CC Minutes - 11/28/05 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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council for adoption. He explained that his understanding of the Oregon Revised Statute was that the original project list must reflect both the capital costs and percent-eligible attributable to growth for each of the projects. Mr. Medlin said that the project list would include what potentially can be covered by SDCs as an ultimate and then staff would make a recommendation to the council to adopt the entire list, or a subset of the list. The council can then modify the list accordingly. In response to a question from Mayor Piercy, Ms. Weiss replied that staff had not returned to the Board of County Commissioners to discuss the above-noted amendment. Mayor Piercy questioned if the Urban Green Space, i.e.Downtown, had been preserved in the plan. Ms. Weiss replied that a park-type facility entitled Urban Plaza was included in the plan. Mayor Piercy questioned how such a space could be fully green as opposed to an area with plants, etc. She then pointed out there were varying urban parks and some have greater needs in terms of public safety and viability. She said they need to be a separate category in the plan to speak to these needs. In conclusion, Mayor Piercy spoke to Goal 9 on Page 15 of the plan, where it was concluded that parks were not part of economic development, and opined that providing a good park system was a very integral part of a model city and was certainly a key part of economic development. Ms. Taylor concurred with Mayor Piercy’s comment that parks were in fact part of economic development. She offered as an example the parks space that was built in Atlanta, Georgia, for the Olympics and pointed out that that addition revived the area with new businesses and apartment buildings. Ms. Taylor turned to Page VIII of the Executive Summary and pointed out that rivers and hills cannot be moved. Ms. Weiss responded that there were strategies to protect waterways, i.e., the Santa Clara Waterway and possibly some rural farmland parks in northern Eugene that were not fully developed with sports fields. Ms. Taylor believed that the natural areas should certainly be saved if at all possible. Ms. Taylor then referred to Page X of the Executive Summary: Management –Improve coordination between the Public Works and Library, Recreation, and Cultural Services Departments. She pointed out that “parks” was spread out over three divisions and opined that a separate Parks Department was needed in the City’s organizational structure. Renee Grube, Director of Recreational Services, stated that this issue had been an ongoing topic of discussion but it was not included as a strategy in the plan. Ms. Taylor asked that staff review this issue. Ms. Taylor turned to Page XII of the Executive Summary and said it was interesting idea to title “volunteering” as a recreational activity. Mr. Kelly spoke to Ms. Bettman’s concerns regarding policies and noted they were listed in the existing ordinance on pages 11 and 12. He agreed they were important policies; however, he opined that none of them would have any affect on land use decisions. Mr. Kelly then asked if staff could consider the idea of the council adopting the plan as a resolution rather than a refinement plan. City Manager Taylor stated that the City Attorney’s Office would review the procedures and consequences of such a course of action and advise the council of its findings on December 12. Mr. Kelly asked staff to provide page citations for the Planning Commission’s recommendations to the plan. He then turned to a strategy on page 54 of the plan – I-25. – Consider willingness of seller as a key criterion when prioritizing acquisition opportunities. He said he understands such a motivation; however, he suggested the wording be changed to: Consider willingness of seller as a criterion along with other goals and strategies in the plan. He cautioned that a high-value parcel could be immediately ignored if it did not have a willing seller. Mr. Papé turned to page XII of the Executive Summary – Provide community parks within two miles of most residents. He questioned if such a statement was realistic. Ms. Weiss replied that based on that MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 28, 2005 Page 5 Work Session