PROMOTE A HIGH LEVEL OF HEALTH, SAFETY AND .ECONOMY FOR THE CITIZENRY. I WISH TO INVITE THE ATTENTION OF THE COUNCIL AND THE CITIZENS TO CERTAIN POSSIBLE PROJECTS FOR THE YEAR 1961. e ONE OF THE MOST OBVIOUS NEEDS FOR OUR CITY IS A NEW CITY HALL. THE OLD STRUCTURE HAS SERVED WELL, FIRST AS A HIGH SCHOOL AND SINCE 1915 AS THE CITY HALL. THE BUILDING IS STRUC- TRUALL Y U"!SOUND AND.. UNDOUBTEDL Y WOULD HAVE :BEEN CONDEMNED YEARS AGO I F . I T WER~ USED BY ANY GROUP OTHER THAN THE CITY. THE ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO SUBMIT TO THE PEOPLE A BOND ISSUE FOR A NEW CITY HALL IN 1961 . THE PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY APPROVED OF THE LOCATION EAST OF THE OSBURN HOTEL IN TH~ RAPIDLY DEVELOPING C,VIC CENTER. I ALTHOUGH A GREAT DEAL HAS BEEN DONE BY MERCHANTS AND PROPERTY OWNERS OF DOWNTOWN EUGENE TO IMPROVE BUILDING, STORE FRONTS, ETC., THERE IS MUCH REMAINING TO BE DONE. THE RECENTLY ANNOUNCED .5,000,000 SHOPPING CENTER~ COMPRISING 45 STORES IN WILLAKENZIE, SHOULD MOBILIZE OTHERS INTO ACTION IN THIS REGARD. CUSTOMERS M4ST BE ABLE TO GO DOWNTOWN AND DRIVE FOR THE MOST PART ON CONGESTION-FREE STREETS AND PARK WITHIN A REASONABLE WALKING DISTANCE OF WELL- KEPT MODERN SHOPS. IF THIS CANNOT BE DONE MANY PERIMETER SHOPP'NG CENTERS WILL SPRING UP TO THE DETRIMENT OF DOWNTOWN AND THE CITY GENERALLY. I PROPOSE THAT A COMMITTEE OF INDI- VIDUALS REPRESENTING THE CITY, THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND BUSINESS BE FORMED TO SEEK WAYS AND MEANS OF PERSUADING ALL DOWNTOW>> RROPERTY OWNERS WH~ HAV~ NOT DONE SO TO IMPROVE THE~R PROPERT I ES, BOTH ON A SHORT RANGE AND LONG RANGE BAS IS. THE. RESULT I NG I MPROVEMENTS I N AP- PEARANCE, UPGRADING OF PROPERTY VALUES AND INCREASED BUSINESS WILL BE BENEFICIAL TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY. To IMPROVE TRAFFIC SAFETY AND MOVEMENT AND THE GENERAL .APPEARANCE OF THE DOWNTOWN AREA, I PROPOSE AFTER STUDY THAT WE BEGIN IMMEDIATELY A ~ROGRAM OF WIDENING AND IMPROVING STREETS. IF EVEN A FEW BLOCKS WERE IMPROVED EACH YEAR, THE ENTIRE JOB COULD BE DONE 'IN TEN TO TWELVE YEARS. ANOTHER PROBLEM WE MUST FACE IS ~HAT SE~ERAL BLOCKS OF DOWNTOWN STREErS ARE BEGIN- NING TO WEAR OUT AND A REPLACEMENT SCHEDULE SHOULD BE SET UP TO RENEW SUCH STREET~. THE FINANCING 60R THESE TWO POSSIBLE PROGRAMS SHOULD RECEIVE CAREFUL STUDY. A PROGRAM OF STREET WIDENING SHOULD BE PRECEDED BY A ST~DY Tq DETERMINE THE MOST ECONOM- ICAL AND EFFECTIVE WAY OF IMPROVING STREET .CAPACtTY. IN SOME INSTANCES