Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

assessments and other mechanisms available to “soften the blow.” Mr. Zelenka asked if the City could exempt such subdivisions from the street standard. Mr. Klein did not know if the current code would allow such an exemption, but suggested the council could amend the code. Mr. Zelenka asked what happened when a private development abandoned its assets, they turned into a nuisance, and the property owner then deferred the problem to the City. He found that to be the most compelling issue in regard to the topic. Mr. Zelenka said he did not mind private development but objected to such a development throwing its problems onto the public. Speaking to Ms. Ortiz’s comments, Mr. Poling said the two gated communities of which he was aware, Quail Run and Lakeview Estates, were built on a limited amount of space and the density involved was much more than a traditional subdivision. The goal of those developments was to increase density. Mr. Poling noted that in the past he had heard the City Manager admonished for not getting something on the council calendar fast enough. There were no items scheduled for the work session until the two items on the agenda came up. He suggested that the manager and mayor were “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.” Mr. Poling said a scheduling opportunity had arisen and the manager had been attempting to meet the council’s needs. Acting City Manager Jones apologized that the item was on the agenda as she had judged it significant enough to get it before the council prior to the March break. The item had been pulled previously, and she considered it a high priority to get it on an agenda soon, and particularly when Ms. Taylor was available. Mr. Clark acknowledged the concern expressed by Ms. Taylor and Mr. Zelenka in regard to the level of the City’s responsibility for private property. He asked how many of the private gated communities had clubhouses and pools. Mr. Corey did not know. He said that the Public Works Department received periodic inquiries, perhaps once or twice yearly, about caring for private infrastructure, but he had not been presented with any requests related to pools or clubhouses. Mr. Clark asked staff if it was the City’s goal to create equal density throughout the community, or if its goal was to create higher densities downtown. Principal Planner Steve Nystrom said that given the choice, he would say downtown was where the City planned to concentrate more density. He said that the City’s planning documents do not take a uniform approach to achieving grow throughout the community. Those plans do identify downtown as a focus. Mr. Clark determined from Mr. Nystrom that it was the City’s policy to create a higher density downtown than at the edges. Mr. Nystrom said the City took a more strategic approach toward densification in other areas. The selection of those areas was a political choice that the council made over time. Mr. Clark said it appeared the City was trying to create greater density downtown than at the edges. Mr. Nystrom agreed. Mr. Zelenka asked about the rest of the city. Mr. Nystrom said that did not mean the rest of the city was treated uniformly, even though downtown might be the highest priority for density. The City made decisions about where other areas should grow at greater densities. For example, the Quail Run and Chase areas were targeted for higher densities than immediate adjacent areas, such as the Harlow area. Mr. Pryor thought there were only a few true gated communities in Eugene with true physical gates. There were private developments that allowed for more easy access, and the streets they contained may or may not be public. In terms of clubhouses, he could think of one gated community with a clubhouse that could potentially be abandoned or walked away from. Mr. Pryor said was also aware of a private playground that was abandoned and another jurisdiction was asked to accept responsibility for it, but the jurisdiction had the MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 28, 2007 Page 8 Work Session