02/08/1988 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e to be only partially successful in other places, the league questioned whether that was the type of growth most area residents wanted. Ms. Girardeau said the chief rationale for inclusion of the property in the urban growth boundary was rail access. She said the Oregon Economic Development Department, in its growth industry survey of 1986, had concluded that on-site rail service did not appear to be an important requirement for the type of industries expected to use this site. She added that with both railroads up for sale, service to the area was by no means certain. Ms. Girardeau said the extension of public services, such as police and fire protection, sewer, water, electricity, transportation, and storm drainage would be in the millions of dollars. Developers were expected to pay some of the installation costs, she said, but taxpayers presumably would pay for the ongoing services and maintenance. She asked whether taxpayers favored that. Ms. Girardeau said nationwide trends were away from heavy manufacturing industry development in favor of service industries. In recent years, she said, non-manufacturing employment had accounted for 97 percent of annual net job growth in Oregon. She said no assurance had been given that the property actually would be developed for that use in the near future or ever. She said the league urged denial of the plan amendment. She also submitted written testimony expanding and documenting their opposition. ~ Amanda Marker, 29695 Meadowview Road, Junction City, said she had been appalled when the Chamber of Commerce representative had spoken in favor of the request, because she thought the chamber had known more about what was going on in town. She said the subject property included a 40-acre plot for a sludge pond being built by Metropolitan Waste. She said representatives of Brown and Caldwell had told residents that the sludge would not smell. She said she also did not understand how 42 acres of sludge could be left out to dry in Oregon! Ms. Marker cited a 1986 study conducted to find the best areas for urban growth. She said great change had occurred since 1986, including the 40 acres for a metropolitan waste drying bed, condemnation of Agripac farmland, and the stench from Agripac that last summer had made people sick and had resulted in costs to farmers who thought their equipment was malfunctioning. Ms. Marker said representatives of Brown and Caldwell had told residents that cannons and piano wire would be used to keep birds away from the metro waste drying pond, as well as that there would be no smell, and she had difficulty believing them. e Ms. Marker said she wondered about the type of businesses that would be able to use the site, which had about 250 feet of railroad without going through the sludge plant or the neighbor's property. She said only about 67 feet of property along the north side of Meadowview Road was owned by the applicants, and the rest of the property between the railroad tracks and Highway 99 was owned by private individuals. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 8, 1988 Page 12