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mean an ugly building. She stressed the importance of continuing the relationship between the <br />University and the neighborhood. She suggested that the "ugly box church" in the Bean parking lot be <br />demolished. <br /> <br />Kristen Taylor, 1808 Orchard Street, thanked the City and University staff on behalf of the Fairmount <br />Neighborhood. She also thanked her neighbors for the work they had put into the process. She wished to <br />address a question asked earlier by Councilor Nathanson regarding neighborhoods adjacent to campuses. <br />She said that she had spoken with people in Boulder, Colorado, Pasadena, California, and Portland. She <br />said she would include web sites with her testimony, also submitted in writing. She related that the <br />message from the three had been similar, that proactive planning and mitigation of potential impacts were <br />imperative. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor stated that she and her husband had purchased their house because of its location in the <br />historic neighborhood. She conveyed the neighborhood's concern that unmitigated traffic problems <br />exacerbated by further development would diminish the quality of life in the neighborhood. <br /> <br />Jeff Nelson, 2144 East 15th Avenue, co-chair of the Fairmount Neighbors, conveyed his gratitude to the <br />City, University, and staff for the work done on the plan. He noted that the City had received a letter <br />from the University recommending four changes to the recommendation. He related that the committee <br />accepted the changes. He said the intention was to narrow the focus to traffic concerns. <br /> <br />Mr. Nelson averred that traffic calming would save money in the long run by stabilizing property tax <br />revenues, avoiding capital and maintenance costs associated with sprawl, and would increase efficiency <br />of City services as traffic calming promoted livability, livability would attract more residents, and more <br />residents per acre would increase efficiency. <br /> <br />Mr. Nelson commented that the University was both a blessing and a burden to the neighborhood. He <br />noted that the University did not pay property taxes, but brought culture and enrichment to the City. <br /> <br />Mr. Nelson supported funding the two traffic studies, adding that any changes deemed necessary by the <br />studies were not mandated to be put into place in the immediate future. <br /> <br />Rich Margerum, 1889 Orchard Street, member of the East Campus Advisory Committee, thanked the <br />City Council for its careful attention to the issues before it. He wished to address the traffic issues. He <br />supported the implementation of traffic calming measures, noting that a study had shown that pedestrian <br />fatalities jumped from 20 percent at 20 miles per hour to 80 percent at 40 miles per hour. Mr. Margerum <br />said planning for traffic in the area should consider the probable development of an arena, the Bus Rapid <br />Transit (BRT) corridor, and possible impacts from nodal development in the Walnut Node. He <br />underscored the importance of maintaining the high quality of life in a neighborhood such as the <br />Fairmount Neighborhood. <br /> <br />Don Dumond, 1744 Moss Street, said he and his wife had lived at the address listed since 1962. He <br />stated that they had participated in the proceedings that led to the completion of the Fairmount/University <br />of Oregon Special Area Study in 1982. He related that over the time they had resided at the address they <br />had witnessed many changes, not the least of which had been a steady increase in traffic. Mr. Dumond <br />commented that they were impressed by the evident good will on both sides and were generally happy <br />with the outcome. Nonetheless, he averred traffic problems needed to be addressed. He felt the issues <br />created by traffic avoidance of Agate Street created hazardous conditions. He asserted that this <br />necessitated a study of the function of Agate Street within the context of parking and traffic. <br /> <br />Trevor Taylor, 1808 Orchard Street, spoke to the conditional uses proposed for the buffer area owned <br /> <br /> February 23, 2004 Page 5 <br /> <br /> <br />