07/29/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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IV. WORK SESSION: URBAN RENEWAL PLAN UPDATE (MALL IMPROVEMENT/PLAZA/ WILLAMETTE STREET FROM 8TH TO 10TH AVENUES e Mayor Obie and Councilor Bennett excused themselves at 12:55 p.m., and Council President Debra Ehrman assumed the chair. Mr. Farkas requested that the Counci 1 provide direction about areas for additional staff research. Ms. Bascom said she continued to receive requests for evidence supporting the opening of Willamette Street between 8th and 10th avenues. She said she had circulated the information staff had distributed about successes and failures of various malls, and she requested additional information from Ed Whitelaw and any other sources available. Ms. Ehrman said the written record still was open. Mr. Rutan said he thought it was important tD listen to the quality, and not just the quantity, of public comments in trying to ascertain the will of the people. He said a scientific surveyor vote should be conducted if sides were going to be counted. Mr. Rutan said he had heard at the public hearing that opposition to the opening of Willamette Street was not a narrow group of individuals, and he respected their opinions and was glad they had attended, but he was not convinced by the number of persons who had testified either way. He added that he was ready to discuss the issue and to make a decision. Ms. Ehrman said no vote would be held today because Ms. Schue was absent. She also said she had a conflict on September 16, so action would have to occur no sooner than the week after that. e Ms. Wooten said she originally had opposed the feasibility study for opening Willamette Street between 8th and 10th avenues, but she later had become more open to the possibility. She said she, too, was ready to make a decision, and the deciding factor for her had been unresolved issues, such as the lack of satisfactory evidence that the opening would improve business and/or precipitate new development and the lack of resolution of the public plaza issue among the commission, designers, and staff for more than two years. Ms. Wooten said she would support the opening of East Broadway, which would make much more sense, but that had been put aside. She said she did not support the opening, not because of numbers, but because of common sense. Despite evidence to the contrary, Ms. Wooten said people enjoyed and wanted the mall, and she thought it would be foolish to proceed. She added that she felt strongly enough about the issue to favor eliminating that part of the Urban Renewal Plan adoption and tabling the issue, referring it to the public, or both. Mr. Miller said he thought the Council should slow down and do more homework on issues such as evidence and design options and should develop agreement among the community. Mr. Miller also said he was willing to proceed with increments of the project, such as deciding about the fountain. Ms. Bascom said she did not think the public had been persuaded that the street should be opened. She suggested proceeding with a design committee e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 29, 1987 Page 9