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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/10/1990 Meeting (2) e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council Council Chamber--Eugene City Hall September 10, 1990 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Emily Schue, Robert Bennett, Ruth Bascom, Shawn Boles, Debra Ehrman, Bobby Green, Freeman Holmer, Roger Rutan. The regular meeting of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. I. SPECIAL RECOGNITION--SISTER CITIES AWARD Mayor Miller introduced Karlyn Campbell, Chair of the Sister Cities Commission, who presented the City with the "Best Overall Sister Cities Program for 1989" award received in July at the Annual Sister Cities International Conference. Ms. Campbell introduced members of the commission and thanked Mary Wright-McIntosh for her contributions as the City staff person responsible for the program. e Mayor Miller commended the community volunteers and City staff who make the Sister Cities Program possible. II. PUBLIC FORUM Jay Jay, PO Box 22023, addressed the council on the issue of homelessness. Identifying himself as a homeless person, Mr. Jay proposed that privately owned vacant buildings be used as shelters for homeless people. Mr. Jay asked that the City contribute funds to aid in that effort. III. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of City Council Minutes of May 29, 1990, Dinner Session; June 11, 1990, Council Meeting; June 13, 20, and 27, 1990, Lunch Work Sessions; Meeting of April 1, 1990; Dinner Work Session of July 9, 1990; Meeting of July 9, 1990; and Dinner Work Session of July 16, 1990 B. Call for Public Hearing Re: Street Vacation (SV 900-2) (Leslie Polansky, et. all e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1990 Page 1 e C. Approval of Intergovernmental Relations Committee Minutes of July 17, 1990 Ms. Bascom requested that item B be removed from the Consent Calendar to allow further council discussion. In the City Council minutes of June 27, 1990, page 1, Ms. Bascom said her reference to a request for a donation to assist an effort to bring an International Physicists' Conference to Eugene in 1993 should be corrected from $25,000 to $10,000. Referring to page 5 of the minutes of June 20, 1990, Mr. Bennett did not recall making a statement attributed to him: "Mr. Bennett noted that because the nature of residential areas changes over time, the need for sidewalks varies according to the ages of people living on the street. He questioned whether mandatory sidewalk requirements should eventually become a part of the policy." He thought he had said that he could not foresee a situation where a sidewalk on at least one side of the street would not be important. He requested that the tape recording of the meeting be reviewed and the minutes corrected, if appropriate, to reflect his clarification. Mr. Boles recommended that in the future, minutes of the City Council Intergovernmental Relations Committee should not be included as part of the consent calendar. Ms. Schue commented that items the committee identifies as significant issues are brought to the council for its separate consideration. By consensus, councilors agreed to Mr. Boles' recommendation. e Ms. Schue moved. seconded by Mr. Rutan, to approve item A as corrected and item C as presented on the City Council Consent Calendar. Roll call vote; the motion carried unanimously, 8:0. IV. PUBLIC HEARING: RESOLUTION RE: 12TH AVENUE VEHICLE RESTRICTION City Manager Mike Gleason introduced the topic. Dave Reinhard, Transpor- tation Division, reported that the Eugene Clinic has proposed closing the eastern half of the east-west alley known as 12th Avenue to motor vehicle traffic in order to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. Mr. Reinhard reviewed positive aspects of the proposed closure which support the recommendation of the Downtown Commission, the Bicycle Committee, and City Transportation Division staff to approve the closure. Mayor Miller opened the public hearing. Duane Lucas-Roberts, Eugene Clinic, emphasized that landscaping is an integral part of the project and approximately 50 trees would be added on the property as part of the development. He explained that an alternate connector between Olive and Willamette streets is being provided a half block south of the present alley. Mr. Lucas-Roberts said that most of the traffic e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1990 Page 2 e using the 12th Avenue right-of-way between Willamette and Olive streets is clinic traffic and is either slowing or stopping in the clinic parking lot. Through traffic (which he estimated at 120 vehicles per day) is neither stopping nor slowing and it is that traffic which creates a hazard for pedestrians and bicycles. Mr. Lucas-Roberts indicated that the clinic would propose a different