CC Minutes - 10/10/11 Work Session

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Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor about what the City planned to do in regard to barriers to solar access created by infill development, Ms. Weiss said Planning Division staff was considering some of the recommendations that came from the Infill Compatibility Standards Project and would forward those to the council as part of the Envision Eugene adoption process. Ms. Taylor was happy to see that CEAP recognized the importance of protecting farmland and potential farmland. She suggested the council keep that in mind when it considered expanding the urban growth boundary (UGB). Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor about the staff position dedicated to urban agriculture and composting, Mr. McRae said that position was intended to encourage and facilitate urban agriculture. Ms. Taylor asked if that position's duties included oversight of chickens. Mr. McRae said the employee in the position was currently researching the regulations that governed the keeping of chickens in other communities. Ms. Taylor asked for more information about what the employee in question did. Mr. Farr asked if staff was tracking the costs of energy conservation. Mr. McRae said that was not yet occurring but staff would begin to track that information once the programs just begun were more fully in place. Mr. Farr was encouraged to hear that staff was working on the barriers to solar access given the emphasis City planning efforts placed on more dense development. Ms. Ortiz was pleased to hear of the progress that had been made. She asked if EWEB had incentives for weatherizing rental properties. Mr. McRae acknowledged the difficulty of weatherizing such housing and said Eugene was working on how to create such incentives. Mr. Zelenka shared information about the Business Energy Tax Credit with Ms. Ortiz, which was a state program that provided landlords with tax credits for their energy efficiency efforts. Speaking to the interest expressed by the Sustainability Commission for expansion of the urban forest, Mayor Piercy reported that the Eugene Tree Foundation was working with a similar organization in Portland to build its capacity and help the City plant and maintain more trees. Mr. McRae introduced Community Development Manager Mike Sullivan, Metro and Community Planning Manager Carolyn Weiss, Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld, and Senior Planner Robin Hostick, who were also present to answer questions about 20- minute neighborhoods. Mr. McRae led the council through a PowerPoint presentation on the City's 20- minute neighborhoods initiative. He linked the initiative to both CEAP and Envision Eugene and described more fully its focus on distance, density, and destination to create neighborhoods that supported walkability and the use of alternate modes. Such neighborhoods reduced congestion, increased public safety, helped increase social interaction, and increased the affordability of access. Walkable neighborhoods reduced individual transportation costs and retained dollars otherwise spent on fuel in the community. They benefited the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and noise. Mr. McRae offered downtown and the neighborhoods built around Blair Boulevard and 3` Avenue, Royal Avenue and Danebo Road, and 24 Avenue and Hilyard Street. He shared a "heat map" of Eugene that showed where factors supporting 20- minute neighborhoods were strongest and weakest. He reviewed the criteria for 20- minute neighborhoods, which included: MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 3 Work Session