Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Councilor Poling noted six of the seven speakers who provided testimony to the Planning Commission about increasing the number of allowable dogs to provide temporary housing for foster dogs were not City residents. He asked for clarification on what change in the amendment meant for the number of allowable dogs within the City limits. Councilor Bettman asked staff to respond to the quantitative TransPlan nodal requirements and reduction in VMTs. She said housing was the key to redeveloping downtown and she wanted to see numbers. She heard that rents were high downtown in comparison to other parts of the City and overall the property values were brought down downtown by the west Broadway area because the much of the property was owned by one entity that allowed the property to deteriorate for many years thus bringing down the values. She asked to see a copy of the letter from DLCD referenced by several speakers tonight. Councilor Clark had previously asked for the list of properties redeveloped the last seven years. He concurred that much of downtown development was actually redevelopment. He asked for a comparison of permitted dollars for both developed and redeveloped properties both in downtown and outside of downtown. He also asked for a comparison of relative land values in downtown Eugene compared to the land values in downtown of other Oregon cities of comparable size, and versus similar types of develop- ment in other parts of Eugene. Mayor Piercy commented when comparing development downtown it was difficult to go back more than seven years. She cited stores leaving downtown for the malls, the covered downtown mall, urban renewal and other experiences over time, and said Eugene had been in a recovery in downtown since the 1970’s. It was looking more positive now than in a low time, with the construction of the Tate Building, WestTown th on 8, reopening of streets, and renovation of the Center Court building. Councilor Bettman asked for a description of the viability created by the proposed code changes for demolition of existing buildings and somebody putting in a paid surface parking lot. The area in question was the transit oriented area of downtown. How much housing could be built? She asked for information from staff on the regulatory audit. Councilor Clark asked staff to provide information on the FAR in current buildings and what the FAR would change to under the proposed .65 FAR. Councilor Zelenka asked to see the DLCD letter and the original parking amendment proposed by WUN. He also asked for clarification on a statement made by Rob Handy that ICS unanimously supported all of the proposed amendments. Mayor Piercy thanked City Councilors and members of the public for their participation in tonight’s public hearing. The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, MINUTES—Eugene City Council June 16, 2008 Page 16 Work Session