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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/28/1988 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council Souza Room--Eugene Conference Center November 28, 1988 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Ruth Bascom, Freeman Holmer, Jeff Miller, Debra Ehrman, Emily Schue, Rob Bennett, Cynthia Wooten. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Roger Rutan. COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Julie Aspinwall-Lamberts, Roger Neustadter, Mary Young, Anne Bennett, Sue Prichard, Michael Schwartz, Joy Morrow. COMMISSIONERS ABSENT: James McCoy. The adjourned meeting of November 16, 1988, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by Mayor Brian Obie. - 1. WORK S~SS10N: JOINT CITY COUNCIL/DOWNTOWN COMMISSION MEETING A. Background Information Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts said the last joint meeting between the council and commission was in October 1984. She said the Downtown Commission wanted to use today's meeting to discuss downtown issues before the City Council begins its goal setting session. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts (1) reviewed the Downtown Commission's accomplishments since the last joint meeting between the commission and council, (2) discussed how the City Council's FY89 priorities relate to downtown, and (3) reviewed the Downtown Commission's FY89 priorities. Bob Hibschman, Eugene Development Department staff, reviewed the various means that are used to maintain communication between the commission and the council. Mr. Hibschman presented some statistical information on downtown: (1) the assessed value of the Urban Renewal District, which grew significantly during the 1970s, peaked in 1982, and has actually decreased over the last few years; (2) gross receipts tax revenues have not grown significantly since the late 1970s and have been fairly even over the last few years; (3) monthly parking permit sales have grown steadily over the last four years; (4) the downtown retail vacancy rate is approximately nine percent, which is similar e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 1988 Page 1 e to that in downtown Portland; (5) the downtown office vacancy rate has steadily declined since 1986 from about 20 percent to 12 percent (nationally, the office vacancy rate is about 19 percent). In response to a question, staff indicated that the assessed value of the entire city has increased over the past few years, unlike the assessed value of the Urban Renewal District. Mr. Schwartz briefly reviewed the history of the various downtown advisory, policy, and service-providing bodies. B. Discussion Mr. Schwartz said one of the commission's goals is to improve communication and cooperation between the two bodies. He said the commission and council need to work toward achieving some kind of agreement. He did not want the commission to develop a recommendation that the council would eventually dismiss. Mayor Obie said a lot of energy has been spent on the core of downtown (Willamette and Broadway), but there are other important parts of downtown that should not be ignored. Mr. Schwartz said the commission may have a general vision for the greater downtown area, but practical considerations have confined its focus to the taxation districts in the cHy.s core. Ms. Bennett added that the publicly e owned developm.entsites are in the downtown core. Councilors indicated that they have been discussing the possibility of expanding the Urban Renewal Oistrict to the northeast, or perhaps forming a new district for the northeast portion of downtown (the district expansion recommendation from the commission was to expand to the northwest). Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts said the commission has not had an opportunity to discuss in detail the options being considered by the council. Ms. Ehrman said many of the Downtown Plan goals have been met. She wondered if the remaining goals are still the priorities that the City has for downtown. She added that a lot of time was spent discussing the proposed Willamette Street opening, which was not one of the plan's priorities. She said one of her goals for downtown is an improved economy. Mr. Bennett expressed concern that the City does not have a clear sense of direction regarding downtown. He was concerned that downtown progress may be losing momentum. For example, downtown's retail anchor base is weakening, thus jeopardizing the economic health of an area where the City recently made a large capital investment (West Broadway). Mr. Bennett said the physical configuration of the core does not work effectively; the current mall is not conducive to economic vitality. He said multi-tenant office space, mixed-use developments, restaurants, and housing all need vehicular access in order to succeed. He said the fundamentals of downtown development--access, circulation, visibility, and security--are not being adequately addressed. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 1988 Page 2 - u_____ ---- e Ms. Wooten said the City Council has made a decision regarding the proposed reopening of Willamette Street to vehicular traffic. She did not think it was productive to suggest that downtown's problems revolve around that single issue. She said the public and the council have not supported the proposed reopening; therefore, plans (at least for the immediate future) will have to be made for downtown that do not include the reopening of the street. Mr. Bennett said the City's goals for downtown cannot be accomplished without revisiting the issue of access and circulation. Mr. Schwartz agreed, saying that in downtowns across the nation, vehicular access has proven to to be crucial to economic vitality. He also noted that recent street reopenings in Eugene have led to increased economic activity (Willamette from 7th to 8th and from 10th to 11th, as well as Broadway from Oak to Pearl). Mr. Schwartz said the current mall configuration simply does not work well. He noted, for example, the vacancies and low rents on parts of the mall. He said skepticism was one reason for the opposition to the proposed reopening of Willamette from 8th to 10th; people wanted proof that reopening the street would improve the downtown economy. He said that if Olive Street from 8th to 10th were reopened to vehicular traffic, and if this proved to be successful, there might be more support for opening Willamette. Mayor Obie said he supported the proposal to reopen Willamette Street; however, the public did not. He said the City should directs its efforts toward things that can be accomplished politically. For example, he said the e proposed cons\ruction of a library as part of a mixed-use development at 8th and Willamette is not a "done deal" yet. He said the City needs to focus on making this project a success. Ms. Ehrman said one of the problems in the City's effort to improve the economic vitality of downtown may have been an over-emphasis on retail development. She said the downtown economy may be shifting toward the direction of more office development. Mr. Neustadter said more efforts should be made to encourage office development downtown. He said downtown retail is healthiest when it has a strong office sector supporting it. Mr. Neustadter also expressed concerns that West Broadway, where large capital investments were recently made, might become downtown's "backyard" after the 8th and Willamette lot is developed and if The Bon leaves downtown. He said the opening of Olive to vehicular traffic might be one way of preventing this, because improved access would help maintain the economic strength of the area. In response to a question, Mr. Bennett said Downtown Eugene Incorporated (DEI) was formed in order to broaden the base of private representation in downtown to include retailers, the office sector, and property owners. DEI is still trying to build its strength as an organization (e.g., through membership recruitment). It is trying to assume only those responsibilities that it believes it can successfully handle at this time (e.g., security and marketing). Mr. Bennett said centralized retail management (CRM) is an e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 1988 Page 3 e effort to make downtown's landlord-tenant complex operate like a shopping center: coordinated frontage design, common hours of operation, shared responsibility for maintenance and management of common areas, a master leasing strategy, shared parking, a concerted marketing effort, and so on. He said that CRM is a long-term effort; it cannot be achieved quickly. DEI is working on some elements of CRM (e.g., common hours), but its real focus for now is on items such as downtown security and marketing. Ms. Bascom said one positive point is the fact that the City and community have not given up on downtown. She also reiterated Mayor Obie's point about the need to be politically realistic. She said a lot has been done, and a lot can be done, to improve downtown access and circulation. Mr. Holmer stressed that although the City Council may not always support the commission's recommendations, it still needs the commission to propose a specific agenda for downtown. He also mentioned that the Lane Transit District (LTD) station is an important issue for downtown. Mr. Miller said the council has discussed the proposed reopening of Willamette Street a lot, but he asked if the issue has truly been put to rest. He did not think that the public has had an adequate opportunity to thoroughly consider the issue. Mr. Schwartz stressed that the City has a responsibility to maintain the public spaces downtown and to provide an adequate level of security (both the reality and the perception of security). He also reiterated that vehicular e access is cru~ial to the economic health of downtown. He said downtown is floundering, and things will only get worse unless access issues are addressed. Ms. Schue said there are many players in the downtown equation; compromise is required because individuals or groups do not always accomplish everything they want (including the City Council: witness the Eugene Water & Electric Board plaza). She also said that when public money is being spent, the sentiment of the public must be considered. The public was opposed to the proposed reopening of Willamette Street. Ms. Schue said she would like to express a positive assessment of downtown. Many positive things can happen for downtown (e.g., the proposed development at 8th and Willamette). She said people need to become enthusiastic about these possibilities in order to turn them into realities. Ms. Schue also said there are many ways to improve downtown access; people should pursue these rather than bemoaning the defeat of the Willamette Street proposal. Ms. Schue also mentioned that housing development in the greater downtown area needs to be encouraged. Ms. Young said the mall environment is good in many respects; however, she does have concerns about access issues. She said better access might decrease the vacancy rate on the mall and improve the perception of security. She added that a lot of progress has been made on West Broadway. Mayor Obie encouraged the commission to take a broader view of downtown, beyond the immediate core area of Broadway and Willamette. He also referred e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 1988 Page 4 e to the Downtown Development District Review Group's discussion of using general funds to support the free parking program. He said that such a recommendation probably would not be supported by the council, given the current general fund deficit. Mayor Obie said that in voicing support for a mall on Willamette Street, the community has indicated that it wants the street to be more than a retail area. In light of this, he said, the City has a different responsibility to the area in terms of maintenance. Mayor Obie also said that downtown property owners need to bear some of the costs for extra security services that they want. Finally, he stressed that better access and circulation can be achieved in many ways. He understood the commission's frustration regarding the Willamette Street issue, but said that the public sentiment cannot be ignored. . Ms. Bascom said downtown maintenance still seems adequate; however, the funds for maintenance are stretched quite thin. Ms. Bennett stressed the importance of an effective parking program for downtown office development. City Manager Mike Gleason said the way commercial lands are allocated in the metropolitan area has a significant effect on the downtown economy. He stressed the need to conduct a commercial lands study and to develop a program to implement it. . Mr. Schwartz asked if the City Council thinks staff and the commission should consider the reopening of Olive Street to vehicular traffic. Ms. Ehrman said e this possibility should be considered, especially in light of the proposed development on 8th and Willamette. She noted, however, that Don Miles recommended against opening Olive. Mayor Obie said concerns about downtown access and circulation cannot be focused only on one street; a broader focus is needed. Ms. Schue agreed. Ms. Ehrman encouraged the commission to pursue the issue of child care services for downtown. She also mentioned the need for improved access to the Shelton-McMurphey House. Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts suggested that the council and commission hold more regular joint meetings, perhaps to discuss some specific topics (e.g., the LTD station). Mayor Obie said the Downtown Commission has helped downtown. He encouraged continued progress. The meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 1988 Page 5 / ~.! /7 '7,:~".~.(", -,;:~' .:t;.:7/ / ..~.r/..' "";'9~~~':;".':;:-~':"- .~"..". /' ,. . - 4It icheal Gle son City Manager (Recorded by Monty Hindman) MNCC 112888-530 e . e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 1988 Page 6