CC Minutes - 07/23/01 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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reviews that existed now and questioned councilors who wanted to give Planning staff more discretion. Mr. Lewis criticized the council for changing its positions regarding the six blocks west of the hospital during its negotiations with PeaceHealth. Debra Telew, 30065 Lebleu Road, criticized the Gang of 9 for anonymity and for using malicious ways to communicate. She asked who the members of the Gang of 9 were and why they were attacking the City Council. She said the councilors have shown they care about the heart of the city and its future. She questioned who gained if Ms. Bettman and Mr. Kelly were not if office, suggesting it was PeaceHealth and developers. She questioned The Register-Guard's support for the Gang of 9 approach. She said that progressive people should mobilize now and have their voices heard so that the Gang of 9 was not running the city. Peggy Fisher, 2808 Capital Drive, shared the concerns expressed by Ms. Bildberback about the changes being made to the Owens Rose Garden. She shared some criticisms of those changes with the council, including the location of the new walkway, which resulted in the loss of valuable old roses, the location of the gazebo, and the rose planting contemplated. Ms. Fisher invited the council to join her on a tour of the garden and invited calls. Marcella Moore, 2812 Friendly Street, related the history of the old rose section in the Owens Rose Garden, which was one of the largest public collections of old garden roses in the west. She reiterated the remarks of previous speakers regarding the changes taking place at Owens Rose Garden. Ms. Moore wished more rose experts had been consulted about what should be done in the garden. Cynthia Kirkham, 3335 St. Kitts Avenue, requested the council continue to work for what was in the best interest of the community in terms of PeaceHealth. She acknowledged PeaceHealth's need to expand its facilities, but felt its relocation to the north would be detrimental to that area as well as to the core. The needed infrastructure improvements in north Eugene would be costly. Ms. Kirkham was frustrated by the fact the City had not prepared comparative information about the costs of the different sites. She thought it important that any development on the north Eugene site be consistent with the Willakenzie Plan. She did not think the Crescent site could support a hospital of the magnitude proposed, and urged the council to rezone the property so the hospital could not expand there. Dan Herbert, 1913 Potter Street, encouraged the council to continue the City staff work comparing alternative sites for PeaceHealth. He thought the site was still an open question, and even if the hospital built on its Crescent site, Eugene would still need another hospital soon in the central city. He thought the planning studies would provide a justification for the creation of one or more exclusive hospital zone. Mr. Herbert did not think the City should assume there would always be a monopoly on hospital services in north Eugene. He said the City Council should be specific about procedures for development in a hospital zone. Because he thought the hospital's location was a public issue, Mr. Herbert called for open negotiations with public involvement. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 23, 2001 Page 3 Regular Meeting