Item 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes

Home Browse Search

Pat Farr , 1929 Praslin Street, said that many people in the community were hungry and homeless. He spoke of the work of Food for Lane County and its contribution toward alleviating hunger and said that homeless people did not have the same organized structure supporting them. He said a new group, the Eugene Shelter Coalition, was meeting around the topic, and its emphasis was on community education about the programs now available and on ensuring access to those services. Annette Woodmark , 86378 Sanford Road, expressed support for the West Eugene EmX project. She thth avoided West 11 Avenue because of the congestion and instead used the park and ride on West 18 Avenue to reach the college. She had used transit frequently when she lived in San Francisco at less cost than driving and averred that Los Angeles was in gridlock because of a conspiracy on the part of auto manufac- turers and oil companies to destroy mass transit in that community. Ms. Woodmark observed that many of those who objected to the West EmX extension were business owners who “profited from the automobile.” She said that the current bus made frequent stops and interfered with traffic flow, in contrast to the proposed EmX system, which would have its own designated traffic lane. It would bring new customers to the area, particularly when high-speed rail between Eugene and Portland was built. She advocated for the “same kind of modern transit” that other metropolitan areas had benefited from for decades. thth George Cole , 2760 West 11 Avenue, owner of a business on West 11 Avenue, opposed the proposed West Eugene EmX extension. He suggested the community was facing an ideological divide. He believed there was good reason to not build the system at this time. Mr. Cole asked if Eugene had to have earned dollars to have appropriated dollars. If that was true, he asked if appropriated dollars could succeed without th earning dollars. Mr. Cole questioned why people had such a negative view of West 11 Avenue. People criticized the street for being ugly and averred it needed to be beautiful. He also questioned the proposition that development would follow the EmX line. Mr. Cole wanted to know if the EmX route was about th rezoning. If so, where were businesses such as those on West 11 Avenue intended to locate. He asked if the council was going to appropriate money for another bridge and create an exclusion zone around West th 11 Avenue with a bridge to reach the river where other services had gone because they were regulated and taxed out of town. Brianna Orr , 1790 Alder Street, a University of Oregon student, asked the council to support the community with diverse transportation options in keeping with the diversity of the community. She th acknowledged many people wanted to drive and would continue to do so along West 11 Avenue. She said th LTD was not closing down West 11 Avenue but merely creating another transportation option. Ms. Orr said that bus rapid transit carried more people than regular buses and provided more consistent time schedule, attracting more riders. It was more cost-effective than LTD buses and with a constrained budget, it was necessary for LTD to invest in cost-effective transit. She pointed out that if Eugene did not take the money from the federal government, another community would. She emphasized the importance of transit to students. Pam Jongeward , 1574 Coburg Road, #877, was concerned about the impact of the West Eugene EmX th route on properties her family owned in West 11 Avenue, one of which was directly affected by LTD’s construction plans. She was also concerned about the impact of LTD’s plans on her tenants, reporting that because of economic conditions she had already lost long-term tenants and was concerned about losing more. She pointed out the area was heavily dominated by auto-oriented industries and suggested there had to be a better way to serve the community. She envisioned that the cost would be a huge amount of money all would be obliged to pay. MINUTES—City Council October 25, 2010 Page 5 Regular Meeting