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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/08/1990 Meeting e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council McNutt Room--Eugene City Hall August 8, 1990 11 :30 a.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Ruth Bascom, Shawn Boles, Debra Ehrman, Bobby Green, Freeman Holmer, Emily Schue. COUNCILORS ABSENT: Roger Rutan, Robert Bennett. The adjourned Eugene City Council meeting of August 6, 1990, was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. I. REPORT FROM AD HOC HOUSING COMMITTEE John Van Landingham introduced Carol Rucker, formerly a homeless mother, and presently a University of Oregon graduate student. Ms. Rucker distributed copies of the "Homeless Moms Presentation to the Eugene City Council: Camping," dated August 8, 1990. e Ms. Rucker said the homeless moms group was asking the City Council for $11,000, use of one fourth of the Jefferson Pool site for 18 months, permit waivers, and staff assistance. She said the group was comprised of Homeless Moms, Clients in Action, Eugene Emergency Housing, Womenspace, St. Vincent de Paul, Sponsors, the City's Commission on the Rights of Women, Catholic Community Services, White Bird Homeless Outreach, and several individuals involved with the issue of homelessness, including Mr. Van Landingham. Ms. Rucker said the Homeless Moms' proposal would not require any change in the City's camping ordinance, other than a code provision permitting a campground at a specific site. She explained several reasons why homeless people need a place to camp within the city. She said Eugene Emergency Housing receives an average of 105 calls per month from families who need emergency housing, and has been able in the past to serve only 27 percent of these people. Ms. Rucker introduced Michelle Barnes, another member of the committee, to provide additional information. Ms. Barnes, recently a homeless mother, said homeless families need a place to live during the 18 months between the closing of the Opportunity Shelter and the opening of new housing spaces for the homeless. She said homeless people who camp illegally in the city live in constant fear of other campers and the possibility of being discovered by the police. -- MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 1 e Ms. Barnes said that although the City of San Francisco had recently prohibited camping, it had allowed camping within city limits for the previous two years while additional shelter spaces for the homeless were being built. Ms. Barnes said the Eugene Mission segregated males and females over the age of eight. She said this separated families and put young boys with older men who were strangers to them. She said this caused mothers a great deal of anxiety. Ms. Barnes said the Vagrancy Task Force had studied the City's camping prohibition ordinance in 1983 and had recommended that a public campground be considered. She said the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) reviewed the issue in 1989 and rejected a request that the City's prohibition on camping not be enforced. She said PSAC did not allow the public to comment on this recommendation. Ms. Barnes said the City had allowed war veterans to camp in Sladden Park in 1946 and issued special camping permits in recent years for those attending Grateful Dead concerts at Autzen Stadium. Ms. Rucker said a campground would cost the City $10,000 the first 12 months, and $1,000 the next six months. She said the camp could be managed by a non profit group. She said water and sewer hook-ups would be required, and that the City could cover its liability for the camp through its self-insurance. e Ms. Rucker said social services would be provided by current social service agencies. She said volunteer labor would be used to set up the camp which would occupy one acre. She said alcohol, controlled substances, and firearms would be prohibited. The camp would have an on-site caretaker with a phone. Food would be available at a soup kitchen in nearby Patterson Elementary School. Cost would be a $3-a-night user's fee. Ms. Barnes said the 3.79-acre Jefferson Pool site was chosen from among three possible sites. She said the site was rarely used, although a child care facility might be built there after January 1991. She said the campground could coexist well with this kind of facility. She said neighbors in the area had been contacted about the campground proposal and had not objected to it. Ms. Bascom asked if the campground would be practical in Eugene during the winter months. Ms. Barnes said homeless families in the city during this time of year would be willing to camp. In response to a question from Ms. Schue, Ms. Barnes said most campers would probably use tents or sleep in their cars. Mr. Holmer asked if a campsite which could house 40 people would be large enough to handle the total need. Ms. Barnes said more people might need to camp, but the facility could be expanded. