Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/26/1989 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall July 26, 1989 11 : 30 a. m . COUNCILORS PRESENT: Ruth Bascom, Rob Bennett, Emily Schue, Debra Ehrman, Freeman Holmer, Roger Rutan. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Shawn Boles, Bobby Green. The adjourned meeting of July 24, 1989, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by Mayor Jeff Miller. I. ITEMS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER A. Sports Council Mr. Rutan said that on August 9, 1989, the Sports Council hopes to make a proposal to the City Council regarding the form it will ultimately take and e the work it will do. B. Opening Ceremony for the Airport Mr. Rutan announced that there will not be a grand opening ceremony to celebrate the completion of Phase I of the airport on August 1. He said a low-key community event in honor of Phase I completion will be held later in August. The grand opening ceremony will not be held until the entire project is complete. C. Council Meetings in the Community Mayor Miller said he would like the council to hold more meetings in the community before deciding whether to discontinue the practice. He thought that holding lunch meetings in the community might work better because a sound system would not be needed and suggested that the council try this. Mayor Miller suggested that the council discuss this issue further at a council process session. II. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY LONG-RANGE PLAN STATUS REPORT Deputy Chief Bill DeForrest gave the staff report. He prefaced his remarks by noting that the citizen involvement element of the plan has been reviewed . MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 P"ge 1 ~. I' -- e and approved in concept by the Citizen Involvement Committee and the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC). Mr. DeForrest said the draft long-range plan is scheduled for completion in October or November. The plan will be presented to the council for approval at that time. After council approval, the public process will be initiated. Mr. DeForrest said the new long-range plan is crucial to the City for several reasons: 1) it will make the Department of Public Safety (DPS), the largest City department, more effective and efficient; 2) it will create a proactive planning emphasis in DPS; 3) it will help DPS develop partnerships with elected officials, the community, and other agencies; 4) it will address the need for a comprehensive prevention strategy identified by the Crime Action Task Force and PSAC; and 5) it will establish public safety service levels that will meet the needs and expectations of the community and DPS. Mr. DeForrest said DPS has been assisted in its attempts to provide a coordinated and more comprehensive plan for the City by two things: the establishment 9f PSAC, and the consolidation and restructuring of DPS. Mr. DeForrest said PSAC establishes a major link between DPS and the community and provides the department with an opportunity to plan with, rather than for, the community. He added that the Department of Public Safety was restructured in 1988, establishing a Support Services Division and a planning section that is devoted to developing a long-range plan and keeping it current. e Mr. DeForrest said the new long-range plan for public safety in the City will be based upon a foundation of broad policies generated through the Community Goals and Policies statement, the Fire and Emergency Medical Plan, and other functional plans that have been adopted by the City. Mr. DeForrest said draft findings generated relating to present public safety services reveal that current services in Eugene are primarily incident-driven with reactive responses. Few resources are presently devoted to prevention or networking in a proactive manner. Mr. DeForrest suggested the possibility of vastly different public scenarios in the future depending upon which conditions preva 11 . These scenarios range from a completely reactive incident-driven response system to a more proactive scenario that not only maintains an emergency response capability, but also places greater emphasis on prevention and community problem-solving. Mr. DeForrest said that the creation of the Community Response Team will provide a useful demonstration of the type of services that can be provided when the department relies on networking with the community as a means of problem solving. Tim Birr, DPS Public Information Director, described the contents of the long-range plan and the time frame for its adoption. He said the major theme of the plan will be the development of both internal and external partnerships for public safety. He said the plan will emphasize the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 P~ge 2 r - e importance of developing partnerships outside the department as well as inside the department. Mr. Birr said there will be three major program areas emphasizing partnership: field operations, prevention services, and networking. Mr. Birr said work on the draft plan began in December 1988 and will be complete in late 1990. Major opportunities for citizen involvement will occur from September 1989-January 1990 and January 1990-plan adoption and financing approval. He said the citizen involvement process will include the typical community information forums, public meetings, and public hearings. Responding to a question from Mr. Holmer, Mr. DeForrest said PSAC will work with staff in the development of the long-range plan. Mr. Holmer asked whether PSAC.s close working relationship with DPS inhibits the committee from communicating openly about DPS with the council. Richard Greene, Chair of PSAC, said PSAC does not feel inhibited in its ability to communicate with the council. Mr. DeForrest added that staff does not expect PSAC to be a "rubberstamp" committee. III. STATE HIGHWAY SIX-YEAR PROGRAM Dave Reinhard, Transportation Engineer, said the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) will update its Six-Year Highway Improvement Program next year. Public works staff from Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County have developed a preliminary list of projects on state highways in this area for e potential inclusion in the next six-year program. The process being followed calls for approval by each city council and the County Board of Commissioners of a preliminary list of projects within each jurisdiction. MPC will then be asked to approve a single, countywide project list that will be forwarded to ODOT for its consideration in preparing the draft Six-Year Program for 1991-1996. Mr. Reinhard said ODOT staff will complete its technical ranking process for these recommended projects this fall and will then issue a draft Highway Improvement Program by the end of the year. ODOT will conduct public hearings on the draft program during the first three months of 1990, including a hearing in Springfield. Mr. Reinhard emphasized that prior to that public hearing, it will be important for the two cities and the County to reach agreement on a single priority ranking for all projects within Lane County, and to develop a wide base of support for these projects among local and state elected officials, the business community, and other interest groups. Mr. Reinhard said the Transportation Commission will discuss the input from the hearings held throughout the state and will then adopt the final Highway Improvement Program in July 1990. Mr. Reinhard briefly described some of the projects staff hopes will be included in the draft Highway Improvement Program. Improvements to Highway 99 North are a top priority for Eugene. The State has already committed to funding for the first phase of the project, and staff expects the State to e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 Page 3 I' -. e provide funding for the remainder of the project to match local funding that has been pledged by Eugene and Lane County. Mr. Reinhard said the Harlow Road Overpass at 1-5 is also an important project for safety reasons. He said the minimum improvements required at this location are the addition of safe facilities for bicycles and pedestrians. Mr. Reinhard said a design study will be performed to determine if the overpass and approaches should also be widened to provide more vehicular capacity. Mr. Reinhard said staff believes improvements to Beltline Road are also very important. To alleviate congestion and provide for future traffic increases, ODOT has developed a preliminary design concept calling for major improvements to the Delta-Beltline interchange and widening of Beltline Road from Delta Highway to River Road (including the bridge across the Willamette River). The scale and cost of this project make it a likely candidate for phased construction. Mr. Reinhard said the congestion and accidents on Beltline Road at Barger Drive make this location a high priority too. Staff envisions the replacement of the existing intersection with a diamond interchange. Mr. Reinhard noted that several projects have been included on the list that are clearly beyond the scope of the six-year program, both in terms of funding and deciding what solutions should be pursued. He said these projects are included on the list to suggest that ODOT conduct initial planning, design, and environmental studies during the 1991-1996 period so e that improvements can be constructed by 2000. Mr. Holmer asked why the Ferry Street Bridge was not included on the project list. Mr. Reinhard said the Ferry Street Bridge was not mentioned because it is not a State facility, but staff is networking with the State personnel to ensure that they are aware of the interconnections between the Ferry Street Bridge and State highways (1-105 and 1-5). Responding to a question from Mayor Miller, Mr. Reinhard said that because of the Gateway Mall, Harlow Road is expected to experience a 40-50 percent increase in traffic. Staff believes that the existing three lanes can handle this traffic increase, although widening the road to five lanes would provide better traffic flow. He said staff is not proposing that Harlow Road be widened to five lanes at this time. Mr. Reinhard said staff believes that Harlow Road can accommodate the increased traffic volumes with improvements to the intersections at Coburg Road and Garden Way and improvements to the 1-5 overpass. Mr. Bennett stressed the importance of adding safe facilities for bicycles and pedestrians on the Harlow Road Overpass. He said the existing situation is very dangerous and desperately needs improvement. Mr. Bennett said he does not favor widening Harlow Road to five lanes, however. He said Harlow Road should not be the major link between parts of Eugene and the Gateway Ma 11. Mr. Bennett said this would ruin the surrounding neighborhood. Mr. Rei nhard noted that keep; ng the Harlow Road Overpass narrow and c~r\'ge~~.e,~ e will not necessarily discourage people from traveling that route. MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 P"-ge4 \ r '- e Mayor Miller asked whether staff is investigating alternatives for handling the traffic flow between Eugene and the Gateway Mall other than Harlow Road. Mr. Reinhard said the State does not want a new interchange on 1-5 between 1-105 and Beltline Road because of spacing concerns. He said staff will use signs to influence preferred traffic routes to the Gateway Mall. Mr. Reinhard said the City will not put signs for the Gateway Mall along Harlow Road. Mr. Rutan suggested that the traffic from the Gateway Mall be run parallel to 1-5, south to Centennial Boulevard, and be brought into Eugene on Centennial Boulevard. Other councilors expressed interest in this idea. The council reached consensus that Harlow Road should not be encouraged as a major route to the Gateway Mall. Ms. Bascom moved, seconded by Mr. Rutan, to approve and forward to the Metropolitan Policy Committee the attached preliminary list of State highway projects in Eugene, for inclusion in the 1990 update of the State Six-Year Highway Improvement Program, with the caution that the Harlow Road Overpass not be widened. The motion passed unanimously, 6:0. Mr. Reinhard distributed a letter from Randy Hledik, Chair of the Eugene Chamber of Commerce Transportation Committee. The letter offers support for the preliminary project list. . e IV. URBAN RENEWAL PLAN UPDATE Bob Hibschman, Planning and Development Department, gave the staff report. He said a major component of the Urban Renewal Plan is a financial pla~ which gives an indication of the projects to be undertaken in implementing the goals and objectives of the plan. The financial analysis also indicates the feasibility of implementing the plan. Mr. Hibschman reviewed some of the major projects that are expected to be undertaken by the renewal