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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/08/1987 Meeting COUNCIL M I NUT E S MINUTES Eugene City Council July - cecernber McNutt Room--City Hall 1987 July 8 s 1987 11: 30 a. m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Debra Ehrman, Rob Bennett, Emily Schue, Cynthia Wooten, Ruth Bascom, Jeff Miller, and Roger Rutan (12:09-1:32 p.m.). COUNCILORS ABSENT: Freeman Holmer The adjourned meeting of June 24, 1987, of the Eugene City Council was called to oraer by"His Honor Mayor Brian B. Obie. 1. GRATEFUL DEAD/BOB DYLAN CONCERT AND CITY CAMPING ORDINANCE Mayor Obie said he would like to raise an item first on today's agenda. He said he was being asked by the University of Oregon to waive the Ci ty ordinance prohibiting camping within the city limits. He said the University has plans to set up an area in part of the Autzen Stadium parking lot in order , to provide a place for members of the concert audience to camp. He said the ~. - thinking behind the University's request for a waiver is that it will perhaps be better to have campers confi ned to one area rather than di spersed throughout the community. He said he would like to provide an opportunity for a repr~entative of the University to discuss the plan for organizing and managing the event, an opportunity for councilors to ask questions or express concerns, and an opportunity for councilors to indicate whether they think the camping ordinance should be waived to allow camping in the Autzen Stadium parking lot. I Mayor Obie introduced University of Oregon Assistant Athletic Director Steve I McBride. Referring to the 1978 Grateful Dead concert in Eugene, Mr. McBride said appropriate steps were not taken to plan for the camping crowd that attends Grateful Dead concerts. He said the University feels prepared to manage the upcoming concert much more successfully than the one held in 1978. Mr. McBride said the concert will be held in the afternoon on Sunday, July 19. The University anticipates that there will be many people needing a place to camp. He said that if the University does not provide a camping area, these people will sleep in the surrounding neighborhoods or in Alton Baker Park. The University plans to develop an informal, but somewhat structured, camping area in the east parking lot of Autzen Stadium. He said the University would like to begin operating this facility on Thursday and continue through Sunday night. Mr. McBride circulated copies of a document outlining rul es and regulations for the camping area; the document also contained a map of the proposed campground. ,It MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 1 . - In response to a question from Mayor Obie, Mr. McBride said the University expects about 1,000 campers on Thursday and up to 3,000 on Saturday night. He e added that the University has a contingency plan in case more than 3,000 people need a place to camp. Mr. Bennett asked about the plans for supervising the campground and for clearing the area on Monday. Mr. McBride said the University has plans for providing all of the necessary services--toilet facilities, water, wastewater and garbage disposal, and so on. He added that there will be a number of food vendors adjacent to the camping area. A crew on horseback will provide traffic control and Whitebird will operate the medical area, which will be staffed 24 hours per day. He said there will also be a group of security people in the camp area. He added that the Pol ice Department will be increasing the number of patrols in the surrounding neighborhood, and will provide emergency assistance within the campground if the University requests it. In response to a question from Mayor Obi e, Mr. McBride said the University will reimberse the Police Department for the cost of increasing patrols in the area surrounding Autzen Stadium. Mr. Bennett asked about the number of security people that will be used for the event. Mr. McBride said there will be about 40 to 50 people providing the various medical, traffic control, and security services in the camping area. Ms. Wooten said there will be about 10 security people for the camping area available 24 hours per day. Mr. Bennett expressed concern that 10 security people may be inadequate for a crowd of 3,000 peop 1 e. e Ms. Bascom said she appreciated that the University has done a good job preparing for the event. Mayor Obie asked whether the City will have a written agreement with the University for this event. City Manager Micheal Gleason said there will be a written service agreement between the Police, Fire, and Emergency Services Department and the University. He said this agreement will specify such things as the amount and type of security that will be provided. In response to a question from Mayor Obie, Mr. Gleason said that if the camping ordinance is waived for the event, the agreement with the University will specify where camping will be allowed. Ms. Ehrman said that people attending the concert will camp somewhere in Eugene--either they will be dispersed throughout the city, or they will be concentrated in the camping facility proposed by the University. She said that the latter would be a more desirable option, and that the camping ordinance should be waived as a preventive move. Ms. Wooten agreed that wa i vi ng the ordi nance wou 1 d be a wi se preventive action. She added that the University has been thorough in its planning for the event. She said that although it is appropriate to plan for the worst, the behavior problems at this type of event might be overrated. She predicted that the event will go well. