CC Minutes - 12/01/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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downtown was the kind of strategic issue that the council could adopt as a council goal for budgetary and implementation focus. Ms. Bettman echoed previous comments on the vision and the plan. She said the status of the example projects should be clarified. She said she did not share concerns that the plan would be put on the shelf and noted that many of the policies and implementation strategies were ones the council was already pursuing. She stated her biggest concern was that the plan would be selectively implemented, citing design standards as something that needed to be developed and implemented concurrently with the plan. She commented that the city hall and police headquarters projects should be more prominently featured to reinforce the City's commitment to them. She suggested that the housing component of the plan should be %eefed up" to reinforce a connection between policies and strategies. Ms. Taylor asked if a project could receive both Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) and vertical housing incentives. Mr. Kelly replied that it was potentially possible, but not likely to happen. Ms. Laurence said that both incentives would be considered and the one that best suited the project would be selected, although she was not certain whether the incentives could be layered. Ms. Taylor commented free parking was not mentioned and she felt lack of it was a deterrent to commercial activity. She said that the Farmers Market was an asset to downtown and should be encouraged to remain by providing for disposal of gray water and better loading zones. She said she liked the idea of a multiplex cinema as a downtown attraction and noted the need for parking for such a facility. She also commended the concept of safe walking routes between centers of activities. Mr. Pap~ also congratulated staff and council members involved in the plan update. He observed that there was no mention of angled parking and said it had been successful in other communities and urged staff to consider it for downtown. He said he was pleased to see that the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) property was being considered as part of the plan to develop an active waterfront for downtown. He noted that there was no mention of a multi-modal transportation center to concentrate activities or parking to support a center. He said he hoped to see surface pedestrian transportation with respect to 8th Avenue as the courthouse area was developed, or another feasible way to move people across the intersection. Ms. Nathanson commented that the involvement of Public Works in implementation of the plan was critical and could provide another opportunity for interdepartmental collaboration. She stated her support for the implementation strategy that called for a regulatory audit to identify impediments to development and redevelopment. She cited several references in the plan to signs and cautioned that visual clutter should be avoided in the use and placement of signs. Mr. Meisner said he supported the concept of a transportation center and an opportunity was missed several years ago when Lane Transit District (LTD) was constructing its downtown center. He said the city hall and police headquarters could be more prominently mentioned. He noted that a group had expressed interest four years ago in developing a multiplex cinema downtown but had concluded that the site being considered would not allow for the large number of screens now routinely included in such a facility. He expressed his appreciation that the 3rd/4th Avenue connector was the northern boundary as it marked the transition from downtown to Skinner Butte. He said that area, with its mixed-use zoning, was an opportunity site. He again cautioned staff to ensure that there were no unintended consequences of any of the historic properties language in the plan. MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 1, 2003 Page 4 Work Session