district. These included: development parking loans; site development projects; building rehabilitation/reuse projects; street redesigns; development of a public plaza; development of a new LTD station; and future parking loans. Mr. Hibschman said the council may also wish to consider adding a library to this list of projects. He said staff is requesting direction about which of these projects to include in the financial plan and about the expanded renewal district boundaries. Mr. Bennett did not feel that past council policy supported inclusion of the library on the list of proposed projects. He said it was more reasonable for the council to consider a library as an urban renewal project, when a specific proposal is made. Ms. Ehrman agreed that it would be hard to attach a project cost to a library at this time, but she did not want to forestall the possibility of developing a library in the urban renewal district by not including it on the list. . MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 Page 5 e Mr. Rutan agreed that the council should be as inclusive as possible about projects that might be occur in the urban renewal district. He suggested that the projects be categorized as to how likely they are to occur. Ms. Bascom thought inclusion of the library as a possible urban renewal project was consistent with existing council policy. She pointed out that the first-choice site of the library task force fell within the boundaries of the urban renewal district. Mr. Bennett said many members of the public misunderstand the concepts of urban renewal and tax increment financing. He expressed concern that the public would think that a library built in the urban renewal district would eventually be paid for with tax increment money generated by the project. Mr. Bennett said that this is an unrealistic expectation. Ms. Schue agreed that the costs of a library could never be financed completely with tax increment funds, but she pointed out that an urban renewal district could make contributions to the construction of a library. Mr. Bennett suggested that the council discuss the financial plan at its upcoming process session. He did not feel the council had given tentative approval to some of the projects that were already included on the project list. Mr. Bennett added that his main concern with including the library on the project list is the cost. He said development of a library would be very expensive and would foreclose other development opportunities in the urban renewal district. . e Mr. Holmer pointed out that in the past, the council has adopted the urban renewal plan, but not the accompanying financial report. He urged the council to adopt the financial report when it is completed. Mr. Holmer asked whether tax increment money can be used for a project.which lies outside the urban renewal district, but which would benefit the district (e.g., relocating the LTD transfer station). Mr. Hibschman said staff would explore this issue. Ms. Bascom suggested that the council estimate costs only for those projects about which it is certain--development parking loans, site development projects, bUilding rehabilitation/reuse loans, and street redesigns. She suggested that the other projects be included on the list as projects in which the council has a conceptual interest. Mr. Rutan thought this was a good approach, but that the financial plan should include an acknowledgement that additional planning would be needed in the future to account for necessary improvements in the expanded district. Mr. Gleason said that in order to facilitate discussions with developers, staff needs clear council direction about how and when urban renewal funds will be spent. Mr. Holmer asked how the council can set clear direction about how money will be spent, when the district is to be expanded and the council does not have a e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 Page 6 - . clear idea about potential projects in the expanded area. Mr. Gleason said this difficulty is why he recommended the creation of a new urban renewal district. He added that the council can discuss the financial plan in the context of the expanded district, but this will delay the process. Mr. Bennett stressed that the council needs to recognize its previous commitments for urban renewal funds. He said this means that all of the existing funds will be spent on projects within the core urban renewal area. Ms. Schue agreed. Mr. Bennett said the council may want to support certain projects in the expanded renewal area in the future. He stressed that he places a higher priority on the core renewal area. Ms. Bascom moved that the council direct staff to include five projects within the core renewal district (development parking loans, site development, building rehabilitation/reuse loans, street redesigns, and public space design) and their associated costs in the financial plan, and to use the remaining cash flow for projects (including the library, the LTD transfer station, and additional parking loans) that fall within the entire expanded district. Mr. Rutan seconded the motion, which carried unanimously, 6:0. Ms. Ehrman left the meeting at 1:20 p.m. e V. COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING CITY ADVISORY BOARDS CB 4152--An ordinance concerning boards, commissions, and committees; amending Sections 2.013, 2.109, and 3.119 or the Eugene Code, 1971; and declaring an emergency. Ms. Bascom moved, seconded by Mr. Rutan, that the bill, with unanimous consent of the council, be read the second time by council bill number only, and that enactment be considered at this time. The motion carried unanimously, 5:0. Mr. Holmer expressed concern that members of the City's advisory groups are not distributed across age groups. He requested that the Council Committee on Committees explore ways to achieve better representation of senior citizens and young people on the City's advisory groups. Ms. Bascom moved, seconded by Mr. Rutan, that the bill be approved and given final passage. All councilors present voting aye, the motion was declared passed (and became Ordinance No. 19628). e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 Page 7 c . . Th~ meeting adjourned at 1:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Micheal Gl ason City Mana er (Recorded by Tanya Northman MNCC 072689 e e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 26, 1989 P~ge8 ,