Laserfiche WebLink
• Distance — intersection density, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, transit <br />• Destinations — elementary schools, parks, full- service grocery stores, convenience stores, other <br />commercial uses (restaurants, salons, cafes, etc.) <br />• Density— population density at home, employment density at work <br />Mr. McRae shared a series of heat maps that illustrated the community's intersection density, the density <br />of parks proximate to residences, full - service grocery store densities, and residential densities. He <br />indicated that areas that were "cooler" were in that condition for different reasons; some lacked grocery <br />stores and bus service, while others lacked sidewalks and had low intersection density. He suggested that <br />considerations such as aesthetics, tree canopy, signalization, street width, and traffic speeds also affected <br />people's mode choices. <br />Mr. McRae said the City needed to account for many factors, such as income levels, age, ethnicity, auto <br />ownership, and current trends in bicycling and walking to prioritize its investments in 20- minute <br />neighborhoods. Further analysis was needed to determine where the City should apply its toolkit of <br />strategies. He anticipated that some of the tools would be implemented through Envision Eugene to <br />support its goal of compact development. Mr. McRae suggested the next steps could include the <br />establishment of a "Complete Streets" policy that mandated all new and reconstructed streets be built to <br />support all modes. He invited questions. <br />Speaking to the concept of the "Complete Streets" policy, Mayor Piercy suggested such a policy might <br />require flexibility that allowed the City to recognize unique circumstances. However, she also supported <br />setting such high goals and working to achieve them. <br />Ms. Taylor asked if City staff had discussed the impact of elementary school closures on 20- minute <br />neighborhoods with staff of the two school districts. Mr. McRae said he had discussed the issue with <br />district staff and found out there were many variables that went into such decisions and that such closures <br />were rare. Ms. Taylor emphasized the importance of local schools to families and pointed out that school <br />closures also increased the community's carbon footprint by forcing residents to drive to schools farther <br />away. She recommended that the City buy closed schools and suggested the possibility that the City <br />could maintain the buildings on the site until they were needed again by the districts. <br />Mr. Zelenka asked questions clarifying the nature of the priority recommendations related to 20- minute <br />neighborhoods and the source of funding for the projects that would result. <br />Mr. Zelenka asked about the role of the Planning Commission in removing policy barriers to 20- minute <br />neighborhoods. Ms. Weiss anticipated the commission would oversee revisions to the City's regulations <br />governing parking and Floor Area Ratios and forward its recommendations to the council. <br />Mr. Zelenka suggested the City focus 70 percent of its efforts on the areas shown in orange on the heat <br />maps to strengthen the 20- minute neighborhood elements in those areas and 30 percent of its efforts on <br />the areas shown in blue where improvements would be more long -range in nature. Mayor Piercy <br />advocated for a dispersed strategy that helped people feel their needs were being considered and that built <br />capacity into the system. <br />Mr. McRae distributed maps entitled 19- Minute Neighborhood Analysis showing how neighborhoods <br />throughout the community scored in regard to the elements they contained that were supportive of the 20- <br />minute neighborhood concept. <br />MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 4 <br />Work Session <br />