CCMinutes - 04/12/04 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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stated that "to add insult to injury" the neighbors would be required to pay for a plan through assessments and a decrease in property values. She likened the collector plan for the area to "putting a round peg in a square hole." She stressed that the only citizens that would benefit would be those who drove through the neighborhood and not the ones paying for it and that those people were largely made up of people coming from the County. She predicted that fixing the %ut-through" problem would be cheaper than changing the classification. She related that neighbors wanted slower traffic, safer roads, and walking and biking paths that fit the rural nature of the area. Terry Freemming, 2886 Bailey Lane, chair of the Harlow Neighbors, spoke regarding the Willakenzie school site. He likened it to a choice between much-needed parks and much-needed housing. He circulated two maps, the first from the 1988 Willakenzie Refinement Plan indicating the Harlow sub-area and the second map was from the same area several years ago. The first map still contained some larger expanses of green areas, but the second showed much less open space and much more development. He stressed that approximately 300 homes lay outside the one-half "blocking standard" currently used by the Parks Division to define a served area. He said the consolidation of the two schools would have an impact on the amount of parks and open space. Howard Bennett, 1835 East 28th Avenue, related his "astonishment" that Councilor Nathanson had come out on the stage of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts accompanied by the new Cultural Services Division Director, Robb Hankin. He felt the stage had been used as a political venue and equal time and representation should be provided to other mayoral candidates. He suggested the City Manager be directed to find out the reason for this and to determine whether there was a policy on this. Councilor Bettman, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to extend the time for the Public Forum by ten minutes to accommodate five more speakers. Roll call vote; the motion passed 5:1 (Councilor Poling inadvertently voted no and later withdrew his "no" vote). Steve West, 3025 Friendly Street, called the designation of Friendly Street, Storey Boulevard, and Crest Drive a "bad idea." He asserted it was not fair to ask neighborhood residents to give up their amenities in order to aid others in arriving quickly to the downtown area nor was it fair to ask residents to pay for road upgrades. He invited the councilors to walk with him from Friendly Street and Lorane Highway to the downtown area and see the difference between a neighborhood street, a neighborhood collector, and a highway. He suggested councilors also stand at the comer of 7th Avenue and Willamette Street and note the number of cars that traverse 7th Avenue with only one person in them. He agreed traffic was a problem but asserted there were ways of addressing it other than changing the designation of his neighborhood streets. Clyde R. Nielsen, 3441 Storey Boulevard, noted that his testimony would repeat some of the previous testimony regarding the street reclassification. He thought that if all of the neighbors could speak with one voice, they would all oppose the change in street designation. He asserted that public officials were elected to represent the public and were not fulfilling their charge in this case. He averred the change threatened the tranquility of the neighborhood and would make living there more stressful, as well as negatively impacting the riparian zones and compromising the sylvan environment. He commented that Storey Boulevard "was blessed" with two "un-straightenable" curves which enhanced the beauty there but imposed the necessity of cautious driving. He suggested that Storey Boulevard should become a one-way street going uphill from the lower Crest Drive cut-off and its upper section. Martin Brown, 3446 Storey Boulevard, added his voice to the opposition of the aforementioned street reclassification. He asserted this action would destroy a vibrant and unique neighborhood and would not comply with Goal 5 standards. He felt it would exacerbate driving conditions, which were already hazardous. He questioned the wisdom of implementing a conventional street plan in an area that was