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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/23/1990 Meeting e M I NUT E S \ '~ , ~ Eugene City Council McNutt Room--City Hall May 23, 1990 11:30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Mayor Jeff Miller, Rob Bennett, Freeman Holmer, Bobby Green, Roger Rutan, Emily Schue, Debra Ehrman, Shawn Boles. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Ruth Bascom. The adjourned meeting of May 16, 1990, of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. I. ITEMS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER e A. Library Siting Information Mr. Rutan noted that the results of a recent community survey revealed that Eugene residents are unsatisfied with the current mix of retail stores downtown. In light of the council's decision to reach a conclusion on the potential of Sears as a possible library site at its May 30 meeting, he requested that all draft information regarding property owner lease restrictions be included in the council's agenda packet. He also requested the inclusion of any additional information about how downtown areas similar to Eugene are able to reach their visualized tenant mix goals. B. County Housing Plan Ms. Schue announced that the County Housing Task Force has adopted a modified version of its housing plan. She felt that the council should take a conceptual position on the desirability of this plan. Responding to a request for comment, Mr. Bennett said that the adopted plan, which specifically addresses the needs of low-income families with children, makes headway on several short-term housing needs; a housing plan which addresses longer-term housing goals is still needed. He noted that most of the money supporting this plan comes from Community Development Block Grant monies although there is a contribution from Land Banking Site Acquisition funds, an old General Fund appropriation which has accrued interest over time. Lane County Commissioner Jack Roberts said that several commissioners felt it important to address critical, short-term housing needs immediately and await further support for a long-term housing proposal in the future. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1990 Page 1 e e ~ Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, to approve the concepts in the Lane County Housing Plan and to continue to work with Lane County and Springfield in achieving the goals laid forth in this plan. The motion carried unanimously, 7:0. Mr. Bennett acknowledged the critical role Commissioner Roberts played in generating this housing proposal. C. Recruiting and Development in the Public Sector Mr. Boles distributed copies of an article recently published in The Register-Guard. He said that it is becoming increasingly evident~om this article that public recruiting and development is seen as important in the private sector and that community social values are important in this effort. D. Removal of Street Signs Mr. Green reported that residents of his neighborhood have reported an increase in the removal of street signs from sign posts. Area residents have expressed concern that as well as being inconvenient, street sign removal poses a safety hazard. He requested that staff contact him for more information and address the situation. E. Enhanced Communication Mr. Miller indicated that he recently met with members of Citizens for the Fair Allocation of City Taxes (COFACT) to discuss possible ways to enhance communication and cooperation between City officials and Eugene citizens. He asked for council suggestions on how these relations might be improved. Mr. Bennett expressed his appreciation to Mr. Miller for beginning this dialogue. He cautioned that any debate surrounding the issue of whether citizens should be allowed to vote on each development project in the Urban Renewal District would be unproductive and should not be considered in the context of these discussions. Mr. Holmer echoed Mr. Bennett's concern and noted that at times, the election process is the most accurate way of measuring the degree of community consensus on an issue. F. Reexamination of Committee Structure Mr. Gleason proposed that the subject of the council's work session scheduled for May 29 be a focus on work planning issues and a related review of the council's committee structure. The council agreed to Mr. Gleason's suggestion. Mayor Miller adjourned the meeting of the Eugene City Council and convened the meeting of the Urban Renewal Authority. MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1990 Page 2 e G. Request for Proposal (RFP) for 8th and Willamette At the request of the Downtown Commission, Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, to direct staff to prepare an RFP for the disposal of property at 8th Avenue and Willamette Street and that the RFP be brought back before the council / for discussion. The motion carried unanimously, 7:0. Mayor Miller adjourned the meeting of the Urban Renew Authority and reconvened the meeting of the Eugene City Council. II. RESOLUTION REGARDING ENERGY LOAN FOR SPECIALIZED RECREATION CENTER Res. No. 4179--A resolution authorizing acceptance of a loan from the State of Oregon Department of Energy. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, to adopt the resolution. In response to a question from Mr. Holmer, Dave Pompel, PARCS, said that it is anticipated that this energy-saving project will save over $100,000 per year. The major items included in the project are programmable setback thermostats, wall insulation, and the addition of a heat pump system. e Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 7:0. III. WORK SESSION: OPTIONS FOR PROCEEDING WITH LIBRARY SITING Hillary Kittleson, Planning and Development Department, summarized briefly the possible library siting alternatives. In response to a request from the council at its last Quarterly Process Session, staff has compiled existing information on three possible library siting options, including: 1) the existing library location at 13th Avenue and Olive Streets; 2) the two half-block parcels north and south of Broadway and west of Charnelton; and 3) the former Sears Building and related parking lot. Ms. Kittleson noted that after having compiled all current