CC Minutes - 07/14/08 Regular Meeting

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the Mayor and City Councilors would not provide because they were primarily interested in development, downtown redevelopment, and tax breaks and tax exemptions for developers. th Steven Bennett , 494 East 15 Avenue, thanked the council for establishing the Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) in his neighborhood. He believed that the incentive, pursuant to State law, encour- aged a higher quality of housing. He said the City had taken that “higher quality concept and ran with it” in 2004, adding standards that reflected the values of the community. He stated that as the councilors had read in the materials submitted, the North Park proposal exceeded the council’s requirements. He thought it should be supported by the council as it included the required use of green building techniques, sustainable construction practices, excellent Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessibility, maximum density design, and use of non- or low-toxic materials. He added that use of solar power was being considered. He believed that the proposal went beyond requirements stipulated in the application, integrating additional features requested by the neighborhood such as having more parking than required and making it hidden. He averred that the building would serve as a buffer from a “massive” over-park. He showed pictures of the area, noting that it would be a secure building for the safety of the tenants. He agreed that each application for a MUPTE should be diligently reviewed. He was concerned that for some applications denial would be automatic. He quoted Mayor Piercy, who had said denying developers’ applications set an “unfair situation for those people who thought they were playing by the rules.” He stressed that the North Park project was designed to meet the needs of the community and would be split between students and non-students. He closed by underscoring that the site was underdeveloped and the value currently lay in the land. Jim Lewis , 1555 Washington Street, stated that he worked for GLAS Architects, the architects hired for the North Park Apartment project. He echoed Mr. Bennett’s comments. He averred that the project would be vital to the needs of the community. He pointed out that it was fully supported by the neighborhood and was the kind of development they were looking for. He said the location was convenient to the University, the th hospital, and the commercial area on 13 Avenue. He hoped the apartments would appeal to both students and the general public. He stated that previous neighborhood concerns would be addressed by the provision of extra parking and by keeping the building at three stories so that it fit the scale of what was already there. He believed the project would improve the neighborhood. He noted that the existing big leaf maple tree would be preserved. He related that they were looking at a high quality design, with an elevator to provide accessibility, and they hoped to achieve a Leading in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard of silver or gold. Jozef Siekiel-Zdzienicki , 1025 Taylor Street, thanked the City for co-sponsoring the Olympic Trials. He thought local businesses had not fared as well as they had anticipated and hoped the City would work to promote them more when the trials were next hosted by the City. Mr. Siekel-Zdizienicki stated that the Lane Transit District (LTD) had held workshops the previous week. thth He said the first workshop was for plans for the 6 and 7 Avenues section of the future EmX expansion th and the second one focused on 13 Avenue. He related that the workshops broke people into groups and residents were discussing the streets, traffic patterns, and what would or would not help. He complained about the lack of City staff presence. Also Mr. Siekel-Zdizienicki wanted to encourage the council to support the Minor Code Amendments as they were presented. th Randolph Stenersen , 159 East 15 Avenue, showed an area photo of downtown Eugene, which he believed depicted “lots of buildings, streets, and parking places.” He averred that many of these facilities were MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 14, 2008 Page 3 Regular Meeting