solution if the proposed closure does not work. Brian Churchill, 1610 East 43rd Avenue, spoke on behalf of the Bicycle Committee which supports closing 12th Avenue to vehicular traffic between Willamette and Olive streets. He said that eliminating vehicles will remove one source of conflict in the area, but bicyclists and pedestrians will continue to need warnings of each other's presence in the area. B. King Martin, 2760 Onyx Street, spoke as owner of a business in the vicinity of the proposed closure and daily user of the alley between Olive and Willamette. He opposed the closure because of the harmful effect it would have on business in that area and objected to the privatization of public access. Ed Barthelemy, 1135 Willamette Street, identified himself as the long-time owner of an insurance agency near the Eugene Clinic. He objected to further restriction of access to that particular part of Willamette Street. Wayne Musgrove, 2840 Miramonti Drive, said that he owns property in the area of the proposed closure and considers traffic flow an important issue to all e the property owners. Saying he was interested in the public's safety, he also considered access important. Barbara Mills, no address given, asked why more parking was being added in the area. Referring to Mr. Lucas-Roberts' statement about the addition of landscaping trees, Ms. Mills wondered where 50 trees would be placed. Mayor Miller submitted written testimony from the Eugene Chamber of Commerce and from David R. Lyons. There being no further requests to speak, the public hearing was closed. In response to public testimony, Mr. Reinhard observed that issues of public convenience and access are largely a matter of perception. Recognizing the need for good access, he still recommended closure of 12th Avenue for safety reasons. Mr. Reinhard noted that the issue of trees and landscaping is part of the building permit process. Answering questions from Ms. Ehrman about traffic through the alley, Mr. Reinhard described it as a mixture of eastbound and westbound and said there is presently a stop sign eastbound at Willamette Street. The alley is presently signed as the Eugene Clinic and not as 12th Avenue. Ms. Ehrman encouraged the investigation of alternatives to closing the alley and suggested that speed bumps be considered. Mr. Reinhard pointed out that impediments to emergency vehicle access are typically not recommended. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1990 Page 3 e Ms. Bascom asked about the alternate alleyway located south of 12th Avenue. Mr. Reinhard described it as a standard two-way parking lot aisle that will be more visible from the streets than the existing alley but is not intended to be a dedicated public right-of-way. Mr. Holmer had a question about the number of vehicles presently using the alley and the impact of the resolution before the council. He asked whether the 800 vehicles counted as using the alley daily were on the half-block at the east end of the alley or included all vehicles that entered the parking lot. Mr. Reinhard said he understood the vehicle count to include all vehicles using the alley between Willamette and Olive streets, so would include both through traffic and vehicles using only the parking lot. Ms. Bascom expressed disappointment that such a small portion of the paved area is to be landscaped. Regarding the bicycle component, she said that the closure would not address the conflict between bicycles and pedestrians and she considered it important to require that conflict to be minimized. She could foresee the council being asked to close the corridor to bicycles and said that should be avoided. While he appreciated the staff work involved in the proposal, Mr. Bennett was not persuaded that the closure was appropriate. He considered downtown circulation critical to the success of the area and stressed balance among various modes of transportation. e Mr. Boles supported Ms. Bascom's statement on the need for minimizing conflict between pedestrians and bicycles and said he would support closing the street to any vehicle that pollutes. Mr. Green observed that bicyclists should obey traffic rules. Expressing understanding of the position taken by business owners, he suggested considering closing the alley to all vehicles, including bicycles. Ms. Ehrman said it was important to consider both safety issues and concerns of business owners. Hoping to avoid the animosity between area businesses and an expanding medical facility that has occurred in another neighborhood, Ms. Ehrman proposed seeking alternatives in this situation. Mayor Miller suggested that staff study a one-way alley. Res. No. 4200--A resolution closing the eastern half-block section of 12th Avenue between Willamette Street and Olive Street to motor vehicle traffic. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Rutan, to adopt the resolution. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1990 Page 4 --- - e Mr. Holmer pointed out that as written, the resolution itself does not specify the eastern half-block section of 12th Avenue as does the motion presented for consideration. City Attorney Bill Gary said that the council could change the wording of the resolution by consensus and take action based on that clarification. Roll call vote; the motion was defeated, 5:4, with Mayor Miller joining councilors Bennett, Ehrman, Holmer, and Rutan in voting nay; and councilors Bascom, Boles, Green, and Schue voting aye. V. PUBLIC HEARING: ORDINANCE GRANTING AN EXCEPTION FOR OUTDOOR BURNING IN WILLOW CREEK NATURAL AREA City Manager Mike Gleason introduced the topic. Jim Croteau, Planning and Development Department, reported that the Nature Conservancy has requested that it be allowed to conduct a management burn of the Willow Creek natural area to prevent the prairie from being invaded by Oregon ash, pear, and apple trees. The lane Regional Air Pollution Authority (LRAPA) has granted approval of an open burning permit. Burns were previously approved and conducted in 1986 and 1987, and the council approved one in 1989, but due to weather constraints it was not conducted. The proposed ordinance granting the exception to open burning is to allow one burn over the next 14 months. e Mr. Rutan asked why the council is asked to consider this matter annually. Mr. Croteau responded that he considers the burn a temporary solution and by requiring annual approval, the council encourages the development of alternative means of vegetation management. Mr. Holmer and Ms. Bascom concurred with Mr. Rutan's suggestion to create a process for routine approval of the annual burn. Mr. Boles suggested amending the proposed ordinance to allow burning to occur as necessary over the next 60 months. Mayor Miller opened the public hearing. There being no requests to speak, the public hearing was closed. CB 4245--An ordinance granting an exception to the application of Eugene Code, 1971, Section 6.200; and declaring an emergency. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, 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. Mr. Rutan moved, seconded by Mr. Boles, to amend the proposed ordinance to indicate that permission to burn is not e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1990 Page 5 e restricted in number and is granted for the next 60-month period of time and that prior to any burn, the Nature Conservancy must submit written documented evidence to appropriate staff that this burn is necessary at that time. Ms. Ehrman said that staff approval should rest with LRAPA. Mr. Green concurred. Ms. Schue added that LRAPA should apply specific rules regarding the conditions under which the application for burning would be approved. Mayor Miller noted that this situation will be examined in the context of the council's stance on field burning. Mr. Holmer asked staff to advise the council on its ability to amend a proposed ordinance and move to second reading. Mr. Gary indicated that moving to amend the draft ordinance in concept and then moving to second reading is technically possible but he questioned the advisability of doing so. Mr. Croteau clarified that the emergency clause was included in this ordinance because of weather considerations. He recommended that if a revised draft ordinance is to be considered, it should be placed on the council's September 12 agenda. Roll call vote; the motion to amend the proposed draft ordinance passed unanimously, 8:0. e III. CONSENT CALENDAR B. Call for Public Hearing Re: Street Vacation (SV 90-2) (Leslie Polansky, et. al) Ms. Bascom asked about street vacation and annexation to the city. Mr. Croteau explained that prior to annexation, property to the west of this vacation, owned by Leslie Polansky and Derril Simpson, was the subject of logging activity that led to the council's request that the Lane County Board of Commissioners adopt tree cutting regulations in the area outside the city limits and within the urban growth boundary. That property has since been annexed and is going through a planned unit development review. The area of this vacation is a gravel continuation of Spring Boulevard along the top of the ridge and is to be vacated, then realigned to follow the contour of the land. Ms. Schue moved, seconded by Mr. Bennett, to call for an October 22, 1990, public hearing for a street vacation located on Spring Boulevard, south of 40th Avenue. Roll call; the motion carried unanimously, 8:0. The meeting adjourned at 8:46 p.m. to September 12, 1990. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1990 Page 6 e R~~~ /r...~~. , Micheal Gleason City Manager (Recorded by Mary Feldman) mncc 091090-730 e e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1990 Page 7