05.13.2020 City Council Work Session Minutes

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MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to authorize the City Manager to sell the parcel identified in Attachment A to Budgetel Inns of Oregon, Inc. consistent with the terms included in Attachment B. PASSED 8:0. 3. WORK SESSION: Downtown Riverfront Phase 1 Infrastructure Denny Brand and Emily Proudfoot gave a brief presentation outlining the infrastructure project that is needed to access the new Downtown Riverfront Park. Council Discussion: • Councilor Clark- thanked staff for the presentation; asked staff how they came to the determination this will be the most visited park in Eugene and inquired if this plan gives adequate access for a highly visited park; asked if this infrastructure will make accessing the riverfront area easier and if it will connect to the EWEB Administration building; inquired when the commercial aspect such as restaurants and shops (not housing) will begin development on the site; asked if the Phase 1 infrastructure serves all of the commercial and public aspects. • Councilor Zelenka - thanked staff for the presentation and stated he likes the vision of the riverfront development; said his concern continues to be around the recent changes in the project which he feels have fundamentally shifted how the project is completed, and which in turn has changed the risk, the timing and the potential of what will be built; if the Williams and Dame project doesn't come through, the City is considering a different model where it is acting alone, building and paying for the infrastructure and acting as general contractor to partner with multiple developers to build single parts of the overall master plan; expressed nervousness with this new model as it is significantly different from the original path, with more risk and work by the City; asked whether the City should stick with plan A and wait to act on the infrastructure until that part of the plan has some certainty (i.e. we have a deal with Williams & Dame); stated he doesn't agree there is no access to the park - there are City -owned parking lots on 4th and Mill which are a half -block away from this park and will give ample access, in addition to the bike paths on either side of it. • Councilor Syrett - stated that overall she believes the pros outweigh the cons in terms of moving forward on the infrastructure, and for her at this time the negatives outweigh the benefits of not doing so; stated she will speak to that more specifically at a time when Council is considering a motion. • Councilor Semple - stated she likes the project even though it has changed, as it brings needed elements right now such as jobs, housing and low-income housing; stated it was always a possibility that Williams & Dame might back out of the project; asked how much of this investment might be available for recovery projects if the project doesn't go forward and, if it's not available, this project might as well be completed; suggested that the land could be used for some temporary camp sites as long as it remains empty. • Mayor Vinis - stated this is a recovery project - this is jobs and public investment that will spur other economic investment; stated she sees this as part of the community's economic recovery from this crisis, and is grateful to be in a position to move forward on a project that does create jobs and does show investment and confidence in the future. • Councilor Taylor - asked for more consideration of the climate and the Climate Action Plan; people can get to the park by foot and bicycle; asked if Williams & Dame will back out of the project if new natural gas is prohibited at the development site; stated she thinks we should delay the infrastructure. MINUTES - Eugene City Council May 13, 2020 Page 3 Work Session