Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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supported the LEED certification. He said the goal for the developer was a gold LEED rating. He anticipated the building would be 26 percent more energy-efficient than it would be had it been built to code. Dan Neal , 3555 Agate Street, spoke in support of the MUPTE application for the Paradigm on Pearl. He shared a large-scale rendering of the project and said it was designed to embody community goals for compact urban growth and sustainable development. Mr. Neal said the developer decided to attain LEED certification at the gold or platinum level and to include a private underground parking facility. The developer had earned 440 MUPTE points, which was three times the all-time previous high. He emphasized the importance of MUPTE to the project design as it enabled the developer to include many of the features that supported the LEED certification. Mr. Neal noted that in spite of the MUPTE, the City would begin to collect taxes immediately on the commercial part of the project. He believed the project would enhance the character of the area and strengthen the connections between mid-town and downtown. He asked the council to support the application. Zachary Vishanoff , no address given, opposed the MUPTE. He pointed out the City was using it to increase densities in the densest neighborhood in the city. He suggested there was a connection between such increased densities and what he termed the “micro-riots” that took place in the neighborhood, which were costly to address. Mr. Vishanoff found the procession for Officer Kilcullen to be valid, but opposed the Champions Parade as unsustainable and unjustified. He said such events should occur only in extraordinary circumstances. Returning to the MUPTE, Mr. Vishanoff believed that it contributed to the decline of the neighborhood. He said the City could do infill or “instead-of-fill.” It was doing “instead-of-fill” when it removed part of the neighborhood. Mr. Vishanoff believed the developer in question was a good one with good projects in the neighborhood. However, Mr. Vishanoff did not support the project in question. He did not think the tax break was justified in light of other City funding priorities. He believed that smart growth was very divisive. He asked the council to set the MUPTE aside for a deeper conversation about its impact on the West University neighborhood. Gary Heldt , 3477 Onyx Street, expressed frustration about the City’s May 2 administrative order increasing fees in the Stormwater Program. He said the program was already one of the most expensive per capita in the state. The proposed increase of 11 percent would take effect on May 13 without council intervention. Mr. Heldt said that the Public Work Department estimated $1 million was needed to decommission dry walls, but the actual work would be accomplished by property owners. He asked if any councilors had reviewed the basis for the increase. Mr. Heldt pointed out that there was $2.6 million in surplus in the program. Mr. Heldt said the City’s Stormwater Program was one of the worst in terms of expense versus meaningful results. The department wrongly assumed that runoff from roofs contributed to pollution but had no testing to demonstrate that. The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) tested 500 rooftop samples and found no measurable pollution levels. However, Public Works was uncooperative in regard to rooftop testing. He believed the department was spending millions to manage imaginary levels of pollution. Mr. Heldt said that School District 4J was the City’s largest customer as about half of its total impervious surface was roof. He suggested that one could conclude that there was no justification for $1.3 million of the $3 million the City had assessed property owners since the program’s inception. Kevin Matthews , PO Box 1588, Eugene, advocated for high-quality dense development in the downtown area as key to the implementation of Envision Eugene and other City goals. He believed residents MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 9, 2011 Page 3 Regular Meeting