Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/14/1989 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall June 14, 1989 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Ruth Bascom, Rob Bennett, Shawn Boles, Debra Ehrman, Bobby Green, Freeman Holmer, Roger Rutan, Emily Schue. The adjourned meeting of June 12, 1989, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by Mayor Jeff Miller. 1. ITEMS FROM THE MAYOR, CITY COUNCIL, AND CITY MANAGER A. Timeframe for West Eugene Wetlands Study Mr. Holmer noted that the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) has been discussing the impact of wetlands on Eugene's inventory of industrial lands. He said that even under an expedited schedule proposed by staff, the changes resulting from the wetlands study are not scheduled for completion until June e 1991, at the earliest. He suggested that the council discuss a possible modification of the Planning Commission's work program in order to implement the changes resulting from the wetlands study more quickly. Councilors requested a staff report on this issue and time for council discussion at a future meeting. B. Evaluation of Community Response Team Mr. Green requested an early evaluation of the effect of the Community Response Team on public safety problems. He suggested that merchants on the downtown mall or the Public Safety Advisory Committee be polled for feedback about how the response team has affected the climate on the mall. C. New Entrance Signs for Eugene Mr. Rutan said the Community Sign Advisory Committee (CSAC) was charged with designing entrance signs for Eugene. Dave Reinhard, Public Works Department, gave a staff summary of the project. Mr. Reinhard said in 1987, the State Legislature passed a bill which allowed communities to install up to four identification signs, with the stipulation that the signs be located outside of State highway right-of-way. He said CSAC has chosen four locations for Eugene's new entrance signs: two will be installed on Interstate 5, one will be installed on Highway 99 near the Black Angus, and one will be installed north of Beltline Road on Highway 99. Mr. Reinhard said CSAC contracted with e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14, 1989 Page 1 e Funk and Associates to design the signs. The next phase of the project is fundraising; the signs will be privately financed. Mr. Rutan showed the designs selected by CSAC. He also commended the committee for its work on this project. Mr. Boles felt that this project would have been a good opportunity to allow the artists in the community to enter into an open competition for designing the sign. He felt that this type of competition leads to higher quality work at a lower cost. Mr. Boles urged the council to develop a policy which provides for public design contests in situations similar to these. II. WORK SESSION: TRANSPORTATION ISSUES Mr. Reinhard gave the staff report. He reviewed the organization of the Transportation Division and discussed several transportation planning issues. The first planning issue he discussed was the Ferry Street Bridge Study. Mr. Reinhard said the planning and environmental impact study for this project began in February 1989. Currently, staff is working with a consulting team and a 16-member Citizen Advisory Committee to evaluate alternative solutions to the problems of traffic congestion, safety, and accessibility in the Ferry Street Bridge corridor. Mr. Reinhard said the Ferry Street Bridge study area is generally bounded on the north by 1-105, to the east by 1-5, to the south by Franklin Boulevard. e and to the immediate west of the existing Ferry Street Bridge corridor. He noted that traffic impacts associated with various alternatives extending beyond the alternative zone boundary will be addressed as necessary. Mr. Reinhard distributed a fact sheet pertaining to the Valley River Bridge Study. He said the TransPlan proposed that a new vehicular bridge be built across the Willamette River connecting the southerly end of River Road with the Valley River/Goodpasture Island area. The major intent of the bridge would be to provide an alternative route to that area for residents of the River Road area and West Eugene, thereby alleviating the heavy traffic volumes on Delta Highway, the Washington-Jefferson Bridge, Beltline Bridge, and the 6th and 7th avenue couplet. Mr. Reinhard said a preliminary engineering study, beginning with evaluation of alternatives and preparation of an environmental impact statement is listed in the City's Capital Improvement Program (CIP) and capital budget for FY90. He said that Lane County has agreed to provide funding in its CIP for nearly half the cost of the study if the City and/or private sector will agree to provide the balance of the funds. Mr. Reinhard said at present, property owners in the Valley River area are considering the level of initial financial support they can provide. These property owners would like the study to begin this fall. Mr. Reinhard stated that the property owners in the vicinity of Valley River Center recognize that the bridge will provide them a direct economic benefit. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14. 