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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 11/13/07 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room – City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon November 13, 2007 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Chris Pryor, Bonny Bettman, Jennifer Solomon, Mike Clark, Alan Zelenka. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Betty Taylor. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy convened the Eugene City Council work session. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST FROM MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER Mayor Piercy noted the absence of Ms. Taylor, Mr. Poling, and Ms. Ortiz. She explained that two of them were attending the National League of Cities meeting in New Orleans. Mayor Piercy announced that the council interviews for the Planning Commission and Budget Committee would be held beginning at 5 p.m. on Monday, November 19. Mayor Piercy reported that she had met with the Youth Action Board (YAB). She related that they continue to want to develop a youth advisory council for local government. Continuing, Mayor Piercy said she had spoken at the City Club on the city manager recruitment process. She felt there was a lot of interest in the creation of an independent auditor position for the City. She had also helped to kick off the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) campaign the previous weekend. She said the group wants to encourage people to remember to have a designated driver when out celebrating the holidays. She also shared a decorated stuffed bear that had been presented by visitors from Japan. Mr. Zelenka related that an Oregon Toxics Alliance meeting regarding field burning at St. Peter’s Catholic Church was scheduled for the following day. He said the focus would be on what people could do to move forward. Mr. Zelenka called attention to the McKenzie Watershed Council report that was included in council packets. th Mr. Zelenka also shared a display of pictures from a dedication on 18 Avenue in which he had participated. He spoke glowingly of the project, which included bicycle amenities, parking, and bioswales. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 1 Work Session Mr. Zelenka provided a chart he received at the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) which delineated the cost per gallon/per passenger in relation to modes of transportation. He also reported that the MPC had taken two significant actions: approval of both the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP), though not by a unanimous vote; and the Air Quality Compliance Report. He felt that the new RTP contained several problems, one of which was that there was an insufficient linkage between land use planning and the transportation plan. He felt the RTP was off in “a different orbit” than the TransPlan. He also thought that although MPC had met the legal requirement for public involvement, he had not felt the amount of public involvement to be sufficient. He underscored that there were “hundreds of millions of dollars” that would be spent “in the short-term.” He averred that the way transportation planning happened in the community had a huge impact on it. He thought the amount of public involvement they were getting in the process was disproportionate to the impact of the money. He related that they asked staff to bring back ideas about how to do that better for the next meeting. He said the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) staff briefed the MPC on the 2008-2011 funding cycle in which they advised the MPC that they would be $142 million short in transportation funding for the state. He stated that ODOT was in “triage mode.” He noted that the projection for spending in 2012-2013 for Region 2 was $6.5 million. He called the RTP “very unrealistic” given the constraints related to the “fact that ODOT has cut us back,” that the gas tax had not been increased since 1993, and that prices for labor and materials had increased dramatically. He explained that they had passed it because not passing it could have put federal funding in jeopardy. Mr. Clark noted that he would also be attending the Oregon Toxics Alliance meeting. Mr. Clark reported that he attended a Public Safety Coordinating Council (PSCC) Juvenile Justice Subcommittee meeting on October 23. He related that there had been a lot of discussion and concern about the impact long-term county funding issues would have on the juvenile justice system. He said County Commissioner Bobby Green was serving as chair for the committee. Mr. Clark related that he also attended a Chalkboard Project reception on October 24. He had enjoyed hearing about the progress of the project. He listed some of the other functions he had attended, which included Convention and Visitors Association of Lane County, Oregon (CVALCO) meeting on October 25, at which he learned about the plaques that all of the mayors purchased for the pathway, neighborhood meetings, a Lane Metropolitan dinner on November 7, and the Human Rights Commission “Bringing Human Rights Home” symposium on November 8 and the “Making Eugene a Human Rights City” event earlier on that day. He said it had been a moving and educational day and he expressed appreciation for all of the staff involvement in the event. Mr. Clark thanked the veterans for their service in honor of Veterans Day. Mr. Clark closed by saying “Go Ducks” in support of the game scheduled for November 15. Ms. Bettman wished to thank the voters who voted in the special election. She was eager to begin looking at next steps. She noted that the council special session scheduled for November 27 was intended as a discussion on the next steps to take with downtown redevelopment issues. Ms. Bettman appreciated Mr. Zelenka’s update on the RTP. She averred that adoption of plans that were not financially constrained had been “an issue before.” She remarked that it was always a situation where “they” say it has to be adopted or the federal funding would be jeopardized. She opined that this was dysfunctional public policy. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 2 Work Session Ms. Bettman related that the Council Committee on Intergovernmental Relations (CCIGR) had met with Smith Dawson and CCIGR staff to discuss the United Front agenda, the list of projects that they were moving forward, and the “landscape” in Washington, D.C. She understood that the United Front list would come to the City Council but she did not see it on the schedule. City Manager Angel Jones said she would work with the Mayor to put it into the schedule. Ms. Jones reported that she had been in discussion with the potential downtown developers, Beam Development and KWG Development Partners. She related that both continued to be interested in working with the City of Eugene to revitalize the downtown area. She stated that City staff had not made any recommendations or decisions related to downtown development. She said staff was in the process of identifying a broad range of options to be presented for the council’s consideration on November 27. She noted that the developers had been invited to that meeting. She indicated her willingness to meet with any of the councilors to address questions or concerns they might have. Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Mr. Pryor, moved to delete the requirement for matching funds from the Fiscal Year (FY) 08 funding dedicated to the Olympic Trials-impacted neighbor- hoods. Mr. Zelenka explained that his motion sought to make already allocated funds available to neighborhoods without having a requirement for matching funds. He had intended, when the body addressed this at the Budget Committee level, to waive the matching fund requirement but it had not been recorded in this way. He felt having to find matching funds was a hindrance given the timing of the availability of the funds and the proximity of the Olympic Trials. Mr. Clark asked if there was specific information in regard to what the money would be used for. Mr. Zelenka replied that he did not know. Ms. Solomon recalled the discussion the committee had in regard to requiring matching funds. She felt that asking the neighborhood to come up with $3,000 from 1,000 households was not that much. Mr. Pryor commented that there was a set amount of money that was available; whether there was a match or not, it would be limited to that amount of money. While he supported the matching grant concept, he said he would support this motion because it was related to the Olympic Trials which was less than a year away. He felt the Olympic Trials was a unique event. He wanted to see some neighborhood projects in advance of it. Ms. Bettman remarked that a matching grants required service or sweat equity or cash. She favored the motion. Mr. Clark was inclined to support the motion. He thought it would affect the kinds of projects the neighborhood would choose. He added that he wanted the project that they would choose to have broad neighborhood support. Mr. Zelenka reiterated that this was a different situation from the norm for neighborhood matching grants as it was specific to the Olympic Trials. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 3 Work Session Ms. Jones concurred. She felt the Olympic Trials presented a special situation and the grant funds in this case were specifically intended to mitigate the impacts the event would create. The motion passed, 4:1; Ms. Solomon voting in opposition. B. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Approval of City Council Minutes - September 10, 2007, City Council Meeting - September 17, 2007, Community Forum - September 19, 2007, Work Session - September 24, 2007, Work Session - October 2, 2007, Boards and Commissions Interviews 2. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda Mr. Pryor, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to approve the Consent Calendar. The motion passed, 5:0. C. ACTION: Resolution 4920 Approving a Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption for Residential Property th Located at Northwest Corner of 11 Avenue and Lincoln Street, Eugene, Oregon (Eugene Down- town Co-Housing LLC, Applicant) Ms. Jones asked Richie Weinman, urban services manager for the Community Development Division (CDD), to provide background information on the resolution before the council. Mr. Weinman stated that the resolution was for approval of an application for a Multiple-Unit Property Tax th Exemption (MUPTE) from Eugene Downtown Co-Housing on the northwest corner of West 11 Avenue and Lincoln Street. He highlighted the project which included 24 units, 23 of which were intended to be sold and 22 of which were handicapped-accessible. He said the plan included some retail space. He noted that Ms. Bettman had submitted questions earlier in the day and provided the answers: ? There were two dwellings, both single-family houses, formerly on the site that had been removed. Both were small and in “not great” condition. ? The area is zoned SDW, a Special Downtown Westside area zone, and in it was a Mixed Use zone that contained no density standards. Commercial use is permitted but was limited to a list of spe- cific uses. ? Currently property taxes on the land were $2,460; the reason the applicants were seeking the ex- emption was because they felt that without it the homes would be too expensive to sell. Ms. Bettman asked what the square footage of the retail and the square footage of the housing would be. Division Manager for CDD, Mike Sullivan replied that the plan currently suggested there would be 8,000 square feet of retail space and 25,000 square feet of housing. Ms. Bettman stated that the City also had the Vertical Housing Zone as a tool and wondered why in this situation it would not be considered for use. Mr. Weinman responded that the project was not within the boundary of the Vertical Housing Zone. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 4 Work Session Mr. Pryor, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to adopt Resolution 4920 approving a multiple- unit property tax exemption for residential property located at the northwest corner of West th 11 Avenue and Lincoln Street, Eugene, Oregon; Eugene Downtown Cohousing LLC as applicant. The motion passed unanimously, 5:0. Mr. Zelenka wished to note that his support for the project was due to its location in the downtown core area, where he believed incentives were needed to create multiple-unit housing. D. ACTION: Resolution 4921 Approving a Multiple-Unit Property Tax Exemption for Residential Property thth Located at 534 East 14 Avenue and 535 East 14 Alley, Eugene, Oregon (West University Sus- tainable Housing LLC, Applicant) Mr. Pryor, seconded by Mr. Clark, moved to adopt Resolution 4921 approving a multiple th unit property tax exemption for residential property located at 534 East 14 Avenue and th 535 East 14 Alley, Eugene, Oregon; West University Sustainable Housing LLC as appli- cant. Mr. Weinman explained that the proposed apartment project consisted of nine units approximately one block west of the West University Park. He noted that the developer had built another project about a block from the proposed project that had qualified for a MUPTE one year earlier. He stated that the project would be in an area zoned R-3, Residential, which allowed for a minimum of 20 units per acre and a maximum of 56 units per acre and this project fell in the middle of that range. In response to a question from Mr. Clark, Mr. Weinman said eight units would have four bedrooms and one unit would have five. Ms. Bettman averred that the project would not be located in the urban core. She considered it to be located in the University neighborhood and she felt that projects would be built there regardless of whether the MUPTE was granted. She also thought the City should require development in that area to meet the maximum density requirement as she believed the project was “taking away” units by tearing down existing housing. She questioned just how much they were increasing density by building the new project on that land. Ms. Bettman asked how housing was designated to be “not good” housing stock. She said it seemed like a subjective designation. Mr. Weinman replied that in this case it was the owner’s decision. He stated that the back units that were off the alley were definitely in very poor condition. He noted that there were currently six units on the property and the proposed project would increase that number to nine. Ms. Bettman reiterated her feeling that it was not a high enough density. She noted that the development proposal included retaining trees and asked if the developer could guarantee that the trees would live through construction. Mr. Weinman responded that it was not part of the MUPTE program to require it but he believed the applicant would make an “honest effort” to retain the trees that were there. Ms. Bettman asked if the neighborhood understood that there was no guarantee that the trees would be retained. Mr. Weinman replied that in knowing the chair of the West University Neighborhood he believed he understood that you can’t guarantee this sort of thing. MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 5 Work Session Ms. Bettman opined that given that this could not be enforced it should not be advertised as a component of the project. Mr. Zelenka asked how a unit was defined. Mr. Weinman responded that he would provide a copy of that section of the code. He believed that a unit could technically include one with a shared kitchen. Ms. Solomon related that she had spent time in the University area and was dismayed by the quality of the housing. She was glad that the applicant would improve the housing stock. She had been pleased to see the letter indicating unanimous support from the West University Neighborhood. Mr. Clark said he was also interested in the effect on net density. He suggested that it would be useful to include an analysis of the effect of a MUPTE application on taxes both in the short-term and the long-term over the useful life of the building. He also wanted to see an analysis of the net effect on on-street parking. He believed that if the City moved away from allowing MUPTE applications in the University neighborhood the result would be that more high-rise, multi-unit developments would occur that would intensify the pressure on the parking problems in that area. He also expressed interest in seeing how this would affect the City’s sustainability goals. Mr. Weinman stated that he had received a handout from the applicant earlier in the day. He provided copies of it to the council. He explained that it indicated that the City would break even on the property taxes it would forego after 11½ years. He said every year after that point the City would collect approxi- mately 700 percent more in annual tax revenue than it would without the MUPTE right now. Ms. Bettman asked if this took into account the loss of existing revenue. Mr. Weinman affirmed that it did. Ms. Solomon was impressed by the developers’ commitment to sustainable practices. She thought the project could possibly be used as a standard by which the bar would be set for future development. She also noted that the project contained over 60 percent open space. She averred that this was consistent with the council’s goals to increase density and open space. Mayor Piercy felt the questions that remained included whether they were still trying to “densify” the area or not; was the City still trying to preserve single-family units in that area. She also thought a certain level of criteria in terms of sustainable building elements should be included, noting that currently it was all voluntary, if the MUPTE boundary continued to include the University area. Mr. Zelenka said in the future discussion of the MUPTE he wanted to look into having applicants cost out sustainability features. He wanted to know what the MUPTE was “buying” and how they knew what they were “buying.” The motion passed, 3:2; Mr. Zelenka and Ms. Bettman voting in opposition. The meeting adjourned at 6:17 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Angel Jones City Manager Pro Tem MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 6 Work Session (Recorded by Ruth Atcherson) MINUTES—Eugene City Council November 13, 2007 Page 7 Work Session