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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 10/30/02 Work Session MINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room--Eugene City Hall October 30, 2002 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: David Kelly, Gary Pap~, Nancy Nathanson, Scott Meisner, Betty Taylor, Gary Rayor (for the executive session), Pat Farr, Bonny Bettman. Mayor James D. Torrey called the meeting to order. A. WORK SESSION: Broadway Overlay Zone Kurt Yeiter of the Planning Division provided the staff presentation. He said the proposed overlay zone would apply to the three blocks of Broadway that had been opened to traffic. He said area residents, building owners, and local designers had taken part in the process. He noted that the Planning Commission had a public hearing on the subject on October 1, and added that the council's public hearing was scheduled for November 12. Mr. Yeiter said one of the key goals of the zone was to encourage ground floor retail, business, and meeting environments since this would be the most interesting to pedestrians. Mr. Yeiter said the discussion focused on two issues: 1. Too much regulation discouraging businesses. 2. Creating regulations that were objective, yet flexible. Mr. Yeiter said that certain uses would be prohibited in the zone. He said staff was working towards a balance between attracting private investment in the area and imposing design standards for the street. Mayor Torrey called for council questions and comments. Mr. Pap~ raised concern that requiring entrances on the street would discourage buildings holding multiple businesses. He stressed that encouraging businesses was part of the values statement for the area. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 30, 2002 Page 1 Work Session Mr. Farr reiterated Mr. Pap~ in stressing the importance of encouraging businesses to locate downtown. He raised concern that too many regulations would discourage businesses from coming to the area. Ms. Bettman commented that there were already many incentives for businesses to locate in the downtown area. She believed the proposed development standards for the area were modest. Ms. Bettman suggested that the downtown area height minimum should be at least three stories. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman regarding sign projections from buildings, Mr. Yeiter said the intent was that extensions over the right-of-way, besides awnings, could take up to 30 percent of right-of-way space and could not project beyond that point. Mr. Kelly agreed with Ms. Bettman that the standards did a good job of balancing design standards and the business climate. In response to a question from Mr. Kelly regarding how the Planning Commission's position on the zone, Mr. Yeiter said there was general support for the standards of the zone. Regarding the issue of building projections, Mr. Kelly said there should be some flexibility for distinctive architecture. Mr. Yeiter said the paragraph cited by Ms. Bettman was in response to concerns voiced from the architectural firm working on the Center Court building. He noted that a building may cantilever slightly over the right-of-way and the firm wanted to project slightly further. Mr. Yeiter said the Planning Commission had discussed the matter of projecting into the right-of- way and had come to the conclusion that some projection allowance was acceptable but added that the commission was also concerned over creating a "canyon effect" on Broadway Street that would limit the amount of natural light getting to the street. Mr. Meisner expressed his appreciation for the effort to achieve a of the balance in standards. He acknowledged that it would be a difficult balance to achieve. Ms. Nathanson called for a comparison of the standards with the goals established in the downtown visioning process. She raised concern with a value statement that specifically used "retail" in its wording. She suggested writing objectives about what was trying to be achieved. She cited day time, night time, and weekend business as examples. Ms. Nathanson raised concern with window signs and asked whether there was a difference in encouraging taller building on the north or south side of the street. Mr. Yeiter said the preference was to have taller buildings on the north side of the street to utilize exposure to the sun to maximum effect. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 30, 2002 Page 2 Work Session Regarding windows, Mr. Yeiter said signs on the inside of windows were not regulated by current practices. He noted that window displays that blocked the view of the interior space would not be prohibited by the proposed ordinance. Ms. Bettman suggested that the purpose statement specifically mention residential uses since that had been part of the discussion from the beginning. In response to a question from Ms. Bettman regarding street access from Broadway, Mr. Yeiter said access to underground parking would be permitted under the proposed ordinance if it fit within the 30 percent where the building did not have to be adjacent to the street. Mr. Kelly noted that the proposed overlay zone prohibited visible parking garages on any level of the Broadway Street frontage. Ms. Taylor said she was concerned over the possibility of adjustment. She was in favor of only street entrances and prohibiting driveway access. She said driveway access would detract from pedestrian comfort. City Manager Jim Carlson questioned whether businesses like the Zenon restaurant would be allowed under the proposed zone. Mr. Yeiter said there were some exceptions for corner lots. Mr. Farr raised concern with placing restrictions on how businesses could return to the downtown area. He stressed the importance of being flexible. Mr. Meisner reiterated Ms. Bettman's desire to see language in the value statement regarding residential areas. Mr. Pap~ agreed that residential housing needed to be mentioned in the language of the purpose statement. In response to a question from Mr. Pap~ regarding how Broadway Place retail establishments conformed to the proposed standards in the overlay zone, Mr. Yeiter said Broadway Place appeared to be consistent with the standards outlined in the proposed overlay zone. Ms. Nathanson stressed the importance of success of businesses in the district. She noted that standards were being written for buildings themselves and not for the businesses that would occupy them. She said that building standards needed to address the needs of business without deteriorating the overall desired design for the street. Mayor Torrey stressed the importance of not losing the ability for developers to be creative in design. He commented that Broadway Plaza was empty most of the time. He said this was a very important area but he was uncomfortable about how the area worked. MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 30, 2002 Page 3 Work Session In response to a question from Ms. Taylor regarding corner businesses having entrances not on Broadway, Mr. Yeiter said the focus was to have as much business as possible on Broadway. Ms. Bettman reiterated Ms. Nathanson's desire to see 24-hour activity in the area of the proposed overlay zone and stressed that the zone needed to work for the community over the long term. B. Reconsideration of Ordinance Number 20263 Mr. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Pap6, moved to reconsider the council's approval of Ordinance Number 20263. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Pap6, moved to amend Subsection 2 of Section 9.4280 to reflect the staff-recommended wording changes as outlined in the meeting packet. Mr. Pap6, seconded by Mr. Farr, moved to amend the amendment, by allowing drive-through windows for banks. The motion to amend failed, 6:2; Mr. Papa and Mr. Farr voting in favor. The amendment passed unanimously. The main motion passed unanimously. City Manager Carlson asked the council to consider Council Bill 4801 by number only. Mr. Kelly, seconded by Mr. Pap6, moved that the bill be approved and given final passage. The motion passed unanimously. C.Executive Session Mayor Torrey adjourned the meeting of the City Council and convened an executive session of the City Council. The meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, James R. Carlson City Manager pro rem (Recorded by Joe Sams) MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 30, 2002 Page 4 Work Session