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Cheryl Hunter, 5320 Hunter Way, discussed the recent sale of a parcel in the south hills that was <br />acquired by a private developer after the City failed to acquire it for open space. She supported the City's <br />acquisition of the property and said she had collected signatures in support of that effort. Ms. Hunter <br />submitted copies of the signatures she had gathered. She urged the council's support of the acquisition, <br />which was significant to the City's parks system was already used by area residents. It was also important <br />for flood management and prevention purposes and contained valuable wildlife habitat. She said she <br />would continue to meet with affected neighborhood associations to discuss how they could support the <br />City's acquisition efforts. <br /> <br />Paul Thompson, 2970 Chamelton Street, Chair of the Crest Drive Citizens Association, also noted the <br />proposal to designate several streets in the Crest Drive neighborhood as collectors. He said the associa- <br />tion recently discussed the topic again, and he conveyed the results of the vote taken at that time, which <br />was to oppose the classification of any neighborhood street as a neighborhood collector. <br /> <br />Zachary Vishanoff, Patterson Street, suggested a community forum be held to discuss street crossing <br />issues on Franklin Boulevard he believed would result when Bus Rapid Transit was implemented. <br /> <br />Mr. Vishanoff reiterated past concerns about the principles underlying the concept of"smart growth," <br />which he dubbed social engineering. He said that the State planned to spend $50 million over the next 20 <br />years to build "smart roads," which would include cameras and would supposedly be more efficient and <br />safe. He did not accept that. He called Portland a poor model for growth, and suggested the council <br />consult the web site "Take Back Wisconsin" for further information. He said that communities all across <br />the country were repealing smart growth laws because of their concern that decisions were being made <br />before issues got to hearings, which were "window dressing" while the United Nations made zoning <br />decisions. Mr. Vishanoff noted former Councilor Pat Farr's concern that the costs of smart growth could <br />drive low-income residents to other nearby communities, adding to traffic congestion and the particulate <br />loads in those communities. <br /> <br />Mr. Vishanoff also expressed concern about nanotechnology, indicating he had prepared information for <br />the council to review. <br /> <br />Kevin Matthews, 120 West Broadway, representing the Friends of Eugene, said he was previously <br />opposed to the proposed commercial and industrial lands study, believing there was more need for the <br />Natural Resources Study to be completed. However, as a result of participating in the "roundtable" <br />process involving 16 community members representing disparate interests, he had changed his mind and <br />now supported conducting the study. Mr. Matthews said the council was responsible for ensuring the <br />study was done in an open and transparent way, with adequate public input and clear criteria that will <br />allow the results to have community credibility. It was easy to have a study with credibility for the <br />community it most benefited, but the community needed real data that could be used broadly and was not <br />controversial. Mr. Matthews thought it possible to achieve that but he was unsure the council was ready <br />to proceed at this time. <br /> <br />Mr. Matthews said it was unnecessary or important to proceed with the remainder of the recommendations <br />of the Mayor's Committee on Economic Development at this time, particularly those in regard to the Land <br />Use Code, as it was his belief they were not "full and ripe" yet. <br /> <br />Lauri Segal, 120 West Broadway, representing 1,000 Friends of Oregon, said she was not opposed to the <br />commercial/industrial lands study going forward, but suggested that it was somewhat "manipulative" that <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 9, 2004 Page 4 <br /> Regular Session <br /> <br /> <br />