CC Minutes - 07/14/08 Regular Meeting

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M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Regular Meeting Council Chamber—Eugene City Hall July 14, 2008 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Bonny Bettman, Mike Clark, Andrea Ortiz, Betty Taylor, Jennifer Solomon, Alan Zelenka, George Poling. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to order. 1. PUBLIC FORUM Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum. Drix , West 14th Avenue, was happy with the cleanup of the hole on Willamette Street. He recounted the experience and thanked Mayor Piercy for participating. He declared that through nothing they had gained something. He said they needed to be sure that what was built at that site was good. He noted that he lived in the University district, where the young people did not always know not to have parties. He tried to share a sense of integrity with them. He also related that he had attended the Olympics and interviewed people asking them what they knew of Eugene. He said perceptions were that the City was smart, green, and supportive of track activities. Roger Condos , 3281 Wintercreek Drive, spoke regarding Consent Calendar Item D, a proposed annexation. He related that a major windstorm had caused a tree to fall into his house in 2002. He said an arborist that had come out in the aftermath told him that the trees in the area proposed to be annexed had helped keep the other trees standing as a wind barrier. He feared that if the annexation went through it would put his house at risk again. He noted that there were ten 80-foot fir trees in his backyard as well as numerous animals. He stated that west of his residence a new development had been opened up and approximately 180 homes were supposed to be built, but only two lots had sold thus far. He averred that now was not a good time to add more lots. James Irwin , 3259 Wintercreek Drive, also wished to speak about the annexation request for Westfair Associates (A 08-2). He related that he and his wife had purchased their property five years earlier for the view, the wildlife, and the privacy. He felt the proposed annexation would “finish all that off.” He explained that they would have a buffer zone of approximately 35 feet, which was not enough to mitigate what he considered to be “a clear-cutting event.” He read the following bullet points into the record: ? The land zoned R-1, Residential was approximately 50 feet and the land behind it was zoned A, Agricultural; ? No provisions had been made with regard to the retention pond, which fed the wildlife; ? Based on the developers past track record, he feared the land would be cleared of all trees; ? The City had a reputation of not allowing the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) to be expanded. MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 14, 2008 Page 1 Regular Meeting