Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Mr. Siekiel-Zdzienicki recalled the West Eugene Collaborative’s discussion of mixed use on multi-use th boulevards and its identification of West 11 Avenue as such a boulevard, and pointed out to Councilor Poling that it would require rezoning to apply the mixed use zone. He further pointed out that the Envision Eugene process included discussion of increased densification and mixed use, which were also zoning tools. th He referred to the LTD Purpose and Need Statement, which identified West 11 Avenue as a corridor for residential, commercial, retail, and industrial development. He said that he and George Cole were not the th first ones to discuss the rezoning of West 11 Avenue. Mr. Siekiel-Zdzienicki said the technical reports for the alternatives analysis were not being released until mid-January. He asked how much time that gave the council and community to review them for accuracy. He pointed out there was another federal funding cycle in two years and the council did not have to act now. th Paul Nicholson , 1855 East 28 Avenue, was skeptical that those making the final decision on the West Eugene EmX route had scrutinized the background materials to the same degree as Mr. Macherione. He th believed that LTD could provide high-quality bus service on West 11 Avenue. He found the proposed EmX route to be a “bunch of constituent parts” glued together. Mr. Nicholson said that one had ever independently examined the system’s effectiveness or efficiency. Instead, LTD’s approach was “now we’ve got the money, now we’re going to build the thing,” and Mr. Nicholson said the process should be the other way around. He believed that the community should have reached consensus on a plan; instead, LTD was presenting those whose lives were going to be disrupted with a specific building program. He said that many other alternatives existed and none had been given an independent examination. He recommended that the council establish a definition for success before approving the project. Drew Serres , 1673 Olive Alley, a University of Oregon student, regretted the lack of constructive dialogue about the proposed West Eugene EmX route. He suggested if people took time to talk, they could find common ground and solutions. He announced that the University of Oregon’s “Climate Justice League” would hold a community dialogue on November 29 at 7:30 p.m. at the University of Oregon campus and invited all present to attend. th John Evans , 3500 East 17 Avenue, represented LTD. He announced a Transportation forum at the Eugene Hilton at 7:30 a.m. on November 9. Speaking to the benefits of the EmX service in West Eugene and the reasons that LTD was looking at it, Mr. Evans explained that the community had been trying to link land use and transportation for many years, and as a result the board and City Council selected West Eugene as the location for the next route extension. Mr. Evans said that EmX was the solution to the thth congestion problems that existed on West 11 Avenue. West 11 Avenue was identified as one of the 40 worst choke points in the state. The road was at capacity now. Adding a bus lane on a portion of the route could both accommodate existing businesses but could also bring in more people than adding an additional lane would. Mr. Evans reported that there was no local match required for project construction. Mr. Evans announced the next open house on November 9 at the Eugene Faith Center from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. th Larry Sweet represented the owners of three shopping centers on West 11 Avenue. He asked if the growth anticipated ten years ago in west Eugene had been realized. He questioned why LTD would want to add to its operating costs at this time. He said that there were seven to ten businesses that he was aware of that could not stand to go through two years of construction. They would be gone. He did not think that now was the right time for the project. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 8, 2010 Page 5 Regular Meeting