CC Minutes - 09/08/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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City's plans but another did, the City should put its dollars where it fit in with other priorities. Mr. Pap6 did not think the proposal met the City's goals. Mr. Meisner said that as valuable as the growth management policies were, it was difficult for him to apply them to a site in isolation. The idea sounded appealing, but when he viewed the map of resources in the area, they seemed well-balanced. He did not know how the site fit into the broader context and said he looked forward to the completion of the Parks and Open Space update process. He reiterated that it was difficult to look at the site in isolation and contemplate the best future use for the site. Mayor Torrey said that the center of the city was moving north and west. When one viewed the map, it was clear where the City lacked parks, and it was not in the area under discussion. The City had limited dollars to do parks development. Mayor Torrey indicated he was not supportive of pocket parks, noting that one of the City's pocket parks had become an attractive nuisance and had been closed for years, and another pocket park was continually patrolled by police. Mayor Torrey suggested that if the property was not owned by the schools, the council would not be having the discussion. Mayor Torrey believed the City received more benefit from the sports fields at the schools in several areas of the community than the district had received. Eugene could not have found the land the district had been able to provide. He said that if the City was to buy new park lands, it should go to those places where parks were needed the most. He indicated support for the staff position. Mayor Torrey called for a second round of comments. Ms. Bettman said that because of the change of use and zoning, the City had the opportunity to enhance the livability of the urban core with a pocket park. She acknowledged that there were near-by regional park facilities but said that a pocket park close by to serve residents of the high- density development would be very useful so that residents did not have to travel one half-mile by bus or car to reach a park. She did not believe that met the council's intent when it discussed including amenities and design standards with such developments. Ms. Bettman asked if the council could give policy direction to staff to testify at a public hearing for a zone change that the zone change was in the best interest of the cities and explaining how higher densities would be accommodated. If the zone change was granted, it could be conditioned on the inclusion of such an amenity. Mr. Coyle reported that there would be elements of what Ms. Bettman desired in the new multi- family development for recreational use. Ms. Bettman asked how he knew that would occur. Mr. Coyle responded he knew that because the City would be the developer. The City would, in that role, ensure that recreational facilities were included on site. The affordable housing project would have open space. It would be private open space, but it would serve the same function as a pocket park. City Manager Taylor noted the City's contradictory polices related to parks development and residential development. In general, the City did not support the development of pocket parks, or "mini-neighborhood parks" as they were known in the Parks and Open Space Plan, and it was already budgetarily constrained to support the existing park system. When looking at the larger MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 8, 2003 Page 8 Work Session