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 2 Referring to the camping rules and regulations circulated by Mr. McBride, Mr. Miller said that several of them seemed very unrealistic and unenforceable-- e for example, one rule said that no dogs would be allowed in the campground, and another forbade the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. He made the point that attempts to enforce unrealistic rules often creates problems. He also mentioned a rule forbidding the use of white gas appliances, open fires, and charcoal cookers. He asked what would be done about people who needed to cook their food. Mr. Bennett said he admired and respected the work done by the University in preparation for the event. He said he was concerned that if the University and City do not prepare for the worst, the event could get out of control. He sa id thi s woul d adversely affect the surroundi ng nei ghborhoods and would impair the ability to hold similar events in the future. Mayor Obie said that based on the councilors' comments, he anticipated that he would waive the camping ordinance for the event. He said he would not do this unt il he sees a written agreement outlining in more detail the plans for security both within the campground and in the surrounding area. He added that the City would like to be more involved in the planning stages if events like this are held in the future. II. ITEMS FROM COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER A. Taxi Situation Mr. Miller said there has been much concern expressed in the community about e the problems with taxis in Eugene. He asked staff to provide a report on this. Mr. Gleason said staff would do this. B. 5th Avenue Diverter Ms. Wooten said she has received oyer 20 phone calls from people concerned about the fact that the temporary diverter that the council decided to have installed on 5th Avenue has been removed without notification to residents. She said the decision to remove the diverter was based primarily on requests from property owners who use the street as a thoroughfare. She said she is having the Public Works Department examine in more detail the original council decision to install the diverter. C. Update on Kakegawa Trip Ms. Ehrman said the itinerary of events for the Kakegawa trip is bei ng planned. She encouraged people to attend as many of the events as they could. Mayor Obie thanked Ms. Ehrman for her enthusiasm about this event. D. Role of MAPAC Ms. Schue said that about a year ago, there were discussions about the role of the Metropolitan Area Planning Advisory Committee (MAPAC). At that time, all e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 3 -~ three jurisdictions (Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County) agreed to modify MAPAC's role. She said that at the last meeting of the Metropolitan Policy e Committee (MPC), Lane County Commissioner Steve Cornacchia raised the MAPAC issue again. She said he would like to have this group be simply a State- mandated citizen and public group. She said the Springfield representatives on the MPC expressed some support for this suggestion. Ms. Schue said that she and Ms. Ehrman (both members of the MPC) have discussed this issue. She said that because MAPAC's role has been recently changed, and because this new system has not been tried yet, it would seem logical to leave things as they are. She said that she and Ms. Ehrman will express this opinion at the next MPC meeting unless other councilors have different suggestions. Ms. Ehrman added that because of the MPC's voting rules, both she and Ms. Schue essentially can vote together to veto the proposal to change MAPAC's role. Ms. Wooten expressed support for the position of Ms. Schue and Ms. Ehrman on this issue. E. Parks Foundation Gift Catalog Ms. Bascom drew the council's attention to the Parks Foundation Gift Catalog that was in the council's packet of information. F. Public Hearings on July 13 Mr. Gleason said staff recently conducted a hearing on the Willakenzie Road improvement project. Because of the number of remonstrances, a hearing must e be held before the council. He said staff was suggesting that this be held on July 13 before the cOunci 11 s hearing on the proposed Willamette Street redesign from 8th to 10th. He said staff would arrange tours of the project at noon and 5:30 p.m. on July 13. Mayor Obi e sa i d he hoped the co~nc il could finish the Willakenzie Road improvement project hearing by 7:30 p.m. He said he would suggest that the council begin the Willamette Street redesign hearing by 7:30 p.m., even if it has not finished its deliberation on the Willakenzie Road improvement project. He urged councilors to come to the Willamette Street hearing relaxed, patient, and prepared to hear a lot of testimony. Ms. Wooten said the City should clearly inform people that the Willamette Street