information with respect to the Sears building site, staff has generated three additional alternatives for site development. The first call for a full build-out at 112,000 square feet; columns would not be reinforced and no parking structure would be built. The second option requires a remodel of the existing building and the reinforcement of columns to allow for full-height library stacks. The third option also contemplates a remodel of the existing facility, but without column reinforcement. Mr. Gleason noted that a more recent analysis on column loading acquired from the-Sears building owner suggests that it might be less expensive to upgrade the column loading than was originally predicted. He emphasized that in e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1990 Page 3 e considering the Sears Building as a possible siting option, an extensive public process would need to be undertaken. Mr. Bennett said that the cost estimates for the Sears building remodel look promising and expressed an interest in continued consideration of this location as a possible siting alternative. In consideration of the current property ,owner, Mr. Bennett emphasized the importance of making a decision regardin~council interest in this site soon. Ms. Sch~e reminded the council of its decision to allow voters the ultimate decision on library siting. , Respondirg to a question from Ms. Schue, Carole Hildebrand, Assistant City Librariap, said that a 75,OOO-square-foot remodel would be sufficient capacity\to handle short-term space needs. She noted that the Universal Donor Ca~d will likely increase the long-term capacity needs. With respect to the Sears building site, Mr. Holmer pointed out that because the area is a parking exempt zone, the estimated costs for the Sears building are not representative of what financial resources might actually be required of the City to meet parking demands in that area. e Mr. Rutan remarked that the council should mobilize a decision-making process that will allow library construction to begin more quickly than the anticipated spring of 1993. In particular, he suggested that the council put together an extensive public information campaign designed to educate community residents and elicit feedback on possible siting alternatives. Mr. Rutan pointed out that the Broadway and Charnel ton site is particularly noteworthy because of its potential for a mixed-use development. Ms. Ehrman suggested that the community attitudes survey, which is presently being formulated by the City, should contain questions on library siting. Responding to a question, Barbara Bellamy, City Manager's Office, said that State election laws prohibit the City from asking any ballot questions which require voters to prioritize a list of options. Mr. Holmer indicated that the voters should be presented with the council's single best recommendation on library siting and financing alternatives. He emphasized that if information from public consultation is taken into account when making this decision, it should be possible for the council to put forth a recommendation which will be satisfactory to the voters. Ms. Ehrman concurred. Mr. Boles expressed concern that if the council places a single option before the voters and it fails, the council will not be in a position to make any further decision on library siting. He recommended that the council give citizens the opportunity to vote on multiple siting options with multiple financing alternatives. He added that before this goes to election, the council needs to have a clear understanding of what the results might mean. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1990 Page 4 e e e Mr. Green supported Mr. Rutan's suggestion for a public information process and suggested that the schools become an integral component of this. He also felt that because the issues of library siting and financing are so complex, they should be separated. Mr. Boles highlighted the importance of considering library siting and financing alternatives as a package. If considered separately, the council might run the risk of choosing a site, and then having no way to pay for it. He suggested that questions about multiple siting and financing options be placed on the community survey. Mr. Bennett expressed his support for putting a single option before the voters. Ms. Ehrman agreed with Mr. Green that putting a single option before the voters would allow decision-making efforts to be focused on a single issue. She also expressed concern with the timing of the suggested public information campaign. Mr. Boles expressed his reservations for undertaking an extensive public information campaign because of the wealth of information that the council has already received from the public regarding library siting and because of poor campaign timing. If administered properly, the community attitude survey could supplant a public information campaign. Ms. Schue expressed her interest in the Sears building phasing options if the time line can be compacted. She suggested that the library siting issue should come before the voters at the November election. Mayor Miller expressed concern that a public information process which puts many options and financing alternatives before the community might make it more difficult to achieve community consensus on this issue. In light of the information which the council already possesses, Mr. Boles said that the Sears building phasing option (with column reinforcement) seems to be the most favorable option and should be forwarded to the voters in November with General Obligation Bond financing. Summarizing the council's position on this issue Mayor Miller said that with respect to the Sears building alternative, upon receiving additional information, the council appears to be in favor of moving forward with placing a single proposal on the ballot in November. Mr. Boles cautioned that the council remain aware of the associated operating and overhead costs. The meeting of the Eugene City Council adjourned at 1:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1990 Page 5 e e e .~/")~?d:$1 Michea Gleason ~~ City anager . (Recorded by Traci Northman) mncc 052390-1130 MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 23, 1990 Page 6