02/11/1985 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e - - The decision to save four trees on the north side of 6th Avenue at Tyler was also difficult because the street will be very close to a residence. There is a beautiful tree in the private parking lot which seems to have a long life. The two trees on the south side of the street that will have to be removed are not especially attractive. Two black walnut trees between Polk and Taylor will be removed so that pedestrians will not be too close to the street. When new trees are planted, committee members believe there will be a positive visual impact. On 7th Avenue, a historic cedar tree that is not in good health will be removed. At Van Buren Street, there are two historic trees on each side of the street. The committee decided to save the trees on the south side of the street. The residences on the north side of the street are set back farther than those on the south side. The committee decided to bring the street quite close to a vacant building on the north side of the street rather than take out a pump island at the Sunny Service Station on the south side of the street. At Monroe and Jefferson, the recommended alignment will save four trees on the north side of 7th Avenue. At Madison, the alignment moves to the south in order to save four trees on the north side. Mr. Hoyt visited with Mr. Fogelson who owns the Texaco Station and the managers of Midas Muffler and Taco Bell. The owners of the Taco Bell indicated they had spent about $25,000 to save two large trees when they constructed the drive-up window. It was a significant commitment to trees in the area. The trees form an attractive gateway to the downtown. They are healthy. The recommended alignment means the Texaco Station will have to be relocated to the back of the lot. Several parking spaces at Midas Muffler will be lost. Mr. Hoyt emphasized that the staff had assured him that no special assessment will be made to compensate the businesses. The funds to acquire the right-of-way will come from the Capital Improvement Program. The committee members felt they should represent all the citizens of Eugene, and in this case, decided to impact the businesses and save the trees. One tree in that area is dead and will be taken out regardless of the alignment of the street. Mr. Obie thanked Mr. Hoyt, the committee, and the staff for the presentation. Replying to a question from Councilor Ehrman about plans to alleviate the congestion at the 1-105 ramps at Washington and Jefferson, Ms. Andersen said committee members considered the concerns of the Lane Regional Air Pollution Authority. A second lane can be added to the on-ramp at Washington and 7th Avenue with slight modifications to the existing ramp. It will address the congestion and air pollution problem now and for the immediate future. It does not address the long-range problem, but reconstruction of the ramps would be a multi-million dollar project. The State has agreed to include the modifications in the project. Mr. Hansen said the modifications to the 1-105 ramps could be made with the alignment recommended by the Design Review Committee. He emphasized that Bill Quinn of the Oregon Department of Transportation indicated the State would accept the recommended alignment. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 11, 1985 Page 3