CC Minutes - 12/08/08 Work Session

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Mr. Zelenka agreed that the summit should result in actions by the City. He asked if the neighborhood plans were considered refinement plans and carried any legal weight. Ms. Weiss said that issue was being grappled with and while a refinement plan might be one of the tools that was needed to implement neighborhood priorities, the planning process might identify other venues for implementing priorities. Mr. Zelenka noted that refinement plans were expensive and time-consuming, but a plan without any legal teeth did not have much value in terms of protecting the livability of a neighborhood. He hoped staff would investigate what resources would be required to develop refinement plans for neighborhood associations and bring that information back to the council. Ms. Bettman stated that the City had been discussing the issue for some time. She said an early suggestion was to ask neighborhoods to identify problem areas and develop smaller refinement plans that targeted those areas instead of doing a refinement plan for the entire neighborhood. She said it was a good idea to bring neighborhoods into the land use process at an earlier point but not all neighborhoods would be able to participate. She said the City should have policies in place to protect people’s homes and neighborhoods. She pointed out the cost of appealing a land use decision and said that should be waived for neighborhood associations so that money was not an obstacle. Ms. Piercy said while the City tried to reach out to the broader neighborhood, it was important to recognize those people who did put their time and energy into neighborhood activities. She commended neighborhoods for modeling and sharing new ideas with each other and encouraged them to also seek things that were shared by all neighborhoods. The meeting adjourned at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jon Ruiz City Manager (Recorded by Lynn Taylor) MINUTES—Eugene City Council December 8, 2008 Page 8 Work Session