CC Minutes - 10/14/98 Work Session

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Mr. Lawless referred to the work of the first group as representing a social, cultural, and civic center anchored by the library. It was seen as a way to regenerate the single-stow buildings and asphalt that existed and promote a higher density of culture for all ages. He said group two looked at how a high density of activity centered on the library node created linkages with other high density nodes. One option was to have the links gain energy from physical activity nodes, and encourage pedestrian connections to those nodes. The integration of parking and housing were an important point in this scenario. Mr. Lawless noted that all the groups saw the library corner as the civic plaza setting the direction for the area. He talked about possible uses for the Sears building. Some schemes focused on the area closer to the library, incorporated vacant land as civic space, looked at parking alternatives, and linkages with other cultural nodes. He noted that all the groups considered additional housing in the area. The fourth group explored ways to utilize some of the alley ways as cross connections so development could be more than single-sided. The participants recommended gateways, scale options, and physically creating a more urban setting by requiring buildings to be taller than two stories. He reported that the fifth group looked more at the library itself and the issue of scale. Since these projects were only built every 30 years or so, the group believed that increasing the density of this critical space was imperative. He said the question of what could be done to encourage an increase in density was answered by one scheme putting housing over parking structures, or the library itself. Mr. Lawless said the material would be put into a booklet, and the AIA would like to start a dialogue with downtown business owners and land owners to find ways that were more creative and enhanced the downtown area. In response to Mr. Meisner's question, Cathy Briner, Acting Co-Director of Planning and Development Department, said what had been proposed was very consistent with the Downtown Plan, and she was encouraged that the Sears building area had been included. Mr. Tollenaar referred to a pamphlet on renewable energy containing suggestions for constructing public buildings with renewable energy as a public demonstration of feasibility. He recommended serious consideration of using solar and alternative energy resources for the library. Ms. Nathanson thanked Mr. Lawless and the Southwest Chapter of the AIA for their participation in this and the prior urban renewal discussions. This visioning could stimulate revitalization of the downtown community using public and private sector assets. Mr. Laue suggested having interior trees in the plan as well as the exterior trees. In response to a question from Mr. Lee, Mr. Johnson said the ideas generated from the charrette and the council would go to the library design team. The design team would come back to the council when the time came for a decision. Ms. Taylor said her constituents have requested a safe parking situation, maybe a valet service. She also asked how the citizens for the charrette were chosen. Mr. Lawless stated that the Lane Arts Council, representatives of the Library, and PDD submitted a list of names and those who responded were invited to participate. Ms. Nathanson expressed an interest in preserving open space for a plaza or park on the Library and Sears sites. Another concern would be lighting for safety and aesthetic benefits; some new MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 14, 1998 Page 7 11:30 a.m.