redesign hearing will not begin until 7:30 p.m. Ms. Bascom suggested that the Willakenzie Road improvement project hearing begin at 6:30 p.m. in order to allow the Willamette Street hearing to begin at 7 p.m. as it was originally scheduled. The council expressed general support for this idea and Mayor Obie asked staff to try to begin the Willakenzie Road hearing at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Obie said his plan for the Willamette Street hearing is to ensure that everyone who wishes to speak on the issue will be able to. Anticipating a large crowd at the hearing, Mr. Bennett suggested that the testimony be e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 4 1 imited to, say, three minutes for each individual and five minutes for individuals representing groups. Mayor Obie said that depending on the number e of people who wish to testify, the council may have to decide to limit the time available for each person to speak. Ms. Wooten said the City should clearly inform the public that the council will not be making a decision on July 13 on the Willamette redesign issue. Betty Niven, 3940 Hilyard Street, said she sent a letter to the editor to The Register-Guard recommending to people that they write their testimony in advance and that they try to limit it to two minutes. G. Hayward Field Improvements Mr. Rutan said he attended a recent Hayward Field meeting. He said the new surface will be applied soon. He said he will be taking a lead role on behalf of the City in developing the intergovernmental agreement. He said that there are many issues to be discussed, and that he will keep the council informed. III. APPOINTMENTS: MAYOR'S NOMINATION TO THE LIBRARY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Mayor Obi e said he had nomi nated Peggy Mulder to the Library Board of Trustees. Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to appoint Peggy Mulder to the Library Board of Trustees for a e term ending December 31, 1987. Ro 11 ca 11 vote. The motion carried unanimously, 7:0. IV. ORDINANCE POSTPONING SOLAR ACCESS ORDINANCE IMPLEMENTATION \. ' Mr. Gleason introduced the item. P;anning Director Susan Brody gave the staff report. She said the Solar Access Regulations were passed by the council in 1986. They took effect January 1, 1987, except for the solar setback portion of regulations, which was postponed by the council until July 1, 1987. She said staff was recommending that the council postpone the solar setback part of the Solar Access Regulations for three more months until October 1, 1987. She said this would allow further time for needed training and an opportunity for the council to hear the concerns of the building community regarding the solar setback requirements. She said a public forum is scheduled for July 22. Ms. Wooten asked whether the Springfield building community has expressed similar concerns about the solar setback requirements that were adopted by Springfield, and whether Springfield has implemented its Solar Access Regulations. Ms. Brody said she thought that Springfield had implemented its solar setback requirements. Ms. Bascom said that although some people are concerned about the solar setback requirements, there are also examples on the other side of the issue. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 5 She said that in her neighborhood, it would be advantageous to have all of the Solar Access Regulations in effect. e Mr. Miller asked whether a three-month delay will be a sufficient amount of time to deal with the issues being raised about the solar setback requirements. He also said that the intent of the Solar Access Regulations was not to prevent or discourage building in Eugene. Ms. Brody said that for now, staff was recommending a three-month delay. She said that after the public forum on July 22, the council may decide that there are problems of serious magnitude and that the solar setback requirements need to be postponed further. Ms. Schue said she agreed with the staff suggestion. CB 2973--An ordinance regarding enforcement of Solar Access Regulations; amending Ordinaces Nos. 19400, 19401, and 19402; repealing Ordinance No. 19402; and declaring and emergency. Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, that the bill be read the second time by council bill number only, with unanimous consent of the council, and that enactment be considered at this time. The motion carried unanimously, 7:0. Council Bill 2973 was read the second time by council bill number only. e Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by-Ms. Schue, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll ca 11 vote. The motion carried unanimously, 7:0. V. WORK SESSION: URBAN RENEWAL PLAN UPDATE Mr. Gleason introduced the item. Eugene Development Department Director Abe Farkas gave the staff report. He said this was the second part of a work session on the updated Urban Renewal Plan in preparation for the upcoming public hearing on July 13. At its June 24 meeting, the council discussed the following topics: expansion of the Urban Renewal District; development projects and financial issues; and siting of the future downtown transit station and library. At that meeting, the council agreed to defer discussion of the redesign of the