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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/31/1984 Meeting M I NUT E S - Eugene City Council City Council Chamber October 31, 1984 12:05 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Brian Obie (from 12:10), Cynthia Wooten, John Ball, Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Richard Hansen, Freeman Holmer, Emily Schue. Adjourned meeting of the City Council of the City of Eugene, Oregon, was called to order by Council President Obie in the absence of His Honor Mayor Gus Keller. I. ITEMS FROM MAYOR AND COUNCIL, APPOINTMENTS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, AGENDA ADJUSTMENTS A. Council Encouraging the Populace to Vote Councilor Ehrman encouraged all citizens to vote on November 6. Councilor Ball echoed her comments, stating that citizens had placed several measures on the ballot and that it was appropriate for voters to take a stand on those -,. measures. B. Ballot Measure 2 Councilor Schue stated that she had recently discussed Ballot Measure 2 with citizens at the Campbell Senior Center. She urged citizens to make every effort to defeat that measure. C. Ballot Measure 52 Councilor Hansen stated that he was strongly opposed to Ballot Measure 52 and that he would be appearing on a local TV show on November 5 to support his position. D. Review of Eugene Sidewalk Policy Councilor Hansen stated that the council had previously discussed the Sidewalk Policy and staff had indicated a work session would be scheduled within two weeks. He asked staff to report the status of that discussion and work session. E. Eugene Sign Ordinance Councilor Hansen reported that the council had recently denied a request for an appeal of the Sign Ordinance. He suggested that the council review the e ordinance before addressing any future appeals. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 1 F. Film on Gypsy Moth e Councilor Hansen stated that the council must be kept informed of the problem and impact of the gypsy moth on the area. He suggested that the Lane County Extension Service film on the gypsy moth be scheduled for a Wednesday council meeting as an information item. Councilor Schue agreed, stating that she had witnessed the damage caused by the gypsy moth in New England. G. National Community Education Week Councilor Wooten reported that November 13 was National Community Education Day. She introduced Molly Stafford, City Council Representative to the Coordinating School Council. Ms. Stafford stated that the Community Education program was comprised of the Business Partnerships and Community School programs. She presented slides which illustrated the community schools in Eugene and the services which they provide to children and adults. As part of the presentation, she reviewed last year's efforts by Cal Young Middle School students and faculty to celebrate National Community Education Day. Ms. Stafford then outlined how the various City, community, and private agencies coordinate with community school activities. Barbara Susman, Community School Coordinator at Kennedy Middle School, invited the City Council to attend any of the various National Community School Week activities as listed in the material distributed to the council. She asked the council to reaffirm its support of Eugene's Community School Program by signing a letter of endorsement of National Community Education Day. Ruth Koenig, Community School Coordinator for Cal Young and Coburg Middle Schools, also urged the councilors to attend the activities scheduled for National Community Education Week. Councilor Wooten thanked the three individuals for their presentation. e Mayor Keller read and then signed the letter reaffirming the council's support of the Community School Program, stating that the program demonstrated the cooperative efforts of the schools and various agencies. Councilor Obie entered the meeting prior to this time. H. Visit by Chinese Delegation Mayor Keller stated that he had received a letter from Senator Bill Frye which described the scheduled visit to Oregon by a delegation from Fujian province in China. Since some of the key players in the presentation in China were from Eugene's legislative area, he said that he will ensure that the Chinese delegation visits Eugene. I. City Manager Response City Manager Micheal Gleason, responding to the questions raised by Councilor Hansen, stated that the sidewalk issue will be presented to the City Council on November 14. He stated that the Sign Ordinance was presently being reviewed by the Public Works Department and the City Attorney's Office and will be presented to the Planning Commission. Councilor Hansen felt that the possible removal of any signs which may be grandfathered by any revised Sign Ordinance should be delayed until the ordinance was completed. Mr. Gleason stated that he will attempt to coordinate the review and removal events. