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Mayor Torrey thought the request before the council was reasonable. He thought it provided needed balance, and pointed out that the City was already moving toward the acquisition of green spaces in the urbanizable area. He indicated if called upon to vote in the case of a tie, he would vote to support the proposal. Councilor Nathanson reiterated that her vote should not be interpreted as blanket willingness to entertain such proposals for the sake of development. She was persuaded of the merits of the case by the information related to Statewide Goal 3 provided the council. That information indicated that the soils were not productive, the land could not be farmed economically, and there were no water rights associated with the property so it could not be irrigated in the summer, limiting its use to winter, when it could not be drained. Councilor Papd concurred with Councilor Nathanson. He believed the property owner had attempted to comply with all applicable codes and laws. He believed the application had a human face, and much effort had been put into the application process. Councilor Papd noted the information in the board findings related to the unsuitability of the site for agricultural purposes, the lack of water rights, lack of adequate depth of a drainage outlet, parcel size and shape, and lack of connection to commercial farm enterprises. Councilor Kelly said that maps produced by Lane Council of Governments indicated that there were hundreds of acres of such "middling" agricultural land outside the urban growth boundary. He asked if Councilor Nathanson favored allowing rural residential on all such lands, or if there was something that distinguished the site from other sites. Councilor Rayor and Mayor Torrey advised Councilor Nathanson not to answer the question if she did not wish to. Councilor Rayor said he agreed with Councilor Nathanson in that support of the proposal did not indicate support for not holding the line at the urban growth boundary. He felt Councilor Kelly's question rhetorical and perhaps out of order. He said the issue before the council was a true judgment call. He said that each councilor must make his or her own judgment. Councilor Rayor said the land surrounding the property in question was already developed as rural residential. He did not expect to support a request for redesignation of agricultural land outside of the urban growth boundary if it merely represented conversion of agricultural land for speculative development purposes. Roll call vote; the vote on the motion was a 4:4 tie; councilors Meisner, Bettman, Taylor, and Kelly voting no; councilors Nathanson, Farr, Rayor, and Pap~ voting yes. Mayor Torrey cast a vote in support of the motion, and the final vote was 5:4. 10. ACTION: Approval of HOME Funds to Acquire Affordable Housing Councilor Kelly, a member of the Housing Policy Board, provided background on the item and encouraged the council's support for the motion to be placed on the floor. Councilor Taylor, seconded by Councilor Kelly, moved to approve the housing development activities recommended by the Housing Policy Board and described in this briefing statement. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously, 8:0. MINUTES--Eugene City Council March 5, 2001 Page 8 Regular Session