Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Ms. Jacobs further reported that the City was currently in the midst of permitting a multi-family project near her home that would occupy a full quarter block, be 42 feet high, and have a five-foot setback on the property line it shared with a single-family house. Ms. Jacobs said without standards, a neighborhood that should be a resource for the University of Oregon and the City would be “thrown away.” She said the current code rewarded developers of such large projects for eliminating amenities such as open space. She believed the City had things backwards in comparison to cities such as Portland. She believed it was crucial that the council take up the recommendations of the ICS Task Team because it was not sustainable to drive out long-term residents invested in the neighborhood and replace them with a young transient population. Tom Halferty , 4510 Manzanita Street, suggested the Civic Stadium site represented an opportunity for a 20-minute neighborhood. He also advocated for the preservation of farmland if the UGB was expanded. Kevin Matthews , PO Box 1588, Eugene, president of the organization “Friends of Eugene,” advocated for an increase in the proposed housing mix and opposed the proposal to expand the UGB. He did not think such actions represented sufficient change. Mr. Matthews suggested that the process was being run in such a way that “paid representatives” of the development industry had the last word. Pamela Miller , 1959 Harris Street, urged the council to provide ongoing staffing to the ICS Task Team so it could continue to work on standards that allowed for infill development to be accommodated in a way that supported neighborhood quality of life. Infill measures should recognize neighborhood differences and ensure that density increases occurred in a visionary way rather than be overlaid on neighborhoods in a “one size fits all” manner. She expressed concern about the high-density development occurring in the South University Neighborhood. The City was doing nothing to encourage diversity of housing to ensure there would be rental and owner-occupied housing for young single and married people. Ms. Miller also questioned how the City was addressing the needs of retired people. She suggested that the presence of well-designed complexes could persuade older residents to give up their large homes to young families while allowing them to remain in their neighborhoods. She feared otherwise, those residents would leave the neighborhood and their houses would be converted to multi-family developments serving unrelated adults. She feared such unintended consequences from failure to adequately plan for a meaningful, workable, large multi-family zoned area. She hoped such planning occurred in the future. Louisa Hamachek , 366 Clark Street, Chair of the Whiteaker Community Council, wanted Eugene to prepare for “new times.” She maintained that ecologically and economically, the world was heading toward radical change. She wanted Eugene to prepare for a world without electricity and automobiles. Ms. Hamachek advocated for greater density in neighborhoods and for food production in neighborhoods everywhere possible, including on rooftops. She advocated for the formation of associations with area farmers who could bring their food to market in Eugene via horse and wagon. She wanted to see stables and accommodations for horses. She called for the river to be redeveloped with small local industries that could employ the river for their energy supply using new turbine technology. Ms. Hamachek also supported Brownfield mitigation and reuse. Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. 6. PUBLIC HEARING: Civic Stadium MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 25, 2011 Page 9 Regular Meeting