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31,1984 Page 2 J. Appointment to Commission of the Rights of Youth e Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to approve the City Council Subcommittee nomination of Gabrielle Morgan, 33590 Paiute Lane, to fill the unexpired term of Sarah Dougher to the Commission on the Rights of Youth for a term ending January 1, 1985. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 8:0. II. ROUTINE ITEM FOR COUNCIL APPROVAL: CITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF SEPTEM- BER 26, 1984; OCTOBER 8, 1984; OCTOBER 15, 1984; AND OCTOBER 17, 1984 (minutes distributed) Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to approve the minutes of September 26, October 8, October 15, and October 17, 1984. Councilor Holmer, referring to page 8 of the October 8, 1984, minutes, stated that the date listed for completion of the sidewalks in that item should be May 1, 1985. Mayor Keller stated that the minutes would be corrected. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 8:0. III. EUGENE DOWNTOWN PLAN DRAFT (memo, resolution, background information distributed) City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced the agenda item. Pat Decker of the e Planning Department presented the staff report, briefly reviewing the October 26, 1984, Planning and Development departments memorandum which listed the five issues identified by the City Council for further discussion. She specifically outlined the options before the council for the issues of Opening of Willamette Street between 10th and 11th Avenues and Vegetation and Structures on the Downtown Mall. She stated that cost estimates and potential designs for a dropoff point on 10th Avenue were distributed to the council at its luncheon session. Ms. Decker stated that Chris Andersen and Mike Weishar of the Public Works Department were present to answer any questions of the council regarding the proposed reopening and dropoff point. In response to a request by Councilor Ehrman for a brief history of the 10th to 11th Avenue section of the mall and its inclusion in the mall, Ms. Decker explained that consultants hired to advise the City had originally suggested that the size of the mall be limited. She stated that the property owners along Willamette Street between 10th and 11th avenues had requested that they be included in the mall. 1. Addressing Specific Implementation Strategies Councilor Wooten stated that the council had wished to provide direction to staff on the issue but did not wish to include the implementation strategy in the plan. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 3 Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to exclude Implementa- tion Strategy 4.2 on page 8 of the Downtown Plan draft dealing e with marketing the parking loop and to provide the language as a direction to staff. Roll call vote; the motion carried unani- mously, 8:0. 2. Opening of Wi1lamette Street between 10th and 11th Avenues a. Implementation Strategy 5.1 Mr. Hansen moved to adopt Option 2 regarding Implementation Strategy 5.1 as recommended by the Downtown Commission. Councilor Obie suggested that the issues of reopening Wi11amette Street between 10th and 11th avenues and any further reopening be considered as separate items. Councilor Wooten asked that separate consideration be given that porti on of item d. concerni ng further openi ngs of Wi 11 clmette Street between 8th and 10th avenues and that portion of item e. dealing with a traffic turnout north of 10th Avenue at Wi11amette Street. Mr. Hansen amended his motion to delete the following language from Implementation Strategy 5.1. 1) i n item d.: "and consider further opening of Wi11amette between 8th and 10th avenues." 2) i n item e.: "and provide a turnout for traffic on the north si de of 10th Avenue at Wi 11 amette Street." e Mr. Obie seconded the motion as amended. Councilor Obie stated that the issue had lost some of its clarity over the two years since originally introduced, but he felt that the real issues of the proposed reopening were becoming evident. Addressi ng the ay'guments of the Lane Transit District against the reopening, he said the LTD concerns were serious but the motion allowed for mitigation of any detrimental aspects. He felt that the problem of buses turning south from 10th Avenue onto Wi11amette was manageable and that the concern of the bus patrons with the increased burden of crossing Wi11amette Street to make a transfer was not an overwhelming consideration relative to the council's decision. Responding to the issue of cost to the City for the reopening, he said he would disregard any potential cost to LTD since the City had provided a traffic lane to LTD at no cost. He said the City would attempt to facilitate those items which were in the best public interest, but he stressed that the City did not have any responsibility for enhancing the