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 2 '-- - -~------ e Mr. Green pointed out that when the crackdown on camping had occurred in San Francisco, some campers had refused to use that city's housing. Ms. Barnes said she did not think families would reject housing in Eugene. In response to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Ms. Rucker said City staff would be needed to help with such things as permit waivers, zoning changes, self-insurance, etc. Ms. Barnes said camping would be limited to a 60-day period, with leniency. In response to a question from Ms. Bascom, City Attorney Bill Gary said the current City ordinance probably prohibited camping on private property, even with the property owner's permission. Ms. Ehrman asked if the camp would provide shower facilities. Ms. Rucker said campers would have to arrange to shower elsewhere. She said the camp was intended as an emergency measure. Ms. Barnes pointed out that the YWCA had showers which it might allow campers to use. Ms. Rucker said if the council wished, she would investigate the cost of showers. Mr. Boles said from a standpoint of public safety he was concerned about whether homeless single parents would be allowed to let persons of the opposite sex spend the night with them at the camp. Ms. Barnes said only partners of persons staying at the camp could spend the night. Mr. Boles said that health standards might be better met if a camp were located in Amazon Park because the park has showers. Ms. Rucker said e potential camp sites had been evaluated in terms of security, accessibility to public transportation and social services, and privacy for families. In response to a question from Mr. Holmer, Ms. Rucker said a non profit group would be found to supervise administration of the camp. Ms. Barnes said Clients for Action might establish themselves as a non profit group and supervise the campground. Ms. Ehrman asked if the City would be allowed to serve as supervisor of the camp if it so chose, and Ms. Barnes said the homeless moms group would not object to this. Ms. Bascom said she had received phone calls from three people that morning who were angry about the camp proposal because they objected to the chosen site. Mr. Boles said he had also received calls that morning from people who were upset about the site, not the proposal itself. He said the people who had called felt there were already a preponderance of social services on the west side of town. He said the problem of home1essness is countywide and that other areas of the city also met the necessary criteria. Mr. Miller said the City Council would review the report after sending it to the Council Social Goals Committee. He thanked those who had prepared the report for presenting it to the council. Mr. Boles suggested that the City's Neighborhood Liaison contact neighborhood groups from areas contiguous to the proposed campground site to get their responses to the proposal. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 3 e II. RIVERFRONT RESEARCH PARK UPDATE Assistant City Manager Dave Whitlow introduced the topic. Gus Keller, Chair of the Riverfront Research Park Commission, said the commission was presenting the council with a development agreement for all of the parties involved in the development of the research park. He said the project had great staff support, including Peter Swan of the University and John Watkinson of the City Attorney's Office. Mr. Keller said the commission had endorsed both the lease and the development agreement for the Riverfront Research Park and recommended that the City Council and Urban Renewal Agency authorize the City Manager to enter into the development agreement with Institutional Development Associates (IDA) for the first phase of development as soon as possible. Mr. Boles referred to page 2 of the development agreement--the section on governing documents. He asked if the design guidelines prepared by the design advisory committee were included. Staff affirmed that they were. Mr. Boles pointed out that the agreement was only for phase one development, not a master development agreement for the whole site. Mr. Keller said the project was a phased development and that the commission was only seeking approval for phase one at this time. e Mr. Holmer said the City Council had received a financial analysis document on the Riverfront Research Park project in May. He said the dates used in this document were already out of date. He said it would be April 1991 before the development agreement would require the developer to begin construction. Mr. Holmer asked whether it was possible that the research park could be built less expensively elsewhere. He said the project should proceed more rapidly. Mr. Keller said various obstacles had caused changes in the project's time line, but that it was now at the point where all financial figures were better known. Mr. Holmer said provisions in the development agreement required the University and City to participate in marketing and recruiting tenants. He said the developer was usually responsible for this. He said the City and University might spend as much as $100,000 towards this goal and asked if that was sufficient to cover a charge in the future that the City and University had not been active enough in recruiting. Staff indicated that the funds for marketing were being provided by the State through the Regional Strategies Program. Mr. Boles said the Riverfront Research Park had not been one of his favorite projects in the past. However, he said he had talked to Cathy Briner at the Planning and Development Department (PDD) who assured him that the development agreement stated that the research park tenants would be e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 4 e encouraged by IDA to hire locally and to use local architects and contractors. Mr. Boles said that, although the State, City, and University were involved in a 20-year risk venture, the benefits to them were limited to increased employment in the area and the hiring of local contractors. He said the agreement should include a provision to provide the City with intellectual royalties resulting from research projects, and a provision for the City to have stock in equity. He said he was loath to see the City risk millions of dollars for minimal reward. Mr. Miller said the City's risk was similar to that undertaken in other industrial projects. Mr. Keller said the City was responsible for