CC Minutes - 06/09/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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maintained for the health of the community. It serves the university with student housing. The university is a huge economic engine for downtown and the community and the housing needs to be maintained both for students and those who wish to live close to downtown. He said that the problems facing the neighborhood are very complex. They involve societal and behavioral issues, and they would take a considerable effort to solve. Mr. Croteau reported on neighborhood successes, including the recent, well-attended neighborhood clean-up organized by Ms. Reed and Mr. Harding, which included a tree-planting effort. He cited the funding of the foot patrol as another success. He said that the Central Presbyterian Church, under the leadership of Pastor Ken Henry, had organized a meeting of neighborhood churches to discuss what could be done to increase the stability of the community and maintain their stakes in the area. The church was looking for ways to help in the community, and he thought that should be considered an asset. Mr. Croteau called attention to the list of long-term recommendations of the task force, specifically noting the recommendation for alley improvements, the promotion of long-term residency, the establishment of an orientation program for freshman moving off campus, and the reestablishment of the neighborhood association. He emphasized that the first recommendation would require both funding and the council's political will. Mr. Croteau called attention to the proposed motion in the council's packet. He encouraged the council to capitalize on the energy and efforts generated by the task force, and to take advantage of the task force members as a future asset. Mayor Torrey called for council comments and questions. Mr. Kelly, a member of the task force, thanked Mr. Croteau and the members of the task force. He indicated support for the motion proposed in the agenda materials. He said that improving the neighborhood fit with many of the council's growth management policies, given its proximity to downtown. He said that none of the recommendations that rose to the top were arrived at lightly or without discussion. He noted that although none of the shod-term recommendations were in any priority order, the long-term recommendations were evaluated and prioritized by the task force. All those in the top ten received significant task force support. Mr. Kelly believed that the right people had been involved in the task force, in that all the significant stakeholder groups were represented. Mr. Kelly stressed the importance of taking action in regard to the alleys in the area. He said that he did not fully appreciate the alley issue until he toured the area and witnessed the overall difference in feel that alley paving could make. He said that it was critical that the City make improvements to those alleys or it would pay a price later in terms of periodic flare-ups and general neighborhood degradation. He hoped the council found the money and the will to proceed with the implementation recommendations forthcoming from staff. Mr. Kelly noted the task force's recommendations for basic housing habitability standards, which he believed could improve the overall quality of the neighborhood by enhancing residents' sense of responsibility for the neighborhood. He suggested that the City consider adopting the model used in Corvallis, noting that city had to take only one enforcement action since Corvallis adopted its housing standards. Ms. Solomon arrived at the meeting. MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 9, 2003 Page 7 Work Session