CC Minutes - 07/25/01 Work Session

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At Mr. PapS's request, Mr. Pirrie discussed the work that had been done on elements of the West Eugene Parkway to this point (Units lA and 1B). Without Units 2A and 2B, the parkway was in a no-build status. Mr. Pirrie noted that money was still allocated for the project at this time. Mr. Pap8 asked Mr. Pirrie what would become of the right-of-way purchased by ODOT if the parkway was not build. Mr. Pirrie did not know. He noted that ODOT had purchased right-of-way for Unit lA, Seneca Road to Beltline. Right-of-way acquisition had been halted at this time. Mr. Pap8 asked how a flyover at Beltline could be constructed given the store being built at the corner of West 11th Avenue and Beltline. Mr. Pirrie said ODOT was not able to buy right-of-way in advance of a project. He said that whatever the department came up with for the intersection would have impacts on land requirements at the intersection. Mr. Reinhard concurred with Mr. Pirrie, although he did not think the construction at the intersection would prohibit a flyover. He considered the situation an obstacle rather than a fatal flaw. He noted that the City had no rationale for condemning the property in question at this point. Ms. Taylor asserted that the West Eugene Parkway was in a no-build status; the council made that decision some time ago. She had attended parts of the charrette and had been disappointed by the discussion of what was to be done given that decision. She had thought the charrette would start with proposed solutions. She did not consider the votes taken at the charrette conclusive because not all those voting were elected officials. Ms. Taylor thought it unfortunate the council did not have two days to spend working with experts on solutions. Mr. Kelly said the council needed to do a better job of partnering and communicating with the other agencies involved. He thought an interagency working group might be a good approach. The group could work on all the ideas that had been suggested. He suggested the City, County, ODOT, Lane Transit District, and Department of Land Conservation and Development participate. He said key to him was to determine how to have multiple projects move forward together as he anticipated the solution would be several projects. He asked staff to help the council develop a motion for future action that reflected that multiple solutions would move forward and a working group would keep the process going. Mr. Kelly suggested that the solutions could involve engineering studies and analysis for a roadway on the eastern parkway alignment, moving ahead with study and planning for street treatments on West 11th Avenue east of Beltline, and transit. Ms. Nathanson reviewed the eight items she proposed in her e-mail message, noting it suggested road projects, projects related to community livability and design, and pedestrian and bicycle projects. Ms. Nathanson said that her e-mail reflected a combined strategy, but a combined strategy may not work if all elements were not included. She expressed concern about information that had been shared by ODOT with the council about what could be done, and said she was discouraged that it might not be possible to accomplish a combined strategy. She asked what would happen if the council could not make its approach work: would it allow a quadrant of the city to be destroyed because of a lack of facility such as the Amazon Parkway, which kept traffic flowing smoothly in southeast Eugene? She questioned what would have happened to Hilyard and Willamette streets in the absence of that facility, and said that impact could be multiplied many times in west Eugene. She was concerned that the result would be a greater impact to West 18th Avenue, which would have to take more of a share of east-west traffic. Ms. Nathanson said she could not sit by and watch West 18th Avenue and a quarter of the city destroyed by traffic because the City could not find good traffic solutions in west Eugene. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 25, 2001 Page 3 Work Session