public plaza and Willamette Street from 8th to 10th avenues until its meeting on July 8. He said he would summarize the recent recommendations by the Downtown and Planning commissions. He said this would be followed by a presentation by Don Miles, during which Mr. Miles would review the Eugene Downtown Public Spaces Study, discuss his research on how people use the mall, and explain his recommendations for the treatment of Willamette Street and the Willamette/Broadway plaza. Mr. Farkas said Mr. Miles has given similar presentations to the Downtown and Planning commissions. He also mentioned that Downtown Commissioner Michael Schwartz; Planning Commissioners Gerry Gaydos and Dorothy Anderson; Development e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 6 Department staff Elaine Stewart, Greg Byrne, and Bob Hibschman; and Planning Department staff Susan Brody, Pat Decker, and Kirk McKinley were at the e meeting in order to answer councilors' questions. Mr. Farkas summarized the six major aspects of the joint recommendations by the Downtown and Planning commissions regarding the redesign of Willamette from 8th to 10th and the Broadway/Willamette plaza. This information is also in a June 1, 1987, memo from the Planning Department to the Planning Commission entitled "Final Action on Urban Renewal Plan Update. II --Willamette Street from 8th to 10th avenues should be opened to vehicular traffic, with a strong pedestrian orientation, using the concept contained in the Eugene Downtown Public Spaces Study. --East Broadway should not be opened to vehicular traffic. --The Broadway/Willamette intersection should remain as a public plaza and should be upgraded; this redesign should include public rest rooms. --A design advisory committee should be appointed to develop a design for Willamette Street between 8th and 10th and for the Broadway/Willamette plaza. --Design parameters should be forwarded to the design advisory committee. For example, Willamette Street should have a strong pedestrian orientation and limited two-way traffic e with off-set drop-off and limited short-term parking bays; and the Broadway/Willamette plaza should have a design that is flexible to development, should maximize use of the available space, should accommodate outdoor performance and informal socializing, and should maximize the use of sunny areas. --The redesign and reconstruction of Willamette from 8th to 10th and the Broadway/Willamette plaza should be completed within an expeditious time frame that allows adequate time for a thorough design process and sufficient opportunity for public comment. The redesign should be implemented so as to avoid major impacts on the Eugene Celebration and downtown retail activity. The Urban Renewal Plan Update should reflect funds in fiscal year 1988-89 for design and preconstruction costs, and in fiscal year 1989-90 for construction. Mr. Farkas introduced Don Miles, who is president of Don Miles Associates and one of the leading experts on urban public spaces. Mr. Miles said the Eugene Downtown Public Spaces Study examined how people were using the downtown mall, identified which aspects of the mall were working well and which were not working well, and suggested improvements that e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 7 - - -- - -- could be made to the mall. He said this study represented one part of the effort to improve downtown Eugene. This part of the overall effort is to make e necessary physical improvements; and the other part, represented by the Centra 1 i zed Reta il Management program, tri es to improve downtown reta i 1 activity through coordination among merchants. Mr. Miles showed a film and some slides while discussing various aspects of downtown Eugene. He said the picnicing that occurs in the Olive fountain area is very positive; however, the benches are inflexible, maki ng the area function not as well as it could. He mentioned that flexibility is very important in outdoor seating. He said movable chairs and tables, because of their versatility, function best in public spaces such as a downtown mall. Mr. Miles said the playground on West Broadway is a very positive thing to have on the mall; but the facility was too large, did not work effectively for the children trying to use it, and obstructed the view of the shops on the street. He said the recent West Broadway redesign remedied these problems and made the activity of the playing children more visible to people sitting or walking on the mall. He recommended that sculptures with which children could interact be placed around the edge of the playground. He added that a playground facility can be designed to function well within the overall shopping street environment. Mr. Mil es said the blocks of Broadway between Willamette and Charnelton funct i on very we 11 : a lot of window shopping occurs; the outdoor retail displays (for example, at Eugene Athletic) work well as merchandising tools; and the outdoor seating (for example, at Rosewater's Cafe) activates the street. He said the Public Spaces Study recommends that mall improvements be e made on these two blocks first. He said his experience shows that improving the stronger portions of an area first leverages more investment in the area. Using