some aspects of the project as with other development properties. He said the risk to the City was minimal. Mr. Boles said the issue was not the City's risk, but the City's reward. Mr. Holmer agreed that the City should share in intellectual benefits of the research park if possible. Abe Farkas, POD Director, said all research park developments included an element of risk. He said the City's primary financial remuneration would be in two parts: 1) benefits through tax increment, and 2) money secured from the State to the City which would be available for the development in the form of loans. Mr. Swan said those who would be inventing and creating at the research park would not be the developers, but the sub-tenants of the developers. He said e the commission had seriously considered a percentage of gross rental structure. He said the idea was rejected because the agreement would be very difficult to negotiate, partly because the project was not staffed to accomodate this concept. He said the University has always wanted a passive landlord role. Ms. Ehrman suggested the idea of intellectual royalties be revisited in 20 years. She said any attempt to investigate the idea now could impede progress on the project. Ms. Bascom said the community might benefit indirectly from the research park as Portland had by being affiliated with Nike. Mr. Boles said it was incorrect for the partners in the research park to think of it as anything less than a high-risk venture. He said the investors should try to recapture a reward when the park had been developed. He said the partners in the project should not rely on the good graces of the tenants. He said they could lose potential benefits if they were not specified in the development agreement. He said such benefits could be negotiated to be phased in after several years. Mr. Boles said the research park project had received Regional Strategy funds because it was intended to benefit all of Lane County. However, he said the development agreement did not include a statement that research and development products should be manufactured locally. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 5 e Mr. Watkinson said there would be many legal issues involved with Mr. Boles' suggestions, including trade constraints. Mr. Boles said Eugene was one of the last good places to come and he was not afraid of scaring away businesses. Mr. Keller said everyone should be a "good neighbor." He said if people were unwilling to be accommodating, new businesses might not choose to locate here. Mr. Swan said the lease and the zoning district now allow prototype manufacturing in the research park. III. RIVERFRONT RESEARCH PARK DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, to approve the recommendation of the Riverfront Research Park Commission for the City of Eugene to enter into a development agreement with Institutional Development Associates (IDA) for development of the first phase of the Riverfront Research Park project. Roll call vote; the motion carried, 5:1, with Councilor Boles voting in opposition. Mayor Miller adjourned the meeting of the Eugene City Council and convened a meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency. e Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, to approve the recommendation of the Riverfront Research Park Commission for the Urban Renewal Agency to enter into a development agreement with Institutional Development Associates (IDA) for development of the first phase of the Riverfront Research Park project. Roll call vote; the motion carried, 5:1, with Councilor Boles voting against. Mayor Miller adjourned the meeting of the Urban Renewal Agency and reconvened the City Council meeting. IV. ITEMS FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, MAYOR, AND CITY MANAGER A. Rescheduling of Work Session on Development Services Financing Study Mr. Whitlow said Mr. Rutan had submitted a memo to the council requesting that the work session on the Development Services Financing Study be postponed until after the council recess. The council discussed the request and decided the item would be rescheduled for the September 10 council meeting. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 6 e B. Basketball Hoops Ms. Schue asked if the council felt basketball hoops should be allowed on streets within the city limits, thereby causing youth to play basketball in the street. Mr. Holmer said there were many such basketball hoops already erected around the city and it would be difficult to enforce a prohibition. Mr. Whitlow said the issue had been discussed in the past and the council had agreed to leave its ordinance as it was and to enforce it when complaints were filed. Ms. Bascom said people had complained to her that there were not enough basketball courts in Eugene. C. Riverbank Bike Trails Ms. Bascom said she was working with City staff to ensure that standards were met on construction of a bike trail connection between Alton Baker Park and Centennial Boulevard. She said the City's Master Plan included a bike trail connection on the east side of the Valley River Inn. She said it was possible this connection could be built as a part of the development of a parcel of land adjacent to the inn. D. EWEB Plaza e Ms. Bascom said she had talked to staff at the Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Services Department about bright lighting at the EWEB Plaza. She said she felt the area would be used more by the public if it were not so stark. She said construction of the plaza was at City expense, but improvements were EWEB's responsibility. Staff was requested to communicate with EWEB regarding its landscaping plans. E. Amtrak Mr. Boles referred to a memo to the council on the possibility of an Amtrak route between Eugene and Seattle, without the long Portland layover. He suggested the council take immediate action on the suggestion. Ms. Bascom said the issue would be discussed by the State Legislature. Mayor Miller requested that staff send a letter to the Legislature stating the council's support of the Amtrak proposal. F. Neighborhood Watch/Night Out Mr. Green commended Bev Collins of the Department of Public Safety for her part in the Neighborhood Watch Night Out held the previous night. He said the event had been a very positive experience for his neighborhood. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 7 - e G. Whiteaker Community Resource Center Grand Opening Mr. Boles said the Whiteaker Community Resource Center had held its grand opening on August 7. He said the resource center presented an opportunity to see if this type of partnership could work at the neighborhood level. Mr. Green said people had enjoyed the event, which was well-attended. H. Urban Renewal District Annual Financial Report Mr. Holmer commended POD for the promptness of its issuance of the Urban Renewal District Annual Financial Report. He said he was concerned about the fact that Riverfront Research Park tax increment revenues were less than they had been for the last fiscal year. He asked if this amount would decrease in the upcoming fiscal year. Mr. Farkas said several business owners in the downtown area had gone to the Board of Equalization to have their assessments lowered because of such issues as asbestos in buildings. He said Agripac had a reduced assessment because a portion of its building had been dismantled. 1. West University Small Business Group Ms. Ehrman said the West University Small-Business Group had discussed the City's sidewalk vending ordinance. She said the ordinance was challenged and found to be unconstitutional by a municipal judge, and is not presently enforced. She said vendors are setting up on blankets amidst students who e sit on the curb along East 13th Avenue. Ms. Ehrman said those at the meeting suggested that the problem with the ordinance was that it only limited vendors according to the content of what they are selling, rather than limiting the total number of vendors allowed. She suggested that the council might need to limit any kind of commerce on the public right-of-way. The council agreed to have staff investigate this proposal. In response to a question from Mr. Green, Ms. Ehrman said students sitting on the curb do impede bicycle traffic. Ms. Bascom said she did not think they constituted a serious obstacle to bikers. Ms. Ehrman said Diane Bishop, staff person for the Bike Committee, attended this meeting and agreed to put the issue on the committee's agenda. J. Extension of Deadline for Proposals for Development at 8th Avenue and Wi1lamette Street Mr. Whitlow referred to a memo to the council requesting that the deadline for submitting proposals for development at 8th Avenue and Willamette Street be extended to October 1. In response to a question from Mr. Holmer, Mr. Farkas said no proposals have yet been filed, but an interest in submitting proposals had been expressed if the deadline could be extended. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 8 e Mr. Boles pointed out that this deadline had already been extended once and that the council had refused to extend the deadline for proposals for development of the old Lincoln School building. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, that the City Council extend the RFP deadline for proposals for development at 8th Avenue and Willamette Street to October 1. The motion passed 5:1, with Mr. Holmer voting against. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of Findings and Recommendations of Hearings Official and Adoption of Resolutions Forming a Local Improvement District for Goodpasture Lake Loop (Job #2581) and Regency West Subdivision (Job #2423) Res. No. 4201--A resolution forming a local improvement district for street and sanitary and storm sewer improvements to Goodpasture Lakes Loop from 1100 feet north of Goodpasture Island Road to Goodpasture Island Road (Job #2581). Res. No. 4202--A resolution forming a local improvement e district for street and sanitary and storm sewers for Regency West Subdivision and the extension of Martingale Street north and west a distance of 625 feet and Thornberry Street 350 feet south from Willakenzie Road (Job #2423). B. Approval of Findings and Recommendations of Hearings Official and Adoption of Resolution Forming a Local Improvement District for Terry Street (Job #2256) Res. No. 4203--A resolution forming a local improvement district for street, storm sewers, and street lighting on Terry Street from West 11th Avenue to 1,500 feet north. C. Segregation of Assessment for Property Located at #90-03 South Side of Roosevelt Boulevard, East of Waite Street Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, to approve the items on the City Council Consent Calendar. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 6:0. VI. REVISIONS TO CITY ADVISORY GROUPS e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 9 e Mr. Holmer said he felt elimination of the Audit Committee would be a grave deviation from the council's responsibility. Mr. Holmer moved, seconded by Mr. Boles, that the delete lines be deleted from Section 2.013 of an ordinance concerning the Audit Committee. The motion was defeated by a vote of 4:3; Mr. Boles, Mr. Green, and Mr. Holmer voting in favor, and Mayor Miller, Ms. Bascom, Ms. Schue, and Ms. Ehrman voting in opposition. CB 4244--An ordinance concerning the Audit Committee, Citizen Involvement Committee, Joint Parks Committee, and Sister Cities Commission; amending Section 2.013 of the Eugene Code, 1971; and declaring an emergency. