CC MInutes - 05/14/01 Work Session

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Ms. Taylor asked if the site contained rare plants. Mr. Lyle indicated he would have to defer the question to others. Responding to a question from Mr. PapS, Andrea Riner of Parks Planning identified City-owned property in the vicinity of the Beverly property, specifically that purchased with the revenue from the Parks and Open Space bond, on a wall map of the area. Mr. Lyle noted the partnership between Parks Planning and Public Works Engineering staff on land acquisitions using a combination of Parks and Open Space funds and stormwater funds. Responding to a question from Mr. PapS, Mr. Lyle said that staff's work on stream corridor acquisition was guided by adopted council policy as established by the Comprehensive Stormwater Management Master Plan. He added that staff did not contemplate using any Parks and Open Space funding for the stream corridor acquisition. Mr. Pap8 asked if the list of top stream corridor acquisitions had been prioritized in relationship to one another. Mr. Lyle said the priorities were based on the importance of the corridor and the risk of development. Ms. Nathanson was pleased to see the City acquire land. She said that there was considerable development occurring in the south hills, which put pressure on the community's stream corridors. She believed the proposed acquisitions addressed water quality, habitat, and the City's image of itself, which included the forested south hills. Ms. Nathanson was concerned that the City should develop a more comprehensive list of acquisitions before it expending available funding. Mr. Lyle reiterated that staff would identify the top acquisitions for the short-term and the funding needed for acquisitions over the long-term and proposed funding options. Ms. Bettman said that staff had accomplished just what the council requested in a short time. She asked if there was an advantage to purchasing a larger area of the Beverly property so that the buffer touched the property already owned by the City in the area. She also asked about the status of the Parks Systems Development Charge (SDC) Fund and if money from that fund was available for the purchase. Ms. Bettman clarified she was interested in using the Parks SDC to acquire the entire property as a park. She said that the property was close to the running trail and Spencer Butte. Mr. Lyle said that a review of the Parks SDC was planned, and staff could incorporate the additional space acquisition approved by the voters into the SDC formula. Staff could then begin to pursue other space acquisitions at the direction of the council. He did not know how the site in question fit into the future parks systems. Ms. Riner said the Parks SDC did not include an open space acquisition component, and the available funding was used to purchase neighborhood and community parks. She noted that the bond measure reflected the community's ten priorities for open space acquisition; those priorities did not include the site in question. Regarding the size of the buffer, Mr. Lyle said that staff consulted experts about the topic; those experts did not agree, and staff settled on what seemed to be a reasonable, appropriate middle ground. Staff was tailoring the buffers to the properties in question. Mr. Lyle said that on the Beverly site adjacent to West Amazon Drive, staff was recommending the site be purchased to the boundary, because otherwise there would be an uneconomic remnant on the site. In a typical setting, staff was looking at a 150 foot-wide buffer for the stream. In the absence of clear need for a larger buffer, he was unsure the City could justify one. Mr. Lyle noted the considerable private interest in the Beverly property, and suggested the City could enter a partnership with those private interests to possibly secure more property and accomplish what Ms. Bettman was suggesting. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 14, 2001 Page 13 Work Session