Laserfiche WebLink
supply in that area. He pointed out that the Autzen Stadium parking lot was unused during <br />weekdays and suggested the possibility of establishing a shuttle between downtown and the <br />parking lot to carry downtown employees back and forth. That would be cheaper than a parking <br />structure. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly agreed with the staff recommendation to eliminate the bulk permits and with Mr. Rayor's <br />suggestion that the contracts for bulk permits be eliminated as they expire. He agreed with Ms. <br />Taylor about the proposed increase in event parking. He thought it too costly and pointed out <br />that transit was not a good alternative for venues such as the Hult Center, which was poorly <br />served by transit in the late evening. He thought the City should be looking at parking rates, <br />including hourly, daily, and monthly rates, for additional revenue. However, he did not think they <br />could be raised by too much given the tension between peripheral development and the <br />downtown. <br /> <br />Referring to the letter in the meeting packet from Diamond Parking proposing that Diamond <br />contract with the City for on-street parking enforcement services and fine collection, Mr. Kelly <br />said he had received dozens of complaints from constituents about enforcement in Diamond lots <br />and the way Diamond staff treated customers. He did not think the City wanted to be associated <br />with the image Diamond had in the community. <br /> <br />Responding to a question from Mr. Kelly regarding the costs of the neighborhood permit program, <br />Mr. Luell attributed the bulk of those costs to enforcement and the costs of maintaining signs. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly suggested the potential of greater use of automation in parking garages using mag <br />stripe tickets. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said he would like to see City staff to explore the potential of diagonal parking. He <br />suggested that it would both increase the parking supply and have the additional beneficial effect <br />of traffic calming. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly said that until downtown was economically healthier, he was hesitant to drop the first <br />hour free and Saturday free parking. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner agreed with Mr. Rayor about the need to eliminate the bulk parking contracts. He <br />wanted to increase the monthly permit parking fee more than was proposed, saying that $26 <br />monthly was a bargain in any community. He had reservations about increasing the costs of <br />event parking and agreed with Mr. Kelly about the first hour free and Saturday free parking. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner said that if increased parking prices caused downtown employees to commit to use <br />of transit, he supported such an approach. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner called for a more comprehensive look at parking throughout the community, <br />suggesting that Land Use Code Update could be a vehicle for that examination. He wanted to <br />eliminate the community mind set that the City was responsible for providing parking in <br />downtown. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor did not think Eugene should be compared to Portland as the two cities were not <br />comparable in size and Portland had much better bus and light rail service. She suggested <br />diagonal parking on 6th and 7th avenues would provide both more parking and would calm traffic. <br />Ms. Taylor asked if small business owners downtown were asked their opinion of parking. Mr. <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 8, 2000 Page 8 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />