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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/23/1988 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council B. J.1s Restaurant May 23, 1988 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Freeman Holmer, Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Jeff Miller, Emily Schue. Mayor Obie called to order the adjourned meeting of May 18, 1988. I. WORK SESSION: FUTURE LIBRARY PROJECT Ms. Decker referred the council to the flow chart in the packets. She said that tonight staff is seeking further direction on site and site-related issues. The site-related issues to be focused on will be mixed-use and parking. Ms. Decker said that Abe Farkas of the Development Department will discuss the benefits associated with a mixed-use approach. Following Mr. Farkas, Jim Robertson will respond to some of the questions raised by the council regarding the use of the Bon or Sears buildings for a future library. e Ms. Decker said there will be a brief presentation by Scott Luell on parking issues related to the library project. Then staff would like to return to Jim Robertson to discuss scenarios of how the library and parking could fit on a Broadway-Charnelton site, with the idea being that the council needs to begin to develop some kind of vision. of how the components of the library could work on the site. Staff will then poll the councilors on their reac- tions to the presentations. Ms. Decker said the staff had planned to deal with the vacation of Broadway at this meeting as well, but staff had concluded that the vacation of Broadway is a design-related issue. If the council decides it wishes to locate the library on the site where a vacation is necessary, staff can explore possibilities. Mr. Farkas presented a general background on mixed use and then focused specifically on the possibility of the Eugene Library in a mixed-use setting. Mr. Farkas said one of the two alternative sites being considered is the Charnel ton site, which is proximate to the downtown retail core. If the library were to be developed in a mixed-use environment at this location, there would be a number of benefits that the library would provide to the retail environment and a number of benefits that the retail environment would provide to the library. Mr. Farkas enumerated the benefits to retail: 1) the library draws many people, estimated by one consultant at about 2,000 people per day; 2) the library's strongest hours are during the evenings and on weekends, which from a retailer's perspective is ideal; 3) the library e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 1 e e e draws many people from the community and is a IImagnet.1I Mr. Farkas likened it to an ice skating rink in a shopping center, which draws families; 4) in the Eugene community, the library may be the pivotal component to retain and expand anchor retail stores and potentially add anchor retail stores. Mr. Rutan asked Mr. Farkas if there was any information available about existing library mixed-use projects. Mr. Farkas said there are not many library mixed-use projects. Seattle is planning one now. Sacramento is in the development stage. Minneapolis is beginning the same process. Ms. Hildebrand said that the ones she is aware of are small, and cited the Clackamas Town Center library branch. She was unaware of any main libraries in a mixed-use setting. Mr. Rutan asked if the estimated 2,000 people per day could be extrapolated into retail statistics. Mr. Farkas replied that surveys at the library indicate that 65-75 percent of those who patronize the library also visit a restaurant and/or do some retail shopping. Ms. Hildebrand said the survey was conducted in 1983. Mr. Rutan asked if staff had any idea of the level of interest on the part of private development to be located next to a library. Mr. Farkas said that staff has spoken to private developers and major retailers, including the two anchor stores. All of those spoken to had indicated that a library could aid in their retail goals to extend hours downtown and draw weekend and evening patronage. Mr. Holmer asked if there was a possibility of asking the private sector to support the cooperative use of such a facility. Mr. Farkas said this moves to the question of what a retail environment offers the library: 1) a retail presence could yield potential cost savings in terms of construction; 2) a library would add a sense of security to patrons in a downtown setting; 3) there is greater capacity to share in structured parking, particularly on a tax increment site; 4) in a mixed-use setting there is greater potential for realizing ongoing endowments for book funds or ongoing operating funds. Mr. Farkas said that, based on the mutual benefits identified above, the City should take a close look at the possibility of the library functioning in a situation where it can contribute more to the community and receive more in return. Mayor Obie asked what restrictions the City has if it wishes to build the library on renewal property. Mr. Farkas said the Renewal Agency did pay for land acquired, and there would be some type of transfer of land conditions. The City does not actually own the site, but this doesn't mean the transfer couldn't be made at a lower price than it was acquired for, but it would represent a loss to the agency. Another issue regards parking as tax incre- ment funds cannot be used to pay for parking without private development to generate the cash flow. Mr. Miller asked if, during the discussions with the anchor stores, the destruction of existing structures had been discussed. Mr. Farkas said there was a preference stated by one of the anchors for a new facility and the possibility of deep involvement in a mixed-use facility. Ms. Schue asked if the property west of Charnelton Street is under discussion. Mr. Farkas said most of the attention is focused on the property the renewal agency currently owns, in conjunction with existing retail and parking. Ms. Schue asked if MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 2 e the uses being discussed are appropriate for the west site. Mr. Farkas said yes, and added there was a range of possible appropriate retail uses. Ms. Ehrman said one of the reasons that mixed-use was considered by the Future of the Library Committee was beginning financing. She asked what front-end costs the developer would be responsible for, or if Mr. Farkas was discussing leasing space. Mr. Farkas said there were a number of methods possible, and described some possibilities. He said staff had not yet done a detailed analysis regarding these options. Mr. Holmer asked what practical opportunities existed for getting a decision from private developers to enable the City to proceed with such a plan. Mr. Farkas said the City has begun preliminary discussion with private develop- ers, including those on the retail side and those on the office development side. When discussions are sufficiently advanced, Mr. Farkas said staff would bring the private parties to the council. In this light, Mayor Obie asked Mr. Farkas if the use of tax increment funds to build a library was an appropriate use. Mr. Farkas said he was checking into whether building a library would be a legal use. Ms. Bascom said office development, government buildings, and cultural cen- ters have a better chance of succeeding in downtown than a major department store. She asked if the mixed-use concept relied on a major department store, or whether it could work with smaller, speciality retail and office space. Mr. Farkas said the staff had looked at the library in conjunction with office space and retail space at the 8th Avenue and Willamette Street site. Mr. Farkas indicated the banks, attorneys, and accountants in downtown Eugene are generally located toward the courthouse end of the downtown area. e Ms. Schue asked for information about urban renewal financing and parking. She asked if the mixed-use portion of the project could pay for a portion of the parking. Mr. Farkas said two kinds of parking need to be addressed if the library is to be located on the Charnel ton site: parking for the li- brary, and replacement parking for the parking removed by construction. Mr. Farkas felt that with significant retail development, tax increment funds could be used for the replacement parking. He was unsure if the specific library parking could be paid for using tax increment funds. Mr. Holmer asked if staff had looked at the possibilities of a mixed-use building at the present 13th Avenue site. Ms. Decker responded that the committee looked at the possibility but concluded there was not enough market to make it viable. Mr. Farkas added that a disadvantage of the site was lack of proximity to other retail and office space. Mr. Miller asked about a mixed-use project on the mall itself. Mr. Farkas said that this is conceptually possible; however, this would probably entail demolition of existing buildings. Mr. Gleason said that property acquisition and demolition must be done with the increment money, which decreases poten- tial cash flow. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 3 e e e Jim Robertson presented information regarding the possible use of the Bon and Sears buildings for a library. Mr. Robertson said he had looked at two issues: size of the structures, and structural capabilities of the building for accepting the loads required by libraries. He discussed the Bon build- ing, noting that it is four-story structure including a basement, ground floor, and two upper floors. Each floor is approximately 25,000 square feet for a total of 102,000 square feet, which meets the size requirements of the proposed library. Calculations of the bearing capacity of the floor system, beam system, and column system showed that the floors are designed for 75 pounds per square foot of live load. The UBC requires that floors be de- signed for 125 pounds per square foot for book stacks. Where stacks are not located, the floors must have 50 pounds per square foot live load capacity. Mr. Robertson said the only place stacks could be located in the Bon building is in the basement. The ground floor and the two upper floors would not accommodate book stacks. This means that the bookstacks would need to be spread out or partial-height bookstacks could be used. This would mean that the library would need more square footage to house the same number of books. These constraints would also affect the flexibility of the building. Re- sponding to a question from Mr. Holmer, Ms. Decker said 45,000-50,000 square feet were identified as necessary for bookstacks. Mr. Miller asked about the feasibility of reinforcing floors for bookstacks. Mr. Robertson said the existing Bon building is a cast-in-place concrete beam and slab system. It is possible to put in a series of secondary beams underneath the existing beams and add columns. However, this would reduce the head height necessary for mechanical systems and add to the number of columns within the building. Mr. Robertson said such a project would be possible if the City has enough money to do it. Most of the ceiling heights are eleven to twelve feet, while the ground floor has a ceiling height of thirteen feet. Beams would remove some of the ceiling height. Mr. Robertson said he did not have the precise figures on how much such a renovation would cost. He said that his engineer, John Herrick, did not feel that resupporting the existing system was cost- effective. Mr. Robertson discussed the Sears building, noting that it is a cast-in-place concrete flat slab system using drop panels and round columns. The building is 73,200 square feet and is a three-story structure. The square footage does not meet the necessary square footage required for the library. Mr. Robertson said the Sears building is more stout than the Bon, and the floors were designed for 100 pounds per square foot live load. However, this is the only part of the structural system designed for 100 pounds per square foot. The code requires that builders design floors to take 100 pounds per square foot, but allows a reduction factor on secondary members like beams and columns. This reduction means the columns and beams in the Sears building were only designed for 68 pounds per square foot. That system could be reinforced to carry the loads to a new foundation below. The only place currently within the building capable of taking the stack loads is the base- ment. Mr. Miller asked if it would be cost-effective to gut a building such as the Sears or Bon building and start over as opposed to new construction. Mr. Robertson said no. Mr. Rutan clarified that the two buildings would be as MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 4 e e e expensive or more expensive than a new building for library purposes. Mr. Robertson said he did not think that it would be more expensive to reshore a building as opposed to constructing a new building, but it would cost in terms of efficiency and in floor to ceiling heights. Mr. Robertson distrib- uted copies of a synopsis of his report and a letter from John Herrick con- cerning his analysis. Mr. Luell discussed the parking analysis. He referred to Appendix F. He said there were six considerations looked at when determining parking re- quirements: 1) Code requirements and industry standards; 2) actual