CC Minutes - 10/29/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Nathanson noted the many mentions of a civic complex and recalled the council's discussions of planning on the west side of downtown, when she had been disappointed that the City Council failed to move ahead with ideas related to a civic complex in the area adjacent to what was proposed to be the new public library. At the time, many people were dismayed by the idea of City Hall no longer being proximate to other government agencies located on the eastside of downtown. Since then, some of those agencies had moved and others relocated nearby. Ms. Nathanson said she did not want the council to lose sight of the fact that a civic complex of sorts existed near the west end near the Lane Transit District station in the form of the library and the Atrium Building, which housed the City's Planning and Development Department, and suggested that the City focus some its planning on that area through renovations and "face lift" activities. Ms. Nathanson endorsed Mr. Meisner's comments regarding the economies of scale to be realized through shared parking structures, etc. She thought it made sense to look at an eastside civic complex. The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. B. WORK SESSION: Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Comprehensive Plan Update Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Director Angel Jones, Parks and Open Space Planning Manager Andrea Riner, and Parks and Open Space Director Johnny Medlin joined the council for the item. Ms. Riner provided a PowerPoint presentation on the parks and open space planning effort currently underway. The presentation included information about the goals of the planning process, a process time line, and details about the public involvement process and resulting findings. Ms. Riner previewed next steps in the process. Following the presentation, Mr. Pap6 called on Ms. Nathanson as the Chair of the Mayor's Parks and Open Space Committee for Comprehensive Planning for her comments on the topic. Ms. Nathanson said that the committee had been meeting for one year. She said that the committee had been gathering data on many topics, including existing services and programs, a needs assessments for youth, adults, and seniors, a financial analysis, and information about trends in parks uses and activities. She noted that many changes had occurred in park trends over the last decade because of changes in demographics. Those trends had a significant impact on the programs and facilities the City would offer its residents in the future. Ms. Nathanson said the committee would review the parks inventory at its next meeting and then begin to work on its recommendations. She said the committee needed to be cognizant of the need to plan for land acquisition, building, equipment, as well as services and programs. Those were different things, and the ongoing cost implications created a different set of choices. Ms. Nathanson emphasized that the task of updating the comprehensive plan was not a simple one. It was all about looking to the future. Ms. Nathanson recalled that during the most recent update on the comprehensive plan councilors had questioned what the City would do with the left-over bond money; she said that there was no money "left over" because the process of implementing the bond had not been completed. She passed out copies of the most recent project update and called the council's attention to those projects yet to be completed. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 29, 2003 Page 7 Work Session