WIDENtNG MIGHT BE MOST EFFEC11VELY ACHIEVED BY REMOVING ON-STREET PARKtNG. ON ONE OR BOTH SIDES OF THE STREET, WITH THE MONIES THUS SAVED INVESTED IN OFF-STREET PARKING. I f FEEL THAT THE MEMBERS OF THE C'~Y GQUNClL SHOULD BE COMMENDED FOR THE INTEREST THEY HAVE SHOWN IN ATTEMPTINq TO WORK OUT A POSSIBLE ORDINANCE INCORPORATING A PARKING AS~ESS-. MENT DI~TRICT.UNDER SUCH A PROCEDURE PARKING LOTS:MAY BE ACQUjRED AT APPROXIMATELY EQUAL COSTS TO THE CITY,AND TO THE BENEFITTED PROPERTY OWNERS. By SPLITTING THE COSTS AND SPREAD- ING THEM OVER A TEN-YSAR PERIOD, UTIL,ZING THE CITylS CREDIT, .NO ONE WOULD BE SERIOUSLY AF- fECTED. THUS, PERMANENT PARKING COULD ~E PURCHASED ONA GRADUAL BASIS I~ SUCH A WAY THAT THE FINANCIAL DRA"N' WOULD SCARCELY BE NOTICED. I AM HO~EFUL THAT WE MAY PROCEED ON THE PARK- ING ASSESSMENT P~OGRAM AS RApiDLY AS POSS'IBLE. - ALTHOUGH WE HAVE REACHED METROPOLITAN STATUS THERE IS EVERY REASON TO BELIEVE THE GROWTH CYCLE IN THE EMERALD EMPIRE IS ONLY GETTING WELL STARTED. THE EXPERTS TELL US THAT BY 198Q WE WI~L HAVE OVER A ~UARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE IN THE EUGENE-SPRINGFIELD AREA. ASSUMING THIS TO BE TRUE, WE MUST HAVE AT LEA:?T ONE ARTERIAL THAT COULD EVENTUALLY BE DEVELOPED INTO AN EXPRESSWAY BOTH NORTHAND.SOUTH AS WELL AS EAST AND WEST. AfTER THOROUGH STUDY OF ALL POSS!BILITIES FOR HANDLING FUTURETRAFFIC,IN THE SOUTH WILLAMETTE AREA I FEEL THAT THE CITY HAS MADE A WISE CHOICE IN SELECTING THE AMAZON AR- TERIAL ROUTE AS BEING THE LEAST EXPENSIVE AND MOST PRACTICAL NORTH-SOUTH TRAFFICWAY. IT IS REGRETTABLE ,THAT THIS TYPE OF PROGF3ESS ME'ANS THE ACQUISI,TION OF PROPERTY. AND THE DIS- PLACEMENT OF PERSONS.B'!" BEGINNI":IG NOW ON AN8 TO 10 YEAR RIG,HT-OF-WAYACQUISITION PRO- GRAM, HOWEVER, A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF THE PRESENT PROPERTY OWNe:RSWILL,:IN THE NORMAL COURSE OF E~ENTS,DESIRE TO SELL THEIR PROPERTIES AND WILL LITERALLY REQUEST THE CITY TO PURCHASE THEIR ~OMES IN ORDER THAT THEY MAY BUY MORE MQDERN STRUCTURES WITHIN THE NEWER RESIDENTIAL SECTION S OF THE CITY OR DISPOSE OF THEIR HOLDINGS TO FOLLOW THEIR TRADES OR PROFESSIONS IN OTHER AREAS OF EMPLOYMENT. EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT FEW PEOPLE ARE FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES.: As ~N EXAMPLE, AFTER~ESS THAN TWO YEARS, APPROXIMATELY ONE-THIRD OF THE PRIVATELY OWNED LAND, INVOLVING SOME 140 ACRES AND NINE HOMES, HAS BEEN ACQUIR~D IN THE NORTH BANK PARK BY VOLUNTARY SALE. ; .' ,I " I I' [I I II ! - ~,