usage, based on surveys at the existing library; 3) displaced parking spaces at the proposed location; 4) trip pooling, or going to the library and doing addi- tional shopping at another downtown location; and 5) seasonal Christmas demand. After examination of these considerations, staff had come up with a number of 500 required parking spaces at the recommended site. This would require a three-level facility, and Mr. Luell said if commercial space was added to help subsidize the operation of the facility, slightly more parking would be required. In terms of surface parking, this translates into about 1-1/2 blocks of parking. Mr. Luell discussed a parking scenario, including subsurface parking over two half-blocks. Mr. Miller asked how many parking spaces would be required if the library were downtown but not on the Charnel ton site. Mr. Luell said that the li- brary itself requires 305 parking spaces. Mr. Gleason added that in the case of a mixed-use project, the developers will dictate the parking that they wish to have in addition to the library parking. Responding to a question from Mr. Holmer, Ms. Hildebrand said any expansion at the present site would eliminate the space currently used for parking. This would create an immediate need for more parking. Mr. Luell said that the Eugene Clinic, which plans to build adjacent to the library, was not originally interested in a partnership in a parking structure, but since the sale to Sacred Heart the clinic has indicated renewed interest. However, such a project is three to five years away. Mr. Robertson showed the council graphics illustrating different ways in which the library, mixed-use, and parking could be accommodated on the Broadway-Charnelton site. He briefly discussed the three alternatives pro- posed. Ms. Decker said these principles can be applied to other sites in the downtown as well. Mr. Miller asked Mr. Robertson if surface and subsurface parking was figured in such a way that construction of a parking structure could be provided for. Mr. Robertson responded that a quarter-block parking structure is not effi- cient in this scenario. A three-quarter or full-block structure would be more appropriate. Councilors discussed their reactions to the presentations. Ms. Schue felt the library should be more central to downtown. She liked the idea of mixed-use, although she was unsure of how this would work. She said that she is not interested in additional research into the use of the Bon and Sears MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 5 e e e buildings as they do not appear to be the best options. However, she was open to any combination of factors that worked. Mr. Rutan said that this process has not helped him. The council has the objective of bUilding a library, and whether there is mixed-use is a function of economics. Without knowing the economics of the situation, Mr. Rutan said that such concepts as mixed-use meant nothing. He felt that a creative way to make the library work was through the application of other uses to the project. He was interested in mixed-use to help subsidize and fund the development of the library. He said the council has not asked for a really thorough analysis of the Bon and Sears buildings. Mr. Miller said the concept of mixed-use made sense to him. He was uncom- fortable with locating the library west of Charnelton Street. He felt that the goal of intensifying activity on the mall would only be realized by location on the east side of the street on the mall. He proposed that the City select a location, develop a plan, and go to the table with developers. Mr. Miller liked the parking concept developed. Ms. Ehrman observed that the Bon and Sears buildings had not been considered by the Future of the Library Committee. She thanked the staff for the work they had done to investigate the use of these buildings. She said that libraries are special structures due to the weight of the stacks and general- ly a library must be built. Ms. Ehrman pointed out that the Bon and Sears buildings are not owned by the City and would have to be acquired. Ms. Ehrman liked the idea of locating the library next to the mall on Charnelton Street. She felt that this would attract downtown retailers and other estab- lishments. The committee felt mixed-use was definitely an option, and she was willing to consider this. She noted that a mixed-use approach could be phased. Ms. Ehrman approved of the parking plan Mr. Luell had developed. Ms. Bascom said she did not want the council to have such a small vision of what the downtown can do that it loses the chance to make it a vital, alive place. She felt that with this project, the City has the chance to revital- ize downtown. She noted that the community was a university community and there was great interest in a library. Ms. Bascom felt the parking scheme was creative and interesting. She said the library could give definition to downtown and applauded the visual impact of such a structure at the west end of the mall. Ms. Bascom said she would like to revisit the costs of a li- brary structure at the smaller size being proposed. She proposed that the council go to the community for the necessary funds and not decide what the voters will or will not accept until a good plan has been developed. Mr. Holmer said he liked the idea of subsurface parking, but wondered how much more expensive it was than a parking structure. Mr. Holmer said he wanted to know what the costs of parking and the structure would be. He said he would prefer an 8th Avenue and Willamette Street location as opposed to the Charnel ton site. Mr. Holmer did not support rebuilding either of the retail stores, and said he was open to the idea of mixed-use. MINUTES-~Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 6 e e e Mayor Obie said the mixed-use was an intriguing idea. If it helped to bring the library project together, he supported it. Mayor Obie did not favor the Charnel ton site for the health of the mall. He said it compromises an al- ready difficult situation relative to downtown: it elongates the mall and makes it less viable. Mayor Obie also favored the 8th Avenue and Willamette Street site. He felt the City could find a way to use the Parcade to provide parking. Mayor Obie said there are opportunities the council has not ex- plored. He added that he finds the process that the staff has provided to be helpful. The meeting adjourned at 7:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~,' L /i7) I/J? ..,r~ '. VV~ Micheal Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Leslie Scales/Kimberly Young) MNCC 052388--530 MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1988 Page 7