02/22/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e and two. He said reopening the street to vehicles is only a symbol of the real issue of access and visibility. Ms. Schue said the question should be how the council can achieve additional access downtown without destroying the amenities people appreciate. She said the council can consider opening part of the mall to cars such as the half block at the north end, the plaza between the Overpark and surrounding buildings, and the courtyard between the Atrium Building and Center Court. Mr. Rutan suggested the council reconsider the Eugene Downtown Public Spaces study by Don Miles that proposed implementing a Broadway concept on Willamette Street or opening the street in a limited way with two narrow lanes. He said the council could consider having Mr. Miles conduct more research on alternative proposals. However, he said additional information should not be gathered at the expense of delaying a decision. Mayor Obie said the council has all the information it needs. Mr. Miller said the key is vehicular access, and the council should perhaps review pertinent alternatives. He said the council needs to find a way to involve the public and determine if the citizens are behind the council IS efforts. He suggested one possibility is putting the issue to a vote. - Ms. Wooten said she agrees with Mr. Rutan regarding Mr. Miles' study. She said the study demonstrated how the area can be renovated but remain closed to cars, and outlined how the street can be opened to vehicles while retaining a pedestrian orientation. She said the council should develop a policy and have staff and the public become involved in the design of the project. She said she does not want the council to delay the issue any longer, and added it should vote on the issue as soon as possible. Ms. Bascom said she thought the second option in Mr. Miles' study included a plan for future access through Olive Street. She noted that one of the issues in the study was to tie the mall renovation to a private development project. She said this possibility does not fully address the issue of council leadership. Mayor Obie said leaving the project to a private developer places a significant burden on the developer. Ms. Bascom said she favors developing a redesign that makes it possible to reopen the mall to automobiles in the future. Mr. Holmer said he appreciates Ms. Schue's suggestions to open up lesser- used alleys to vehicles. He said the council needs to take leadership in identifying the issues. He said he agrees with Mr. Miller that the council ought to put the issue to a public vote. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 5