Item 2A - Approval of Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Torrey closed the Public Forum and called for comments from the council. Councilor Kelly thanked those who spoke in the Public Forum. He said he understood that Councilor Poling had asked staff for an update on the Crest Drive/Friendly Street area issues. He also wished to know why meetings between City staff and neighborhood residents had yet to occur. City Manager Dennis Taylor responded that he would keep the council abreast of what staff was doing in this regard. Councilor Kelly assured Mr. Dafoe that the only thing action scheduled for the present meeting would accomplish was the initiation of a Metro Plan amendment. Pursuant to initiation, there would be several public hearings and opportunities for the provision of citizen input. He noted that Mr. Dafoe had been under the governance of the County. He suggested he raise his concerns before the Lane Board of County Commissioners as well. He recommended that the immediate neighbors of the Oregon Horse Center receive notices of hearings, etc, related to the land use actions. Councilor Taylor opposed the land exchange. She felt it important to keep the food supply close to the population. She called the destruction of farm land "foolish." Councilor Taylor asked why Satre and Associates was hired as a consultant. Councilor Taylor reiterated her opposition to the placement of any road by the river. She said she only agreed to the placement of the hospital at the riverside site because it had already been developed by EWEB. Councilor Bettman noted that she had made a motion to buy the park property north of Eugene and the motion was tabled. She did not support the land exchange. Councilor Bettman asked for further information on the status of options for access to the proposed hospital site. She did not feel placement of the road north of the tracks to be necessary. Councilor Bettman also wanted further details on the hiring of Satre and Associates. Mayor Torrey conveyed his support for Mr. Dafoe's horse center. He related that several people had called him to complain about the rodeo held at the center during the previous week and he had admon- ished them to "wait it out" as the rodeo was a temporary activity. He stressed that there was no movement afoot to shut down the Oregon Horse Center. He also underscored the necessity for development of a park for the north Eugene/Santa Clara area. He felt there was a way for the development and the horse center to coexist. He thought the Mr. Dafoe's early involvement in the process would aid in the creation of legislative intent to protect Mr. Dafoe's designated use for the property. He complimented Mr. Dafoe, calling the horse center a "good economic activity." Mayor Torrey urged staff to keep the council and himself aware of any developments in the Crest Drive/Friendly Street process. Mr. Taylor replied that staff was trying to craft a strategy to come up with a plan to "run by" all of the stakeholders. He called it "an important project" and indicated staff's support for involvement of the neighborhood. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 12, 2004 Page 3 Regular Meeting