time lapse film, Mr. Miles illustrated that most people on the mall walk along the edge of the streets because this is where the stores and activity are. He said that reopening Willamette Street to limited vehicular traffic, which is recommended by the Public Spaces Study, would not significantly change the way pedestrians walk along the street. Mr. Miles said the concept of having a central fountain is very important for a community, because it serves as a center for a downtown area. However, he said Eugene's central fountain on Willamette and Broadway is poorly designed. Rather than enhance the use of the public space, the fountain obstructs the area both visually and physically; moreover, the design of the fountain is inflexible. He said the central plaza should be the most intensely used part of downtown, but it is not. He said design changes need to be made to the fountain and the plaza area in order to intensify the use of the space. He also mentioned that the stairs and platform on the edge of the plaza are seldom used, and they obstruct other uses of the area. Mr. Miles discussed the block of Willamette between Broadway and 8th Avenue. He said the IIhole in the mallu forces pedestrians to detour from the path they would like to walk. He said the grassy areas on this part of Willamette are very popular, especially for families. He said this type of usage needs to be e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 8 accommodated on the mall. He said this can be done both on the redesigned Willamette Street1s wide sidewalks and on other parts of the mall. e Mr. Miles said that Broadway, east of the central fountain, contains a lot of inactive space. He said this block needs to be designed and programmed to accommodate more intense uses--uses that wi 11 strengthen the connection, which is very tenuous now, between the park blocks and the Broadway/Willamette plaza. Mr. Miles showed a slide of Willamette Street at the turn of the century. He mentioned the prominent use of awnings, which were used not so much to provide continuous weather protection as to emphasize particular storefronts. He said the number of awnings downtown is being increased by the Downtown Awning Program. Mr. Miles said the mall redesign that occurred in 1971 emphasized the downtown core as a park-like environment that was like a self-contained precinct isolated from the city's street system. He said a streetscape environment is more condusive to retailing. Moreover, the street is an urban areals primary asset; it is what a downtown has that suburban shopping centers lack; and it is what is celebrated in the world's greatest cities. He said the improvements made to the downtown mall should return this area to a streetscape environment; and, instead of being a self-contained precinct, the mall should become part of the downtown street grid again. This can be cone through introducing traffic on part of the mall, and by using streetscape design features in the improvements made to the pedestrian areas. For example, the recent West Broadway improvements re-installed street signs not e only to emphasize the streetscape theme, but also to help pedestrians find their way throughout the mall and downtown area. He added that Willamette is the historic ma;nstreet of Eugene, and that the Downtown Plan recommends restoring this mainstreet image. Mr. Miles said the Public Spaces Study contains the results of a pedestrian count that was done on the downtown mall. He said that while the activity level on the northern block of Wiliamette and the eastern block of Broadway is driven by downtown employment, the southern block of Willamette and the western blocks of Broadway are active during both the week and weekend. He added that the most active street, Broadway, has the largest number of shop entries. Mr. Miles said that when discussing a streetscape environment, one can divide the street into three zones. The merchant zone is the sidewalk area and the storefronts; next to the merchant zones are pedestrian furnishings zones, which contain design components (trees, street lights, and so on) that establish the streetscape theme and emphasize continuity of the streets from block to block; and between the two pedestrian furnishings zones is the central activity zone (where the road would be on a traditional street). Mr. Miles said the central activity zone must be programmed and activated by such things as outdoor seating, performances, vendor pushcarts, and small shops in pavil ions. He recommended that these pavilions be satellites of stores already on the ma 11 . He showed a slide of The Bonis storefront on West Broadway as an example of a poorly functioning merchant zone: there is no e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 9 store identification, nothing to generate activity outside the store, and almost no interaction between the store and pedestrian area. He contrasted e this with a slide of a coffee shop outside Nordstrom's in Seattle. He said the shop activates the street and draws people into the store. Mr. Miles also mentioned that the pedestrian furnishings zone should contain historic design components--these not only make a downtown interesting, but they also link it with the history of the urban