CC Minutes - 02/18/98 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Cornacchia returned to the meeting at 7:57 p.m. Beth Medler, 4441 Fox Hollow Road, #6, questioned why Mr. Cornacchia's was acting on behalf o Hyundai. She said that the elected officials were being asked by Mr. Cornacchia to ignore their constituents and the interests of the public and change the wetland regulatory rules for Hyundai. She said that Hyundai should be capable of working within the community's's laws, expectations, and standards. Tom Pringle, 3295 Kincaid Street, said that local wetland planning was in jeopardy. He said that it was a privilege to have a local planning process. He said that control should be given back to the Federal agencies where the process can be objective and even-handed. He indicated that he represented a group that was exploring its legal options regarding the planning process. Mr. Pringle said that the amendments process had been polarized and was out of control. He said that it was an unfortunate situation for those property owners who have worked within the system. Mr. Pringle said that if the City lost control of the process, it was the fault of elected officials taking control away from professional staff. Mayor Torrey called for a brief recess at 8 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 8:10 p.m. Cindy Armento, 25031 Woodland Street, Veneta, expressed concern about the changes proposed by Mr. Cornacchia. She could see no reason for the changes as she believed they would result in further wetlands degradation. Ms. Armento said that Hyundai knew the existing rules when it purchased the wetlands for construction of a factory. She said that all should have to abide by the rules. Emily Fox, 455 East 31st Avenue, was opposed to Mr. Cornacchia's proposals and said he did not have a clear idea of ecology. She said that while Mr. Cornacchia expressed concern about the fact the supply of campus industrial land was eroded by wetlands, the fact was wetlands came first. She suggested that conversely, campus industrial had eroded the health of wetlands through the country. Ms. Fox echoed Ms. Arkin's remarks regarding development criteria 4. She said that it was so vague any could say they had an idea and so should be able to develop their property as desired. Ms. Fox asked the elected officials to accept the recommendations of the planning commissions, which were crafted with the benefit of public involvement. David Zupan, 870 West 23rd Avenue, represented Eugene Peaceworks. He supported the plan amendments as recommended by the planning commissions. He wanted to preserve what was left of the wetlands and protect the public trust. He was concerned about the possible betrayal of public trust by Mr. Cornacchia. He said that Mr. Cornacchia's recommendations were a "slap in the face" to his constituents, an example of "good old boy" politics, and contrary to sound scientific planning. He said that the recommendations did not represent a balance. Deborah Higbee, 1281 Dalton Street, represented the Many Rivers Group of the Sierra Club. She said that some places should not have buildings on them because plants and animals depend on those places. She believed that the community would further devalue its wetlands if it accepted Mr. Cornacchia's recommendations. Ms. Higbee said that campus industrial uses should not be sited on wetlands. She said the plan represents years of work, citizen input, and MINUTES--Joint Elected Officials-- February 18, 1998 Page 11 Eugene City Council/Lane County Board of Commissioners