CC Minutes - 04/09/01 Work Session

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discussion of whether parking on the river's edge would be allowed. He did not think the issue had been resolved by the plan. Ms. Nathanson noted that the provision of such parking was not included in the plan. The amendment to the motion passed unanimously, 7:0. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Kelly, moved to amend the motion by directing the City Manager to delineate the boundaries of downtown Eugene so that the southern edge shall be the south side of 11th Avenue, the western edge shall be the eastern side of Lincoln Street, and the northern and eastern edge should be determined through the update of the Downtown Plan and shall take into consideration the North End Scoping document's recommendations. Mr. Farmer suggested it was premature to determine the downtown boundaries now. He felt that the effort was better left to the planning phase, and that the community be engaged in a dialogue of where the boundaries should be. Mr. Kelly said he did not want to see continued commercial encroachment into residential neighborhoods near downtown but acknowledged the justice of Mr. Farmer's remarks. He recommended that the amendment be revised to direct the manager to bring back proposals for the location of the boundaries, and with the addition of a sentence that directed the manager to return with interim measures to prevent the conversion of residential uses to commercial uses adjacent to downtown. Ms. Bettman accepted the amendment. Mr. Johnson said that the second element of Mr. Kelly's amendment represented a new work program for staff. Mr. Kelly emphasized the interim nature of the measures he was seeking, and recommended that the manager return to the council with what he characterized as "some low-hanging fruit." Responding to a question from Mr. Pap6, Ms. Childs noted the preservation of residential housing was the next-to-last implementation work plan item. The effort would not represent merely a zoning "fix"; staff would need to consider potential amendments to the existing neighborhood plans. Ms. Bettman was concerned about the fact the implementation work plan effort would not be completed until 2002, while the conversion of residential housing near downtown was an ongoing issue. The amendment to the motion passed, 4:3; Ms. Taylor, Ms. Bettman, Mr. Kelly, and Mr. Meisner voting yes; Mr. Pap~, Mr. Rayor, and Ms. Nathanson voting no. The main motion passed unanimously, 7:0. The council postponed further consideration of the remainder of the agenda item. C. WORK SESSION: BUS RAPID TRANSIT The council was joined by Mr. Farmer, Lane Transit District (LTD) Board members Pat Hocken and Robert Melnick, LTD General Manager Ken Hamm, and LTD staff Mark Pangborn, Stefano Viggiano, Lisa Gardner, and Graham Carey. Mr. Farmer introduced the item, reminding the council that it had directed staff to return to the Planning Commission with a series of questions regarding Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and for more public involvement. That process had occurred. He emphasized the importance of BRT to the success of regional transit and to the City's downtown visioning efforts. Mr. Farmer said the system was new and different, and took advantage of many of the positive aspects of light rail without the initial built-in costs. It could be a vital element of the the City's entrance beautification and gateway concepts; he said the system