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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/09/1985 Meeting M I NUT E S . Eugene City Council Dinner Session Valley River Inn--Rogue Room September 9, 1985 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Cynthia Wooten, Richard Hansen, Emily Schue, Freeman Holmer (5:30-5:55), Ruth Bascom, Debra Ehrman, Jeff Mill er. COUNCILOR ABSENT: Roger Rutan. Mayor Obie called the meeting to order. He introduced Mike Schwartz, chairer of the Downtown Commission, and Anne Bennett, a member of the Downtown Commission. I. EUGENE CELEBRATION Ms. Wooten reported that preparations for the Eugene Celebration are going we 11 . Thirteen committees are working. About 500 people have volunteered. Over $30,000 has been raised from the private sector, but $10,000 more is needed. She discussed the schedule of events. e Ms. Wooten asked if the councilors would like to ride in the parade in a fire engine or a large surrey drawn by a double team of horses. The other coun- cilors agreed they would like to ride in the surrey. II. METROPOLITAN POLICY COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION OF METRO PLAN AMENDMENTS M~or Obie said Ms. Schue and Mr. Hansen would like some direction from the council about a Metro Plan amendment request that the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) will consider as a part of the mid-period review of the Metro Pl an. A. Amendment Request for 727 Acres Between Awbrey Lane and Meadowview Road to be Included in the Urban Growth Boundary (B-23) Planning Director Susan Brody distributed a map of alternative growth areas and another map of metropolitan industrial development areas. She reviewed the request to include 727 acres between Awbrey Lane and Meadowview Road in the Urban Growth Boundary. She said the staff recommendation stated consider- ation of the proposal would be premature. It should be studied in the context of other alternative growth areas. The Metro Plan indicates that other areas, such as the Mohawk Valley and the Lane Community College Basin (LCC), should be considered for future growth as well. A decision to expand the Urban e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 9, 1985 Page 1 Growth Boundary now would preclude or limit growth options in other direc- - tions. Ms. Brody said the staff recommended a study of all the alternative growth areas. In the study, priorities will be given to the alternative growth areas. Ms. Brody said there are 3,900 acres of undeveloped land inside the Urban Growth Boundary now. Forty- and fifty-acre parcels are available. The consumption rate is low. Approval of the amendment will affect commuting patterns, create pressure for commercial use in the area, necessitate the extension of urban services, and necessitate extensive findings for the LCDC. Answering a question from Mayor Obie, Ms. Brody said the Metropolitan Area Plan Advisory Committee (MAPAC) supported the concept of extending the Urban Growth Boundary to include the site. Committee members wanted more infor- mation about an island of property that would not be included, control of parcel sizes in the area, and a plan designation for the sludge site in the southeast corner. Dorothy Anderson, President of the Planning Commission, said most of the Planning Commissioners favored the staff recommendation to consider the request in the Metro Plan Update, although one commissioner favored approval of the request now. One commissioner wanted to get the research necessary for consideration of the request started as soon as possible. Replying to questions from Mr. Hansen, Ms. Brody said the Weyerhaeuser property in Springfield has three sawmills and contains 236 acres. Steve e Gordons L-COG Manager of Planning and Development, said data gathered for the Industrial Lands Task Force indicated that 25 to 40 acres parcels are needed for sawmills. Ms. Brody reported that Cathy Briner, Executive Director of the Metropolitan Partnership, told her that very few inquiries are received or solicitated for heavy industrial uses. Mr. Hansen said 300 acres of land zoned for special heavy industrial use is not used. He asked about other parcel sizes. Mr. Gordon said ten sites in the metropolitan area are available for special heavy, heavy, and light-medium industrial uses. There are parcels of at least 50 acres in all the sites. Replying to other questions, Ms. Brody discussed the study of alternative growth areas. She said the area with the highest priority could be included in the Urban Growth Boundary quickly after the study if they met the cri- teria. The study would provide policy direction for extending the Urban Growth Boundary. The Awbrey Lane/Meadowview property might be appropriate for inclusion when a need can be demonstrated. Mr. Gleason noted that the Metro Plan mandates several studies. The alternative growth area study could be accelerated. Mr. Miller noted that approval of the amendment request now might preclude the location of industries in other areas. Responding to a question, Ms. Brody said no specific company wants to locate on the site now. She said the need for extending the Urban Growth Boundary must be justified to the LCDC. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 9, 1985 Page 2 Answering a question from Mr. Hansen, Ms. Brody said no specific plan e designation has been requested for the Mohawk Valley. High tech development has been discussed for the LCC Basin. Mr. Gordon said the applicant of the Awbrey Lane/Meadowview request has asked for a new designation of large scale industrial park. There have been no other requests for heavy industrial designation. Mr. Hansen said he supports including the Awbrey Lane/Meadowview property in the Urban Growth Boundary because the matter has been discussed for a long time (at one time the property was zoned for industrial use), the urban services are available, extension of the services to the properties will be paid for by the developer, and it is the only large heavy industrial site available. He emphasized that the community will not have lost anything if a buyer for the property is not found. He did not