04/13/1992 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e e e William Mason, 1803 West 34th Avenue, said he attended the Downtown Commis- sion meetings on the Olive Street proposal and noted that among three propos- als, the proposal with the lowest cost was not considered. He said that none of the property owners have offered to share the cost of reopening Olive Street, noting that property owners are assessed some of the cost of street improvements abutting their property. He claimed that taxpayers are paying six times more for the urban renewal district's bond indebtedness than the Eugene School District's bond indebtedness. William Eaton, 2311 Willamette Street, testified in opposition to spending urban renewal funds to reopen Olive Street, feeling that the funds should be used to help payoff the urban renewal district's bond indebtedness and cer- tificates of deposits. Donna Taggart, 1371 Washington Street, felt it was unrealistic for the coun- cil to seriously consider public testimony since it is scheduled to act on the proposal at its April 15 work session. She expressed concern about the lack of bike lanes and not allowing buses to travel on the street. She sug- gested constructing the street as a one-lane, one-way street, with either STOP signs or an around-about to save the fountain. She felt that the pro- posed number of parking spaces detracted from space available for pedestri- ans, flowers, benches, and tables, and that parked cars would be a visual distraction to storefront aesthetics. She expressed concern about wheelchair accessibility. Arthur Shapiro, 2742 Bowmont Drive, felt the council should vote against the proposal if it has the slightest doubt about it. He said the council as a body has spent over $52 million for downtown projects. He said he did not think that reopening Olive Street would cure the problems of the downtown mall. He suggested making Charnel ton a two-way street and providing on- street parking. He asked about the participation of abutting property owners in the cost to reopen Olive Street. George Boehnke, 2040 Willamette Street, testified in support of reopening Olive Street and reestablishing the free parking program. Robert Rousley, 476 East Broadway, asked the council to let the public vote on the Olive Street proposal. Russ Brink, 2278 Corinthian Court, said he was confident that the voters will approve the design on May 19. He said the design retains pedestrian ameni- ties and is a fiscally responsible solution. He said the Downtown Commission made efforts to develop a design that was pleasing to the public, good for downtown, and cost-efficient. Charles Duncan, 2154 McMillan Street, said he was a member of the Friends of Downtown and that he has always supported reopening Olive Street. He urged approval of the proposal, feeling that it was a step toward revitalizing the downtown mall. MINUTES--Eugene City Council 7:30 April 13, 1992 Page 6