CC Minutes - 10/19/05 Workshop - Laserfiche WebLink

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Regarding parking, Mr. Hardy related that most councilors thought it would be prudent to have parking within two blocks, but that it should not be funded by the project. He said this tied in with site selection as parking needed to be available. He noted that most felt that public parking should be close by but staff parking could be farther away. Continuing, Mr. Hardy stated that most councilors felt that public transportation should be a high priority. He said several possibilities included the installation of a Lane Transit District (LTD) stop or reinstitution of a “Breeze” bus line. Ms. Bettman remarked that embedded parking was a related issue. Mr. Hardy indicated that this would be a topic of later discussion. Ms. Crawford added that it would be partly affected by the site the council chose. City Manager Taylor indicated that there would be a parking study after the assumptions were better known. Mr. Poling announced that he had to leave at 2 p.m. He requested that no action be taken should a regular session of the council be convened after the executive session scheduled for 4 p.m. He exited the meeting at that point. Ms. Hardy reviewed the Matrix of Leaning regarding site selection. He said it indicated that councilors were open to the idea of considering other locations and, though there was support for remaining in the same location, it was less. Mr. Macey pointed to the site analysis for the public library in Olympia, Washington, as an example of how such an analysis was conducted. He underscored that having a civic building that reinforced the downtown area was an element for consideration as well as whether a site was available and what it would cost. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Hardy explained that the determining factors for site selection would be part of the site option study. He added that the space needs study would have a big impact on it. Ms. Kennedy called for a ten-minute break. After reconvening, Mr. Hardy moved on to the Matrix of Leaning for whether to renovate the existing building or replace it. He related that there was strong support for replacement of the facility. He noted that there was a strong vocal minority that supported recognition of the existing building for its historic significance. He said in order to renovate, the need for 200,000 feet of space would have to be addressed, given that the existing facility was 30,000 square feet. The existing facility had also been built to lower seismic standards and was not energy efficient. Mr. Papé asked why seismic standards had increased 450 percent since the 1960s. Staff explained that each increase in standards had followed an earthquake. Mr. Hardy added that it was also based on an increased awareness of geological time. He stated that in the 1960s, the earth’s history was not as well known as it is in 2005. Mr. Hardy stated that the compelling reasons to save an existing building were because of its historic value, the emotional attachment citizens had to it, or because it still met the City’s needs. He stressed that it was generally more expensive to renovate than to replace a building. MINUTES—Eugene City Council October 19, 2005 Page 7 Workshop