area and the history of the street. Mr. Miles said the Public Spaces Study recommends that the central activity zone on Willamette Street be used for limited two-way vehicular traffic. He mentioned that the recent introduction of traffic on Willamette from 10th to 11th avenues has been followed by significant re-investment in the block. He also said Willamette could be closed to auto traffic during major events on the ma 11 . He said operations such as the Mainstage Theater could continue very successfully under the option recommended by the Public Spaces Study. He added that although the study does not recommend it, another option would be to make improvements on Willamette similar to those that occurred on West Broadway. Mr. Miles said Willamette from 8th to 10th should be a special street with a strong pedestrian orientation. The entry points at 8th and 10th should ramp vehicles up to sidewalk level in order to signal to motorists that the two blocks are in an area where pedestrian activity is emphasized (an example of this ramping is at the intersection of Broadway and Oak). Mr. Miles said that events programming is an important part of creating an active downtown. He mentioned the Out-to-Lunch Program which programs 14 public spaces in downtown Seattle during lunch hours. He said this programming draws employees out of their offices during the lunch hour. e Mr. Miles said the improvements to Willamtte can be done in a way similar to how the West Broadway redesign construction was handled. He said the edges of the street can remain open to pedestrian use during construction and the impact on businesses can be minimized. Mr. Miles said there seems to be.a lot of support in the community for improvements to the Willamette Street merchant zones similar to those that occurred on West Broadway. He said the issue of what to do with the central activity zone is generating a lot of discussion. He said the Public Spaces Study recommends using this area for limited two-way vehicular traffic. He said this would leave 22 feet on each side of the street for sidewalks and pedestrian activity (15 feet in areas where short-term parking or drop-off bays were located). He said the other option would be to redesign the central activity zone along the 1 i nes of the recent West Broadway project. He emphasized the importance of moving forward with a downtown improvements program. In response to a question from Mr. Rutan, Mr. Miles said the Public Spaces Study recommends that Willamette Street have some short-term parking and drop- off bays; however, these should be staggered (that is, never directly across the street from each other). He said that although the bulk of downtown parking needs will still be met by the surface lots and parking garages, short-term parking on Willamette will be important because it will make people feel as though the area is more accessible. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 10 Ms. Ehrman and Mayor Obi e asked whether Mr. Mil e s, in arriving at his recommendation to open Willamette to vehicular traffic, considered the effect e this would have on gut cruising, which currently occurs along south Wi 11 amet te. Mr. Miles reiterated his recommendation that Willamette Street ramp up to sidewalk level at 8th and 10th avenues. This ramping at the two entry points essentially would serve as a speed bump and would eliminate the continuity for fast driving that most gut-cruising streets have. He said the recommended design for Willamette from 8th to 10th--with limited traffic and pedestrian orientation--would not be conducive to gut cruising. Mr. Miles also mentioned that he has done a study of cruising in Boise, Idaho. He sa i d the cruising in this city operates out of several vacant parking lots. He said the idea of a IIturfll is very important in cruising activity; the cruisers feel that they own the lots. He said one of the keys to addressing a problem such as gut cruising is to make clear who owns the space and what the function of the space is. He said the abuse of space is almost always related to the perception of the abuser that no one cares, that the space is no one's property. He said an intense Willamette Street will have a strong pride of ownership associated with it, and this will discourage the abuse of the space. Mr. Farkas mentioned two other factors that will discourage cruising on an opened Willamette Street. First of all, there wi 11 be two narrow traffic lanes from 8th to 10th avenues, as opposed to four-lane streets where most other cruising occurs. Moreover, the density of office and retail development in the downtown core will not be conducive to cruising. Mr. Gleason mentioned that there has been some discussion about th9 possibility of occasionally closing the reopened section of Willamette to auto traffic. Thi s mi ght be done for special events or perhaps on weekends. He said the latter would hinder cruising on the street. e Mr. Bennett said the council has been told before that H-shaped malls, such as Eugene's, do not function as well as linear malls. He asked Mr. Miles to elaborate on this point. Mr. Miles said that people in a car can see about 100 feet into a cross-street. He said H-shaped malls essentially become like islands--a