CC Minutes - 06/23/08 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber—Eugene City Hall June 23, 2008 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Bonny Bettman, Mike Clark, Andrea Ortiz, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka, George Poling. Council President Pryor called the regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to order in Mayor Piercy’s absence. Mayor Piercy was in New Orleans presenting a talk on sustainability. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Councilor Pryor reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Judith Clayton-Van , 89326 Old Coburg Road, stated that she was a long-time resident of the City of Eugene. She wished to represent her house with regard to the Old Coburg Road/Chad Drive connection that was being worked on. She had requested a 24-inch exception to the frontage, which would allow her 72- year-old cottage to remain in its natural surroundings and to maintain its privacy. She said there was nothing across the street from it. She further requested that the City gently revise the Old Coburg Road/Armitage Plan to honor its past and present use. She related that it was the oldest county mail road and was now used by bicyclists and joggers, in addition to traffic. She averred that it was “one of the last places to find country in Eugene.” She questioned why the City would want to disadvantage long-term residents. She was not against advancement, but she opposed destroying what was already there. She felt the Old Coburg Road would be better developed with bicycle paths and green park-like settings. She submitted her testimony and pictures of her home into the record. Zachary Vishanoff , somewhere on Patterson Street, Ward 3, said Eugene was hosting the Olympic Trials and this brought a lot of focus to the community, as well as the presence of Homeland Security. He wanted the Olympic Trials to be the peoples’ decision. He questioned whether there was any reason that the people should not have an opportunity to provide input in a public hearing. He averred that the town had no choice about hosting the Olympic Trials. He acknowledged that it was possible that no one would show up for a hearing, but he felt it would still send a message to the public that the public was involved in the decision- making. He also noted that the University of Oregon had indicated it would move the Alumni Center into the proposed arena project and that it intended to appeal the ruling that would require a conditional use permit for the project. Mark Rabinowitz , P.O. Box 51222, wished to address the Interstate 5 bridge project, which he considered to be a widening project. He supported replacing the existing bridge with a bridge that was the same size. He predicted that by 2030 there would be significantly less traffic on the interstate because “oil would be on its way out.” He declared that stronger bridges were needed but not wider ones. He commented that he had MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 23, 2008 Page 1 Regular Meeting