LTD system beyond any available opportunity. Regarding the concerns of Lane Community College with losing its campus atmosphere, Mr. Obie stressed that the Downtown Center was an urban branch of LCC and that the council must deal with certain urban questions. He urged that a design be developed similar to that on Wi11amette Street between 7th and 8th avenues. He said the overriding factor in the proposed reopening was the provision of easy access to the downtown. He said the reopening would be a test of whether that action could revitalize the downtown. - MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 4 e Councilor Schue said she might interpret the facts as presented by Mr. Obie differently. She stated that a shift in business and retail operations to the north had occurred since the mall was constructed, explaining that the section of Willamette Street between 10th and 11th avenues had been a major retail block. Although she wished to improve the section of Willarnette, she did not think the council discussion had addressed those features still existing within that section. She felt that it would be more appropriate for the City to intensify the present retail operations than to attempt to rebuild the original type of retail in that area, especially considering the issue of the proposed major retail center. She stressed that many unknown factors were involved in the proposed reopening and that spending public funds on such a problematic proposal was inappropriate. Addressing the issue of concerns by LTD, she said that convenience was a major concern of bus patrons. She said the City had a goal to encourage bus transportation and that Springfield employers would not agree to spending additional money to relocate the LTD center. While she acknowledged that the proposal was worthy of study, she did not agree with approving the reopening at this time. Councilor Hansen said he did not view that section of Willamette as a major retail area, stating that he saw the opportunity to develop that section with a broader mixed use. He said opportunities existed to provide reinvestment into that area and to reduce the size of the mall. Councilor Bascom said she supported the motion. While she acknowledged the concerns of bus patrons, she said she questioned the stated need to relocate the L TD Transit Center and the eastern stations at the present time. She fel t e that the reopening would create the beginning of a southern !Jateway to the ma ll. In addition, Ms. Bascom stated that accessibility to the downtown was the major factor involved in the reopening. Councilor Holmer felt that items a. and b. of Option 2 were very clear and explicit but that item c. added additional support to the proposal by providing for further consideration of the timing and financial impacts of the reopening. He said that item c. was helpful in supporting the basis for the motion. Councilor Ball supported Ms. Bascom's comments on LTD regarding the reopening; he said the City should not hamper the ability of LTD to moVE~ its patrons through the community. He said the fact that LTD and LCC were operating in an area of limited traffic did not mean that it was the only arE!a in which they cou 1 d opera te. He stressed that L TD and the LCC Downtown Center were urban functions and could exist in that environment. Councilor Ehrman said she opposed the motion based on the cost of the proposed reopening, stating that the funds could be better utilized. She suggested that the overhead structure on 10th Avenue be removed and that the City evaluate its impact on that section of the street. She stated that she was well aware of the 10th and 11th Avenue section because she maintained an office in the Schaeffer Building. She said the poor condition of the bottom half of the building contributed to the existing loitering problem. She said she supported the deletion of the turnout proposal because she questioned whether the proposed athletic club which it was supposed to benefit would - become a reality. She said the input from the Traffic Engineering Department had also raised some question on the turnout. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 5 e Mayor Keller said he had viewed the develofment of the mall and felt the key issue was that the trial period for the ma 1 had extended longer than the recent recession. He said he would support the motion because he had not observed any significant improvements in that section of the mall. He felt that the City staff could develop cost-saving measures to reduce the financial impacts of the reopening. Mayor Keller felt that the proposed reopening was a wholesome exercise that would be a positive move by the council and by staff. He agreed with Ms. Schue that retail development was moving toward the north, adding that the movement could be viewed as support for that reopening. Roll call vote; the motion carried, 6:2; Councilors