07/16/1975 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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v. Council minutes, February 24 and March 10, 1975 as circulated Approve W. West Amazon Parkway Study - Copies of summary of the West Amazon study were . previously distributed to Council members and presentation of the project was made at a joint meeting of the Council and Planning Commission of June 23, 1975. The summary stated the problem - heavy traffic threatens the residential uses along 11th, 13th, and 18th west of Jefferson and traffic projections far exceed existing street capacity. Alternatives proposed were to (1) build a limited access arterial paralleling the Amazon Channel from Jefferson to 11th near Bertelsen; (2) build a new arterial west of Garfield and widen streets to the east; (3) widen existing streets only; or (4) neither build a new arterial nor widen existing streets which would imply 1.and use changes, very high transi t usage, or other reductions in traffic demand. Requirements of the proposed study were listed to deter~ine impact of the various alternatives, Council and Planning Commission were requested to give consensus on overall direction of the study and under- " lying assumptions and appoint a citizens advisory committee for the project. Assistant Manager stressed that presentation of this project was not with the intent of going ahead with the West Amazon Parkway prior to Eugene- Springfield Area Transportation Study (ESATS) update. It was not a final commitment to the pr~ject itself. Rather the proposed study would run parallel with the ESATS update, it would be a project where broad policy decisions yet to be made in the Area Transportation study would be applied. staff is now at a point where Council direction is needed. The Council could appoint the proposed citizens committee to begin the process of acquiring information on which to base a decision, or there could be further discussion with staff and/or Planning Co~mission before that decision was made if the Council so desireri. He stressed, however, . that creation of a committee would not be a commitment to the project. The transportation problem is there, he said, and this study would bring alternatives for decisions about how to find a solution. Councilman Murray said his interpretation was that the Council should not be too concerned at this point with the proposed arterial's impact, its route,. etc., yet it would appear disastrous to review the project when no one could give information about why it was a good idea. He felt the need to ask further questions, recognizing that the answers might be incomplete or speculative. He said he needed that kind of infor- mation before he could vote on commitment to even look into the question. Councilwoman Shirey agreed. She was concerned about "what kind of. initiation" was being discussed.!. that initiation of anything would almost be a commitment. Also, she thought general 90nditions were not favor- able - gas situation, economics, life styles - and she would rather wait. Councilman Williams pointed out another side he felt important. Deci - si'ons in the communi ty for a number of years, he said,. had been made with respect to planning, zoning, and to some ex~ent land acquisition on the assumption that the West Amazon parkway would be built. To deter- mine at this point whether those previous decisions were correct would seem to require the best information that could be gathered, information with regard to the impact if it was built or the impact if it was not buil t. He said that initiation of the project was not requested, only a determination on whether that project should be pursued. Councilma~ Murray did not agree that the community had been making deci- e sions based on the assumption the Parkway would be constructed. Segments of the community,':,possibly, or some members of the Councilor Planning Commission, or the city administration may have had that assumption, he said, but to say the entire policy making body was accepting it was mis- .., J 1 r J..,,... 'lA +O'~7' "