Agenda Packet 7-22-19 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES – Eugene City Council June 12, 2019 Page 4 Work Session Council Discussion •Councilor Syrett – expressed appreciation for the options and the way they’re laid out;talked about the City’s challenge to find Rest Stop locations; said the current sites have beenvery successful with little impact on surrounding communities; said she would like toexpand the program; said that the City should have the option to provide funding forsanitation and security, including neighborhood matching grants; talked about wanting tosee the elimination of residential requirements and school requirements; •Councilor Zelenka – talked about the perception of Rest Stops and the reality of Rest Stops;expressed wanting to spread positive stories about the Rest Stops and figure out a betterway to tell the story; expressed interest in passing Option C for 2, 3, and 4; asked about thedifferences in options for Item 1. •Councilor Pryor – talked about how City Council had proceeded cautiously as this programbegan, but can now make changes as more is learned; talked about people usingunregulated camping as a baseline for Rest Stops; said Rest Stops have proven to be aworkable, viable model and an alternative to unregulated camping; expressed interest inproposed options as long as concerns are mitigated. •Councilor Clark – said that the original Rest Stop idea is not what they have become; urgedcouncilors not to lift the criteria related to residential neighborhoods and schools ; said thateducation efforts won’t necessarily change people’s opinion; talked about the meeting aboutthe proposed car camping area in Santa Clara and the anger in the room; said he does notwant to create unnecessary conflict. •Councilor Taylor – said she has heard of increased garbage and vandalism near Rest Stops;said that many people are too afraid to air their concerns because they don’t want to seemintolerant; concerned that Rest Stops are being regarded in a more permanent way whenthey should be transitional; said she does not want to relax requirements around residentialareas and that the City should not start paying for rest rooms or garbage for Rest Stops. •Councilor Yeh – said she was in favor of having more flexibility in Rest Stop siting becauseneighborhoods are looking for sites and they have felt limited by the regulations; said shewould like neighborhoods to have more options, so they can compare different alternatives;supported the effective mitigation language; asked about any incentives for privateproperty owners to host a Rest Stop. •Councilor Semple – asked how long people can stay at a Rest Stop and if they are stilltransitional; said she would like to allow Rest Stops in residential areas and createincentives for private property owners to host as long as mitigation is done to addresscommunity concerns; asked about the difference between potential options aroundresidential requirements. •Mayor Vinis – talked about conversations with 4J School District about the opportunity for aRest Stop restricted to families near a school, noting there may be potential for coordinationthere; talked about how the location of Rest Stops are more permanent, but the residentsare not; reminded everyone about the differences between Rest Stops and car camping. •Councilor Syrett – talked about the original Roosevelt Rest Stop and how adjacentbusinesses had reported reduced vandalism and theft after the Rest Stop opened; pointedout that the program is more effective than car camping because there are requirements putupon individuals in the program; said that if City Council decides to remove the residentialand school siting requirements, they would still have an obligation to address communityconcerns. •Councilor Semple – said she was very interested in having Rest Stops near schools if kids inthe program go to the school; interested in creating more lenient rules, because City Councilwould still have the ability to tighten how they are applied. •Councilor Zelenka – expressed interest in relaxing criteria around schools; noted thatRepresentative Fahey recently reported that 12 percent of Bethel students and thousands in July 22, 2019, Meeting – Item 2A