Obie, Wooten, Ball, Bascom, Hansen, and Holmer voting aye; and Councilors Ehrman and Schue voting nay. In response to a question by Councilor Wooten, Ms. Decker stated that the last portions of item d. and e. had been deleted by the motion so that the council could consider them separately. Ms. Wooten suggested that the the latter portions of items d. and e. be deleted entirely from the plan. In response to a question by Mr. Holmer regarding item d., Ms. Wooten said she wished to foreclose the option of any further reopening of Willamette Street. Mr. Obie said he preferred not to foreclose the option but to mitigate it in some manner. Ms. Bascom said she wished to have more discussion on the issue of the turnout. Mayor Keller stated that the council would first consider the latter portion of item d. as a separate item. Ms. Wooten moved, seconded by Ms. Schue, to delete the following e language from item d. of Implementation Strategy 5.1 in Option 2 of the Downtown Plan Draft: lIand consider further opening of Wi llamette Street between 8th and 10th avenues. II Councilor Obie said he was not predisposed to any further opening, stating that he felt that foreclosing the option was too stringent an action in light of the City's desire for commercial development in the downtown. He felt that the option should be studied and discussed by the Downtown and Planning commissions. He stated that he would oppose the motion based on those factors. In response to a question by Councilor Bascom regarding the inclusion of the option in the plan draft, Ms. Decker stated that the Downtown Commission had discussed the issue of reopening Willamette Street from 11th to 8th Avenue but had decided that there was insufficient information on the impact on the downtown to support that recommendation. She said the commission decided that the impact of the reopening between 10th and 11th avenues should first be studied before any further reopening was considered. Mr. Hansen questioned why the council should be afraid to consider the option. He fe 1 t tha t the further reopening should be considered if the initial reopening was successful. Ms. Wooten responded that she was not fearful of the study but stated that a study gave momentum to any issue. She felt that the council was sometimes required to take action on any issue studied; she did not feel the council was in a position to initiate the study at this time. - MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 6 Councilor Ball said he did not want to foreclose any options. He as ked the e council if deleting the language would still allow consideration of that option in the future. Ms. Wooten responded that the action could be recon- sidered if evidence supported the proposal. She explained that the motion meant that the consideration for any further reopening would not be performed in the immediate future. Ms. Schue agreed, stating that she did not want to put the energy into the consideration at this time. Mr. Ob i e stated tha t he was prepared to suggest alternative language to ask the Downtown Commission to consider further reopening in conjunction with an evaluation of the opening between 10th and 11th avenues and the major retail development in the downtown. Councilor Holmer said he was concerned with the implication of the motion in that it stated that council was not interested in any consideration of the further reopening of Willamette Street. He felt that deletion of the language would also delete any direction to evaluate the effects of the reopening between 10th and 11th avenues. Mr. Ball assumed that traffic patterns in the downtown would be studied when any major retail development occurred in that area. Mr. Gleason explained that the proposed footprint of the retail develop- ment center was designed to work either with or without the opening of Willamette Street. Mayor Ke 11 er sta ted tha t he supported the del eti on in order to clarify the plan language. Mr. Hansen commented that he opposed the motion because it stated that the council would not consider the reopening of Willamette Street between 8th and 10th avenues. Mr. Ball said he interpreted the motion differently and would support the motion. In response to a question by Mr. Hansen, Ms. Wooten stated that staff had indicated that a motion was necessary to affirm the deletion of the language from the plan because of the e separate consideration which took place at the time of the original motion. In response to a question by Mr. Obie, Mayor Keller stated that the motion to delete the language was responding to a request to consider the language separately from the balance of Option 2. Ms. Ehrman suggested that the language would also address the design section of the plan. Roll call vote; the motion passed, 5:3; Councilors Wooten, Ball, Bascom, Ehrman, and Schue voting aye; and Councilors Obie, Hansen, and Holmer voting nay. Ms. Wooten moved, seconded by