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, 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. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, that the bill be approved and given final passage. Roll call vote; the motion carrying, 5:1, with Councilor Holmer voting against, the bill was declared passed and became Ordinance No. 19714. e VII. PROPERTY TAX LIMITATION MEASURE Tony Mounts, Acting Financial Management Services Director, reviewed a staff memo on the potential impact of Ballot Measure 5. In response to a question from Mr. Green, Mr. Mounts said he had not talked directly to anyone from the school system about the measure. However, he said the measure would have a significant impact on the schools. He said the initiative stated that during the initial five years the State would have to make up for lost revenues. He said the formula for this was unclear and the revenues would have to come out of the State General Fund or from a new revenue source. He said the measure did not say what would happen to school funding after the five-year period. Ms. Schue said the League of Oregon Cities Board met with the School Board's Association Board last spring, and the groups agreed that the measure would not be good for schools. Mayor Miller said that although he was opposed to Measure 5, he felt that property tax limitation would continue to be discussed by the public. He asked if the council was interested in drafting a list of issues concerning property tax limitation. He said the public might pass such a measure out of ignorance of its possible consequences on local government. He suggested the e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 10 e Council Intergovernmental Relations Committee prepare a working paper on the subject to stimulate discussion. Ms. Schue said there were two schools of thought on how to deal with ballot measures: 1) focus on the measure itself, or 2) deal with the larger problem surrounding the measure. She said she would like to focus on Ballot Measure 5 itself because she wanted it to be defeated. She said she was afraid that if all the issues surrounding property tax limitation were raised, the issue would become tied in with issues relating to sales taxes. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, to oppose Ballot Measure 5, the Property Tax Limitation Measure on the November 6 General Election Ballot. Roll call vote; the motion passed unanimously. VIII. 1993 PHYSICISTS CONFERENCE FUNDING REQUEST lee Beyer, Industrial Development Advisor for PDD, reviewed the staff report on this request. Mr. Boles moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, that the City's financial support for the proposal be reduced to $5,000 because the council has reduced its original funding amounts for such conferences in the past. e Ms. Ehrman asked that Mr. Boles delay his motion. She said she would prefer to underwrite the conference rather than offer a stipend to approximately 20 presenters for the conference. Mr. Gary said the challenge was to craft a personal services contract which in this case would increase the number of physicists who could attend the conference. He said the proposal could be sent back to the City Manager with a request to draft a different contract. Ms. Bascom said the contract had been drafted in this manner in an attempt to tie it directly to the room tax. She said an offer of $10,000 would strengthen the City's bid. She countered Mr. Bole's contention that the City traditionally cut its original offers for conferences, stating that the council had originally voted to offer the World Veterans Games $20,000; but the final amount the City provided was $40,000. Mr. Boles suggested that a grant of $5,000 be supplemented by in-kind services worth an additional $5,000. Ms. Schue pointed out that many people had been housed in university dormitories during the World Veterans Games and asked if that had been figured into calculations for the International Physicists Conference. Mr. Beyer said this had been included in calculations. Mr. Holmer suggested the City increase its allotment of room tax money to the Eugene-Springfield Convention and Visitors' Bureau and let it decide how to e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 11 . spend the money. He said the City would automatically need to provide $10,000 worth of in-kind services. Ms. Bascom said that people had been angry with her for stating that Eugene did not do well at attracting conventions such as the International Physicists Conference. She said it was necessary to be represented by someone such as Professor Russell Donnelly to attract this kind of event. She said the Convention and Visitors Bureau had put together a good package for the conference and should be supported by the City Council. The motion was defeated 4:3; Ms. Bascom, Mr. Green, and Ms. Schue voting against; Mr. Boles, Mr. Holmer, and Ms. Ehrman voting in favor; Mayor Miller breaking the tie by voting against. Ms. Ehrman asked that staff draft a proposal to provide financing for personal services for the conference other than those recommended in the August 8 proposal. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Holmer, to approve the request for $10,000 in City funds to support a proposal to bring the 1993 Twentieth International Low Temperature Physics Conference to Eugene. Roll call vote; the motion carried 4:2, with Mr. Boles and Mr. Holmer voting in opposition. e The meeting adjourned at 1:50 p.m. ~~~ - Mic eal Gleason, City Manager (Recorded by Kris Bloch) mncc 080890 e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 8, 1990 Page 12