11/14/1984 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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usually make several attempts during the process to have the property owner - construct the sidewalk before asking for any final action by the City Council. Referring to a series of overhead transparencies, Mr. Teitzel then reviewed those sidewalk projects currently under consideration by the Engineering Department. Councilor Hansen suggested that the City needed to establish some standards for following through with the sidewalk policy. Referring to the Sorrel Way issue, he said the maps indicated that the priority for sidewalks on Sorrel would be from Rustic Place to Coburg Road. He said a priority should be set based on safety factors and incorporating input from the residents. Counci10r Schue said she was concerned with the opportunity for public comment in the initiation process. She said the process should be revised to allow for such input. Mr. Teitzel responded that a public hearing before the Hearings Officer has been inserted earlier in the process for those projects of major public interest. He acknowleged that a public hearing before staff initiation should have been conducted on the Sorrel Way issue. Ms. Schue said she regretted comments from the public that their concerns were going unaddressed. Councilor Holmer commented that the letter from the Sorrel Way residents supported the idea that the process should be strengthened and made more objective. In response to a question by Councilor Ehrman, Mr. Teitzel explained that one '. individual could trigger the initiation process; however, he said that staff would consider that factor in its evaluation of the request. He said that staff did not go door-to-door contacting all residents within the request area. Referring to the letter from the Sorrel Way residents, Mayor Keller asked staff to draft a memorandum for the council addressing the issues raised in the letter. Mr. Teitzel stated that staff had decided to wait under after the work session to respond to the letter. Councilor Hansen said he wanted to be informed of any standards for triggering the initiation process. Mr. Teitzel said staff had previously attempted to develop safety criteria but had not been successful. He said staff could readdress the issue. Councilor Schue said that some council decisions came back to haunt the council, stating that the council had decided to place a sidewalk on one side of Fox Hollow Road, only to find that the other side was safer for children walking to school due to the terrain. Mayor Keller stressed that sidewalks were an asset to the City, adding that some safety evolved from the sidewalks. He felt that any policy based on a review of the data would be similar to what currently existed. However, he felt that the present policy should be reviewed before any modification was made. Mr. Hansen said he was not interested in changing the policy but wished to consider what triggered the process. He suggested that the priority list could be updated. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 14, 1984 Page 5