Ms. Ehrman, to delete the following language from item e. of Implementation Strategy 5.1 in Option 2 of the Downtown Plan Draft: "and provide a turnout for traffic on the north side of 10th Avenue at Wi1lamette Street." Councilor Wooten felt that the turnout would consume too large a portion of the southern portion of the mall, would create further congestion of Willamette Street, and was unnecessary because of the dropoff points already existing at Oak and Olive streets. She also said she did not understand its visual or commercial impact on the adjacent properties. Mr. Obie responded that those concerns were related to the design element. He felt that the turnout may be valuable to the mall as a piCkUp or dropoff point in light of the con~estion considerations discussed. He said he was hesitant to support the motlon and imply that the council would not consider the turnout. Ms. Bascom said she - MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 7 favored the turnout portion of the plan, stating that it had value separate e from any benefit to the proposed athletic club. Stating that she felt the proposal should be considered, she asked for comment from staff. Ms. Decker stated that two proposed drawings for the turnout had been distributed to the council. She said that Public Works staff had indicated that some operational concerns existed with the turnout~ Public Works Director Chris Andersen explained that the parking area as illustrated in the first drawing could not exist within an intersection, thus staff was contemplating the cul-de-sac version of the second drawing. However, she said a congestion problem would exist if anyone temporarily parked in the turnout. She said construction of the turnout was feasible although staff still had some operational concerns. She added that the cul-de-sac would consume a large amount of space on the mall. Mr. Gleason stated that staff could mitigate any design problems occuring with the turnout. Councilor Ehrman said she favored the motion based on the comments by the Public Works staff and the need for additional signaling at the intersection. She said the turnout was originally proposed to accommodate the athletic center, but she felt the center was too speculative a proposal on which to base the council's decision. Mr. Ball felt that the turnout had merit even though it had some operational problems. He did not view signaling at the intersection to be a problem. Ms. Schue felt the language was too narrow in that it specified a turnout only at Willamette Street. She said she would support revised language to allow consideration of a passenger dropoff point in the area between Oak and Olive streets. Ms. Schue said she will support the motion but would agree to broaden the study area. Ms. Wooten said she e would agree to study other available opportunities, but she felt the turnout proposal had too many detrimental features to warrant her support. Mayor Keller said he did not want the council to preclude any options, stating that staff was capable of developing a workable alternative for the turnout. Ms. Bascom said she was attempting to develop alternative language for a dropoff point on the south side of the mall. Ms. Ehrman suggested revising the language to state "and studying options for traffic turnouts on the south side of the ma 11 . II Mayor Keller stated that any amendment to the motion would require support of the maker and seconder of the motion. Ms. Wooten preferred to deal with the motion as stated. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 3:5; Councilors Wooten, Ehrman, and Schue voting aye; and Councilors Obie, Ball, Bascom, Hansen, and Holmer voting nay. Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Mr. Ball, to revise the language of item e. of Implementation Strategy 5.1 of Option 2 in the Downtown Plan Draft to read: II and provide a turnout for traffic on the north side of 10th Avenue at Willamette Street or between Oak and Olive streets on the south side of the mall." Roll call vote; the motion carried, 7:1; Councilors Obie, Wooten, Ball, Bascom, Ehrman, Hansen, and Schue voting aye; and Councilor Holmer voting nay. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 8 b. Design Project #2 e In response to a question by Councilor Wooten regarding the options regarding the design elements of 10th and Willamette Street, Ms. Decker stated that staff recommended that the council include the option because each of the design projects reflected some thought of the Downtown Commission to considera- tions of specific design elements. She said that the council's direction should be provided to the staff addressing the design alternatives. She clarified that the only difference between the recommendations by the Planning and Downtown commissions was the language listed under item b. and that the remaining language was provided only for information. She stated that no council action was necessary because the council had already indicated its recommendation in the previous section by approving the opening of Willamette Street between 10th and 11th avenues. Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, that the following language be added to item 2.a. of Design Option #2 on page 11 of the Downtown Pl an: "or between Oak and 01 ive Streets on the south si de of the mall. II Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 8:0. 3. Opening of Willamette Street Between 8th and 10th Avenues Ms. Decker stated that the council had already addressed this issue in its action regarding Implementation Strategy 5.1. e 4. Vegetation and Structures on the Downtown Mall Ms. Wooten moved, seconded by Mr. Obie, to adopt the language of Option 2 regarding item c. addressing the Eugene Downtown Mall. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 8:0. 5. Implementation Priorities Ms. Decker stated that staff was recommending that the City Council recognize the Implementation Priorities as giving direction but that budgetary considera- tions and timing will affect the order in which those programs will be realized. She said the recommendation was that the Implementation Priorities would be included in the plan document but not as part of the Downtown Plan itself. She said staff was also recommending the proposal of the preface as stated on page 5 of the October 26 memorandum. Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to adopt the Implementa- tion Priorities, with the inclusion of the preface as presented by staff. In response to a question by Councilor Wooten, Ms. Decker stated that staff would conclude from the council's previous action that item 19 would be deleted from the Implementation Priorities. Mayor Keller moved to delete that item. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Pa ge 9 Councilor Hansen said he supported the Planning Commission's recommendation tit regarding Items 6, 7, and 8 of the Implementation Priorities. In response to a question by Councilor Ehrman regarding Item 6, Downtown Manager Russ Brink explained that the budget for the Downtown Manager program was hastily prepared. He said Item 6 of the Implementation Priorities would allow for the consolidation of the items within that budget. Ms. Ehrman commented that "consolidation" had a different meaning than "expansion." She said she did not recall any council discussion on increasing the budget of the Downtown Manager1s office. Ms. Decker stated that the Downtown Commission included the item because of some of the reasons noted by Mr. Brink. She said the commission felt that the program needed to be expanded and had included the item as a priority because the commission will have to program funds for the Downtown Manager program. Ms. Decker stated that the funding will be presented to the council as part of the operational budgeting. Roll call vote; the motion as amended by Mayor Keller carried unanimously, 7:1; Councilors Obie, Wooten, Ball, Bascom, Hansen, Holmer, and Schue voting aye; and Councilor Ehrman voting nay. Ms. Ehrman moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to delete Item 6 from the Downtown Plan Implementation Priorities. Roll call vote; the motion failed, 2:6; Councilors Ehrman and Hansen voting aye; and Councilors Obie, Wooten, Ball, Bascom, Holmer, and Schue voting nay. e Councilor Ehrman, referring to item 6.1.(b) on page 9 of the Downtown Plan regarding the discount rate for bus passes, said the council had adopted the statement in the Revisions and Errata which left any encouragement of discount passes to L TO. She suggested that "employers" be added to the language, stating that they should also be encouraged to promote group discounts. Ms. Wooten stated that she supported that proposal. Ms. Decker stated that the item was revised by the Planning and Downtown commissions to focus on action by LTD personnel. Mr. Holmer suggested that the language should include "and other organizations" to address churches, clubs, and fairs. Ms. Ehrman moved, and it was seconded, to revise Item 6.1.(b) on page 9 of the Downtown Plan to read: "Encouraging LTD, employers, and other organizations to promote discounted bus passes for group purchases." Roll call vote; the motion carried, 7:1; Councilors Obie, Wooten, Ball, Bascom, Ehrman, Holmer, and Schue voting aye; and Councilor Hansen voting nay. Res. No. 3882--A resolution adopting the Eugene Downtown Plan as amended. Mr. Obie moved, seconded by Ms. Wooten, to adopt the resolution. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 8:0. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 10 The meeting was adjourned at 1:48 p.m. to November 14, 1984. (Respectfully submitte -- ~.~/ ......., _? .:t.. ,/ '.-; (4+.'~r'- ~.. Micheal D. Gleason Ci ty Manager (Recorded by Thom Strunk) MDG:TS:je/OO89C -- e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 31, 1984 Page 11