1989 Page 2 e He said the bridge is also intended to benefit the metropolitan street network by reducing loads on other streets. Ms. Bascom emphasized the need to complete the Eastbank Recreation Corridor. She stated that this need should be considered when deciding on the exact location of the Valley River Bridge. Mr. Reinhard agreed that this will be an important consideration. Ms. Bascom asked how the contribution of the private sector can be maximized with regard to this project. Christine Andersen, Public Works Director, said the engineering study will help determine who the bridge will benefit and what the funding breakdown should be. Mr. Bennett emphasized the tremendous need for a Valley River bridge and stated that this bridge will benefit a great many people besides the business and property owners surrounding Valley River Center. He asked why the property owners in the Valley River area would be asked to help fund this study, given that this is not the normal City policy. Ms. Andersen said the property owners have expressed willingness to help fund the study because they will derive benefit from the bridge and would like the study to proceed more quickly. Mr. Boles read a policy from the T-2000 Plan stating that "Public policies, particularly land use and transportation planning policies, should be directed toward limiting passenger automobile use while simultaneously developing alternative modes of transportation." He said the T-2000 Plan did e not include any reference to a Valley River Bridge, and that the proposed bridge will simply increase use of the private automobile. Mr. Boles voiced concern that the City is developing its transportation projects in a piecemeal fashion, without the necessary integration and without proper consideration for developing alternate modes of transportation. Ms. Andersen stated that the Valley River bridge was not referenced in the T-2000, although a bridge that would have linked River Road to the Goodpasture Island area was considered at the time the T-2000 Plan was drafted. This bridge would have been located further north than the proposed Valley River bridge. When the TransPlan was drafted, the need for the Valley River bridge was greater, but it was not listed as a priority project in that plan because the philosophy behind the plan is not to include a large number of facilities in the plan that cannot be constructed given the financial capacity of the metropolitan area. Ms. Andersen said this helps prevent overbuilding of transportation projects. In answer to Mr. Boles, Ms. Ehrman stated that the proposed Valley River bridge was included in the TransPlan, although it was not given a specific time frame. The project has increased in importance because of the commitment of the private sector. Ms. Ehrman felt that this commitment is necessary if the project is to proceed. Mr. Holmer said he believes a bridge in the Valley River area is necessary, but he offered support for Mr. Bole's concerns about the need to consider the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14, 1989 Page 3 e future when planning the area's transportation. Mr. Boles stressed that if the City is committed to alternate modes of transportation, it is necessary to base current transportation decisions on this goal. Ms. Schue noted that the City has been planning for alternate modes of transportation--the park and ride program, and Lane Transit District (LTD) system are examples of this. She said the council needs to find ways of encouraging people to ride the bus. Ms. Schue added that the council should not delude itself into thinking people will be forced into using alternate modes of transportation if a new bridge is not built. Mr. Bennett agreed. Mr. Reinhard said the City's officially adopted street and right-of-way plan dates back to 1968. He said a complete revision of the master street plan is needed to bring it into conformance with TransPlan, current development standards and plans, and current policy on design standards for different types of streets. The study will begin this summer, and the goal is to have an adopted plan by June 1990. Mr. Reinhard said the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will begin gathering input on proposed additions and revisions to its Six-Year Highway Improvement Program (HIP) early in 1991. He said ODOT staff are already meeting with local agency staff to get local input prior to issuing a draft HIP next fall. In anticipation of the need to present a single county-wide priority list, City staff has met with Lane County and Springfield staff to discuss mutual priorities for the next HIP. Mr. Reinhard said staff from the three jurisdictions has agreed to build upon the list from two ye?rs ago, e which includes a number of proposals that were not included in the present HIP. Mr. Reinhard said that last year, the Transportation Division performed a technical traffic and parking study for the Lane County Fair Board. The study focussed on the need for improvements in access and circulation to respond to both current problems and proposed expansion of the fairgrounds and County convention center. Mr. Reinhard said the final technical report recommends that a number of improvements be considered now, and that other proposals--such as major revision of the intersection at 13th Avenue and Jefferson Street--be deferred until a more broad-based planning effort can be undertaken. Mr. Reinhard referred councilors to the "Lane County Fairgrounds Parking and Transportation Study" for more information. Ms. Ehrman asked councilors to strongly consider writing a letter to the Fair Board and the Lane County Board of Commissioners requesting the creation of a master plan for the area surrounding the fairgrounds. Mr. Rutan felt that a master plan is a good idea, but that it may not be timely given the current development plans of the Fair Board and the County commissioners. He stressed that the letter should encourage them to create a master plan in the near future. - MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14, 1989 Page 4 e The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ~~ M~~. "4:.Gl~,~,.?J1,) ....,..;,_._.. c, ty Manager --".~ (Recorded by Tanya Northman) MNCC 061489 e e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 14, 1989 Page 5