CCMinutes - 08/09/04 Mtg - Laserfiche WebLink

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