significant portion of the mall is not visible to people driving along adjacent streets. By contra~t, linear malls are still very much part of the overall downtown street grid, they do not become like islands, and the visual access from adjacent streets is much better than it is for H-shaped ma 11 s . Mr. Miles also said that linear malls are intersected by traffic at each block. He said that having traffic close to the pedestrian area can strengthen the street-corner atmosphere, making the mall more active and vibrant. Mr. Miles said that opening Willamette to traffic will give people a better sense of orientation in the downtown. Having driven through the core of downtown, people will know more about what is in the area and more about how to find things downtown. He also mentioned that opening Willamette will place the Hult and Conference Center at a very prominent location in the city--at a type of grand terminus to the mainstreet. Mr. Bennett asked Mr. Miles to discuss the type of uses that will develop on a street with vehicular access, as opposed to the type of uses that will develop on a pedestrian street. Mr. Miles said the national trend is to reopen pedestrian malls to traffic. He said this has to do with the fact that e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 11 _so - - -------- downtown retailing is changing. The anchor stores are leaving downtowns, and with them is going comparative shopping. He said that suburban shopping e centers are ideal for quick comparative shopping, and that downtowns cannot compete on this level. He said downtown retail is becoming destination- ori ented and the businesses are becoming more distinctive, more special. Peop 1 e will not shop at these distinctive businesses unless they know the businesses exist; therefore, every type of access to these shops is crucial. Mr. Miller said the City needs to ensure that people with disabilities will have access downtown. He asked whether the streetscape environment recommended by Mr. Miles would present problems to people wi th visual impairments, and what could be done to address these problems. Mr. Miles recommended that the City use the expertise of the Commission on the Rights of Person s wi th Di sabil ities to arri ve at solutions to the type of issue mentioned by Mr. Miller. He said a variety of textural, visual, audible, and physical cues can be used to help people with visual impairments. Ms. Bascom said she was enthusiastic about much of Mr. Mil es work--for example, what has been done along West Broadway. However, she questioned the emphasis being placed on Willamette as Eugene's mainstreet. She said Willamette is hardly a continuous type of mainstreet. She said that using the notion of making Willamette Eugene's mainstreet as a justification for the proposed redesign of Willamette from 8th to 10th seemed to confuse the issue. In response to a question from Ms. Bascom, Mr. Miles reiterated and clarified a point he had made earlier. He said there seems to be a lot of support in the commun ity for improvements to the merchant zone on Wi 11 amette Street (improving seating and lighting, making better use of the sidewalk area, e encouraging the installation of awnings, and so on). He said there also seems to be support for making improvements to the plaza and fountain at the intersection of Broadway and Willamette. However, he said that a lot of discussion has been generated around the issue of what to do with the central activity zone on Willamette--namely, whether to open it to traffic or to redesign it along the lines of th~ improvements made on West Broadway. He said that often, a particular aspect of a program overshadows the entire project. He said the City should try to avoid this. He said the important thing is for the City to begin a downtown improvements program; and part of thi s program wi 11 involve deciding what to do with Willamette's central activity zone. Mr. Miles also mentioned that an incremental approach can be adopted in the improvements made in the downtown core. He said the basic framework (the three zones that he discussed earliar) is flexible enough so that changes can be made over time. Ms. Schue said the Downtown Commission has discussed the possibility of moving the centra 1 plaza. She said her impression was that Mr. Miles thought the central plaza should be at the intersection of Broadway and Willamette. Mr. Mil es said that a town square should be adjacent to a city's important streets, and that Broadway and Willamette are two of Eugene's most important streets. He also said a town square should be located where the people are now. He said a City should not try to locate a town square where there are no people, and try to import people into this new square. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 12 Mayor Obie reiterated the fact that the council will not be making a decision at the July 13 public hearing on the Urban Renewal Plan update. He a 1 so e thanked the Downtown and Planning commissions for the work they did in forming their recommendations. Mayor Obie adjourned the meeting at 1:32 p.m. RespectfU1J~ /~ Mich al~:~son ~ City Manager (Recorded by Monty Hindman) mncc0708 e - MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 8, 1987 Page 13