think the matter needs to be studi ed. Ms. Schue said the issue is not new. A compromise during development of the Metro Plan resulted in property just south of the Awbrey Lane/Meadowview land being included in the Urban Growth Boundary and that property is still vacant. She said the needs of other jurisdictions need to be considered. She favored the staff proposal to study all the land inventory and alternative growth sites. Mr. Holmer suggested a MAPAC member be asked to address the council. Ms. Wooten supported the staff recommendation and Ms. Schue's position. She e said the study of alternative growth sites is important. She said the City should resist the expansion of the Urban Growth Boundary because expansion is not needed. Expansion would promote some sprawl. Ms. Ehrman did not see a need for expanding the Urban Growth Boundary now. She did not favor moving the alternative growth area study ahead of the commercial lands study. Ms. Bascom did not think the study should be accelerated very much. She did not think inclusion of the request in the Metro Plan Update would indicate that industries are not welcome. Mr. Miller would like to accommodate an industry if one wanted to locate here. Therefore, the alternative growth area study is important to indicate that lands are available. He would like to indicate that the lands can be marketed. Mayor Obie said the council would continue the discussion Wednesday, September 11, at 11:30 in the McNutt Room. He asked the staff to present a proposal for beginning a study of alternative growth areas on January 1, 1986. Mr. Miller asked for a response to the question, "Will approval of the amendment request do any harm?" Mayor Obie emphasized his concern about a legally defensible position. He did not want court action. He noted that a person cannot sell property if it is not properly designated. He probably would vote to include the Awbrey Lane/ e Meadowview property in the Urban Growth Boundary, but he hoped a compromise could be reached. MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 9, 1985 Page 3 Ms. Brody distributed a letter dated September 9, 1985, from Mike Farthing to the council. e III. TRANSITION FROM A MASTER DEVELOPMENT TO A PHASED DEVELOPMENT IN THE DOWNTOWN Mr. Schwartz discussed the transition from a master development to a phased development of the downtown. He said the downtown should capture its share of economic growth now. The City is the largest land owner in the downtown. It is a complex environment. The Downtown Plan is a blueprint for protecting the investment. Answering a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Schwartz said the study by Lloyd LeBlanc indicated retail sales at a higher level than they are. There is more of a demand for downtown sales than is realized. Mr. Gleason said the Eugene retail market is higher than other similar retail markets. Greg Byrne of the Eugene Development Department discussed the Downtown Plan. He said the Price Development project did not succeed because it required a very large initial investment which was not available. Ms. Wooten noted that the initial investment was for land acquisition, the relocation of existing businesses, and parking. The project expanded to areas the City does not own. Responding to a question about the change in the plan, Mr. Byrne said the plan changed several times as the developer talked to clients. e Mr. Byrne said the downtown share of retail expansion in the next ten years should be between 220,000 and 550,000 square feet of new retail construction. That includes the existing retail space that is under-used now. He emphasized that the Downtown Commission wishes to seek new construction. He discussed available City-owned property and said the City will aggressively market those sites. The priorities in the Downtown Plan can be implemented for about $7 million. He discussed ways of funding it. Most of the projects are in the Capital Improvements Program (CIP). Responding to questions from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Schwartz said the Overpark retail space is broken up and will be used for small businesses. Major stores will need larger spaces. Mr. Byrne said the Downtown Plan indicates the opening of two blocks of Willamette will be studied after the block from 10th to 11th is opened. Some utilities will have to be relocated because they bisect City- owned properties. Ms. Ehrman said the council did not agree to fund the Lane Transit District permanent facility. Mayor Obie noted that the biggest cost is for the central plaza. Responding to questions, Mr. Byrne said the Downtown Plan does not locate the central plaza specifically. Such things as the Eugene Celebration will take place on it. Office buildings would be considered for the available sites. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 9, 1985 Page 4 Ms. Bennett said experience indicates there is a market for additional retail e space in the downtown. The objective of the Downtown Commission is to market the space. A capital fund source is needed to provide the amenities that are needed to market sites. Mr. Hansen suggested the amenities could be developed after the sites are marketed. Summarizing, Ms. Wooten said the Downtown Commission would like a $7 million item included in the Eugene Agenda to market City-owned land for retail and commercial development. Mr. Holmer said the Downtown Commission seemed to be wanting a blank check. He prefers to know how money will be spent. Ms. Ehrman noted that people like to park on surface lots which the Downtown Commission wants to use for new development. Ms. Wooten thanked Mr. Schwartz and Ms. Bennett for sharing their views and experience with the council. She was unhappy that the council did not get more clarity and direction from the Downtown Commission at the beginning of the development of the Eugene Agenda. Ms. Bennett said the mission of the Downtown Commission is clear now. It is to market the available downtown City-owned sites. e The meeting was adjourned at 7:15 p.m. (Recorded by Betty Lou Rarick) BLR:db/1848C - MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 9, 1985 Page 5