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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/05/1991 Meeting . . e M I N U:T.E S . Eugene City Council Council Chamber--Eugene City Hall August 5t 1991 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Roger Rutan, Shawn Boles, Ruth Bascom, Bobby Greent Paul Nicholson, Kaye Robinette, Randy MacDonald, Debra Ehrman (after 6 p.m.) COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Jack Roberts, Chair; Elli Dumdi, Jerry Rust, Steve Cornacchia The joint meeting of August 5, 1991, of the Eugene City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners was calledto order by His Honor Mayor Jeff Miller. 1. HOUSING UPDATE Mr. Roberts provided an introduction of the housing issue and noted that the e Lane County Board of County Commissioners would be watching the housing slide show presentation that the council viewed at a recent meeting. Ms. Bascom emphasized that the construction of affordable housing in the community is dependent upon an intergovernmental effort. The City is working on the development of the Comprehensive Housing Affor~ability Strategy (CHAS) required by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive HUD funds. The City of Springfield is also b~ing incl~ded in this effort. Jim Johnson, County Administrator, briefly reviewed HUD guidelines for con- ducting a CHAS. The CHAS includes an assessment of current housing needs and develops one- and five-year plans to meet those needs. The first draft is scheduled to come out on August 22. Clayton Walker, Housing Policy Board representative, provided an historical overview of housing efforts in the community and spoke about the public sec- tor involvement in affordable housing construction. He noted that the Hous- ing Policy Board was formed as a result of recommendations from the Lane County Task Force on Homelessness and Affordable Housing. The Eugene-Spring- field Chamber of Commerce was involved. The task force charge was to examine homelessness and housing in the community. Mr. Walker briefly summarized the original goals of the Housing Policy Board and said that the board has not yet accomplished all of its first-year goals. As stated within its bylaws, one of the responsibilities of the Housing Policy Board is to advise the jurisdictions on housing issues. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 5, 1991 Page 1 Dinner Work Session - Mr. Boles said that he has expressed concern with the lack of integration between local government and the University of Oregon and its Energy Effi- cient Industrialized Housing Program. He indicated that Ms. Bascom will soon be presenting the council with an update on the progress of that program. Mr. Roberts said that the lack of progress does not represent a lack of in- terest on the part of local government, and emphasized that very few of the housing units that come out of that program are likely to be "affordable" housing. Responding to a question from Ms. Dumdi, Richie Weinman, Planning and Devel- opment Department, said that the City is making efforts to incorporate panelized construction into the Richardson Bridge project. Responding to an inquiry from Mayor Miller on the status of emergency shel- ter, Ms. Bascom said that the goal of the Housing Policy Board is the con- struction of permanent, affordable housing. Mr. Roberts commented that the community seems to be better prepared this year to meet emergency housing needs in the community because of good planning. Mr. MacDonald expressed his appreciation to all three jurisdictions for in- creasing their funding commitment to the Intergovernmental Human Services Committee (IHSC) this year, which greatly enhances the stability of that fund. Ms. Dumdi said that she had the opportunity to attend the housing dedication ceremony for Maple Wood Meadows on Matt Drive, and was very impressed with e the interest of the residents in actively participating in the facility's operation. She hoped this degree of interest would continue to be expressed by residents in other housing projects. . . . II. FERRY STREET BRIDGE Mr. Robinette introduced this item and distributed copies of Eugene Neighbor- hood News, a Ci.ty publication which provides an overview of the alternatives being proposed for the Ferry Street Bridge. He noted that an environmental impact study is proceeding on the four proposed alternatives. Those present at the meeting watched a video presentation on the Ferry Street Bridge issue. Mr. Rust said that he is concerned with the impacts that Alternatives Band 0 would have on Alton Baker Park. He emphasized that the jurisdictions should not proceed on either of these options without considering very carefully all possible impacts. Ms. Dumdi concurred with Mr. Rust's concern. In making the ultimate deci- sion, the jurisdictions should consider whether the transportation efficiency that could be gained in either of these options would be worth the resulting impacts. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 5, 1991 Page 2 Dinner Work Session . e Mr. Boles said that the Eugene City Council is committed to its goals for alternate modes of transportation. He noted that in selecting an option, the jurisdictions should remain aware that traffic will expand to accommodate expanded transportation corridors. He said that he had hoped to see a slow- build alternative, rather than a no-build alternative, that simply addresses critical safety issues and alternative transportation needs. Responding to a question from Mr. Robinette, Dave Reinhard, PubJic Works Transportation, said that the City would be describing a no-build a1ternative in the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). In addition,several scenarios will be documented which describe only small improvements to the bridge, but do not include widening. There will also be opportunities for construction phasing. Ms. Bascom pointed out that the alternatives which provide enhancements for alter;-nate modes of tr~nsPQrtati(m include design cQn$iderat.ions, such as rain- protected ameriities, which might mitigate the impacts on Alton Baker Park. - Mr. MacDonald asked about special provisions in the options for alternative modes of transportation. In response, Mr. Reinhard said that three of the build alternatives contain provisions for "deluxe" bike path improvements: However, none of the alternatives include special bus corridors because there is not a critical mass of buses that use the corridor to justify exclusive 1 anes . Also, the length of the transportation corridor is too short to jus- tify this. e Mr. Roberts asked about any major drawbacks to Alternative C. In response, Mr. Robinette indicated that this alternative does not have the provisions for alternative modes of transportation that the Eugene City Council favors. Mr. Rutan added that Alternative C does not disperse traffic activity, but consolidates it into one place. He stressed that all the alternatives are viable, but emphasized that placing any types of transportation corridors through Alton Baker Park will have major impacts. Responding to a question from Ms. Ehrman, Mr. Cornacchia said that the County has received little input from constituents about the Ferry Street Bridge alternatives thus far, but expected to receive greater response once a deci- sion point was closer. He said that all three jurisdictions are committed to the concept of compact urban growth and noted that much of the traffic prob- lem occurs as a result of funneling Springfield residents into the city over a single transportation corridor. The jurisdictions must continue to prepare for increased residential development in north Eugene and must keep our transportation problems in perspective with other areas. Mr. MacDonald said that one of the drawbacks to Alternative C is the conve- nience it provides to vehicular traffic. In keeping the transportation cor- ridors narrow, the City provides disincentives to automobile travelers. Mr. Nicholson noted that Alternatives Band D have major impacts on the resi- dential neighborhoods on both ends of the bridge. He has heard strident e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 5, 1991 Page 3 Dinner Work Session e opposition from members of those neighborhoods. He added that some,c~mmunity cynicism exists about whether a bridge designed for alternative modes tif transportation would actually be used for this after its constructio~. Mr. Roberts said that the community should plan to build for the best case scenario. It must be sensitive to the community's needs for enlarged trans- portation corridors, however, rather than using "no build" as a mechanism to forestall population growth. III. ALTON BAKER PARK MASTER PLAN Mr. Rust drew attention to the document "Planning the Future of Alton Baker Park" included in the council's agenda packet and said that the document provides an effective summary of planning issues for consideration. He ex- pressed concern for the lack of coordination between jurisdictions on park planning and proposed that staff from all three jurisdictions create a pro- . posal for an interjurisdictional planning team that would serve as the forum :for discussion on all park issues. Responding to a question, Ms. Dumdi said that the County has been looking for some time at the possibility of constructing a'golf course on the east end of Alton Baker Park. It is currently formulating a Request for Proposal (RFP) to determine if a golf course would be feasible. She noted that there are other opportunities being considered for the use of this site as well. e Mr. Nicholson asked about the extent of the community participation and ) interjurisdictional cooperation that would be involved in determining the feasibility of a golf course. He noted that, for Eugene, issuing an RFP is one of the last stages of the process and takes place after community input. He felt that the County should delay the RFP until there is enough public input to generate a proposal. Mr. Cornacchia said that the golf course proposal was first brought to the table as a partial solution to the lack of financing for the park system. He said that Alton Baker Park is a multiple-use facility and will continue in this way, regardless of the outcome of the golf course proposal. If a golf course can work within the constraints placed upon it, it can move forward. This proposal will not necessarily be referred to the voters; elected offi- cials must take a leadership position. Mr. Cornacchia emphasized that this proposal has been underway for several years. Mr. MacDonald agreed with the need for a comprehensive planning effort for this regional park facility. He noted that some concern that has been ex- pressed in regard to the golf course proposal has to do with the exclusive nature of golf as a sporting activity as compared to the size of park land that would be required to construct the facility. Ms. Bascom said that it would be wise to reconstitute an intergovernmental board to hear interjurisdictional planning issues. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 5, 1991 Page 4 Dinner Work Session Mr. Boles said that the Alton Baker Park Master Plan is not the only issue e which requires intergovernmental cooperation. This type of cooperation is also needed for the~ Fairgrounds Master Plan and transportation planning is- sues. Rather than c.onstituting a body to deal with this issue specifically, he suggested that the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPC) become more effec- tive and be given the responsibility for handling these issues. In add it i on, all three jurisdictions will have to commit the resources needed to address these issues. Mr. Gleason agreed with Mr. Boles suggestion that MPC be treated as the focal point for these intergovernmental discussions. Ms. Bascom cautioned that the RFP committee be broad enough to represent the large variety of park users. Mr. Rutan reminded the council of its commitment to the Eugene Decisions process and the limitations of its staffing and and monetary resources. While the tity should not put all planning efforts on hold until the process is completed, it needs to establish clear planning priorities. I In response to a comment, Ms. Dumdi emphasized,that the golf course would not . be fllnded publi~ly", but would be' developed by the private sector. IV. .FAIRGROUNDS MASTER PLAN Mr. Boles said that the community can no longer ignore the Fairgrounds Master e Plan. He suggested that Mr. Rust, Ms. Ehrman, and he work with City and County staff to get some background work done on this proposal. Mr. Roberts said that the lack of progress does not reflect a lack of commit- ment to the plan. The County is waiting for a report from Eugene's staff on the issue. He noted that all three jurisdictions have limited staff and monetary resources. , .. The meeting adjourned at 7:25 p.m. ~ q d. < :j . (Recorded by Traci Northman) mncc 080591-530 e MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 5, 1991 Page 5 Dinner Work Session