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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 11/08/00 Work Session MINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session McNutt Room, City Hall--Eugene, Oregon November 8, 2000 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, Nancy Nathanson, Pat Fart, Scott Meisner, David Kelly, Gary Pap~, Gary Rayor, Bonny Bettman. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION A. Mayor's Youth Leadership Program The council was joined by Ashley AIvarado and Carlos Monjaras of Churchill High School. Ms. AIvarado discussed people's perceptions and expectations of the performance of students of color. She said that she was half Asian and half Latino, and depending on what people knew of her, their expectations were different. Ms. AIvarado circulated a document that showed the average GPA of ethnic groups and a graph marking the extreme GPA high and Iow and showing where the average was for all students in Churchill. She noted that no black student at Churchill had a 4.0 GPA. Mr. Monjaras said that having staff of color helped him in school and gave students of color someone to look up to. He said that throughout the district there were few such minority models for students in high school and middle school. He said that it would be great if there were more such models because they would have shared the experience of students. Ms. AIvarado noted that Churchill was the most diverse high school in the district. Ms. AIvarado suggested a number of approaches to the problem she cited, including that staff awareness continue to be increased and that the number of teachers of color continue to be increased. She said that the shortage of teachers of color could be directly attributed to the fact those individuals did not have teachers of color. She also suggested more visual demonstration of diversity on the walls of the school, programs focused on students of color, more multicultural specialists, an increase in student unions, and teaching that did not assume certain ideas are natural for all people, which she believed showed cultural bias. Mayor Torrey indicated that the information provided to the council would be shared with the school districts. Ms. Nathanson commended Churchill High School, noting it was in her ward. She recalled encountering a special staff person at the school who addressed multi-cultural issues at the school and asked if the students had worked with him on the issue, or if they had spoken to the leadership class. Ms. AIvarado clarified that the information she provided was part of a larger report provided to staff of 4J. Ms. Nathanson suggested that she and Ms. AIvarado discuss informing the leadership class. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 1 Work Session Mr. Monjaras said that the student council frequently discussed the fact that Churchill was more culturally diverse and had advanced multi-culturally compared to other schools. He said that it was to Churchill's advantage that it did have a special counselor. He expressed the wish other schools had such staff. Ms. Nathanson noted the City's lack of authority over the school districts and said the council had no direct way to influence the district's activities. She said that there may be other ways for the council to help the students achieve their goals, such as through the Human Rights Commission or City volunteer programs. Martin Larson and Jenny Shephard from North Eugene High School joined the council. Ms. Shepard and Mr. Larson provided the council with an update about activities at the school, including Project Gift, a food bank program, the school's participation with United Way, and efforts to improve school spirit. Paige Beckley and Evan Rutter of Sheldon High School joined the council. Mr. Rutter discussed the intersection at Crescent and Norkenzie roads and stressed the need for improvements. He also noted the four-way stop between Sheldon and Bi-Mad and said that the students thought a light would be better located at the four-way stop than at the intersection at Oasis Fine Foods. Responding to a question from Ms. Bettman, Mr. Rutter said that the intersection was dangerous because it had formerly been a four-way stop instead of a light, and many people did not realize that. Mayor Torrey noted that the light referred to by Mr. Rutter had been installed at the behest of students with disabilities from Sheldon High School. Ms. Beckley acknowledged it was used by those students. Mr. Kelly asked about the students' perceptions about the impact of the new sports fields on neighbors who had expressed concerns about parking, noise, and lights. Mr. Rutter said that all entrances from side streets were gated off and the only entrance to the field was through the Sheldon parking lot, so there was no traffic on the streets. He thought that the noise was down. Ms. Beckley thought there was less traffic on the side streets and the sound system was not loud. Mr. Rutter said that all the students liked it and it was great to have a home field. Mayor Torrey noted that Mr. Rutter was representing Eugene at the League of Oregon Cities Youth Conference in Portland during the upcoming weekend. Henry Golden and Sarah Dotters-Katz of South Eugene High School discussed teen alcohol and drug use. Mr. Golden characterized the use as serious and widespread and said he was personally familiar with students' use. He said that at a recent party police had ensured that those in attendance were cited as minors in possession, but the police did nothing to ensure that students did not drive home in an impaired condition. He said that he was aware of some students who drove home drunk and advocated for City provision of alternatives for teenagers on weekend evenings. Ms. Dotters-Katz said that South Eugene High School students really appreciated their new field and it had increased school spirit. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 2 Work Session Ms. Taylor asked the students if they thought youth would use a downtown youth center. Mr. Golden said they would if it was a cool place and students were involved in its development. Ms. Holtz agreed, and suggested it would help create unity among the schools. Marques Green, John Esa, and Gaby Hill of Willamette High School joined the council. Ms. Esa said that racial discrimination was a very big issue at Willamette High School. He acknowledged past problems with racism at the school and said that progress had been made. He said students were concerned that there was not equal opportunity in the school districts. Mr. Esa said that people refer to Willamette High School as a ghetto. He said that the school was not given equal opportunity because of funding problems and because of bad publicity. He said that no one checks with the school when it does something good. He said that Willamette High School worked on its school spirit but no one cared about the school until racist incidents occurred. Mr. Green noted that the Willamette High School football team had the second highest GPA in the state, but it had not been well-publicized. Mr. Esa said that Mr. Green's remarks demonstrated that progress had been made and the school was working hard. It was also looking for help. Ms. Hill indicated her concurrence with the remarks of Mr. Green and Mr. Esa. Mr. Farr said he cared deeply about Willamette High School. He said that he was disappointed when The Register-Guard referred to the four Eugene high schools rather than the five high schools that actually existed. He was proud of the school and its activities and said he was pleased with the direction the school was going. He said that Willamette High School had great teachers and a great administration. Mayor Torrey urged the students to contact Craig Hawkins of the Bethel School District Administration and let him know about the good things that happen in the school, such as the team's grade point average, so he could issue a press release. Chrystal Julian of New Roads discussed the age limit for the New Roads School. She said that she will turn 22 in December and can no longer attend the school. If she is unable to get her GED by then, she will be out of the school. She also asked about the possibility of the provision of further schooling for those over the age of 21. Responding to a question from Mayor Torrey, Ms. Julian said that a barrier to her attending Lane Community College to complete her GED was money. She said that kids her age also needed preparation for college classes after they received their GEDs. Mr. Rayor suggested that Ms. Julian's comments be passed onto the Human Services Commission for consideration in its funding discussions. Bob Brelsford and Megan Budge of Marist High School joined the council. Mr. Brelsford thanked the council for a new signal recently installed near the school, which facilitated traffic to and from Marist High School. Ms. Budge said that the school installed a fence next to the bicycle path and there had been no problems. Ms. Nathanson said she hoped the bicycle path was a good thing for both the campus and community. B.Discussion of Election Results MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 3 Work Session City Manager Jim Johnson provided the council with updates on the impact of several ballot measures passed by voters at the November 7 election. Regarding Ballot Measure 7, Mayor Torrey said that he would ask the Oregon Mayors' Association to consider asking a third party to evaluate the recommendations of the lawyers representing Oregon jurisdictions who reviewed the measure. Mr. Kelly asked that the City Manager provide guidance to the City Council about the impact of measure 7 when it discussed the Land Use Code Update (LUCU) later in the month. He said in the meantime, he hoped the staff work related to LUCU continued at full speed. Mr. Farr asked where the estimate of the financial impact of Ballot Measure 7 had come from. Mr. Johnson did not know, adding he thought the estimates were a "best guess." Mayor Torrey indicated that the 1,000 Friends of Oregon had done an extensive evaluation of the costs of the measure and recommended staff review that work. City Attorney Glenn Klein indicated staff intended to examine that estimate. Mr. Farr asked if the estimates in question represented the cost to government or the cost to private property owners from lost property values. Responding to a question from Ms. Nathanson, Mr. Johnson indicated measure 7 failed in Lane County, but he was unsure how it did in Eugene. Ms. Nathanson observed that it was another example of Lane County having a different position than voters statewide. She said that land use actions, whether zoning or another kind of regulation, could either reduce a property's value or lead to windfall gains. She was concerned that the voters statewide did not understand the give and take in the issue, and the risk and opportunity involved in property ownership, which could include a windfall gain from a land use action. Ms. Nathanson was troubled to know that Eugene would face the consequences of a statewide vote on an issue local voters did not approve. Mr. Pap8 asked about the impact of the measure on past ordinances. City Attorney Glenn Klein did not know. Mr. Pap8 asked how an increase in property values resulting from a zone change was calculated. Mr. Klein clarified that any increase was not a result of a change in zoning but a result of development. Mr. Rayor said that the land use laws created the property value, and the measure attacked the underpinnings of that. Mr. Johnson discussed local measures 20-36 and 20-37, noting the latter measure was passing at this time. The fate of the measure was clouded because of the need to count write-in votes in a separate process. Regarding measure 20-36, Mr. Johnson indicated he would need direction soon if the council wanted to go back to the voters with another, similar measure, as the deadline for filing a measure was in January. Mayor Torrey did not support going out with another measure. He did think that the City needed to do something to get the police out of City Hall. Mr. Kelly agreed, and suggested a discussion of what could be done in City Hall that would make things more bearable. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 4 Work Session Mr. Rayor concurred, saying he wanted to work on the conservation of the building and finding more space for police in the building. He suggested the possibility of building a small separate building. Mr. Pap8 did not want to limit the City's options, saying he did not support putting more money into City Hall and suggested the potential of putting police in trailers. Ms. Taylor thought the voters should have been asked to relocate the fire station from City Hall, and the police could temporarily expand into that space. She believed that City Hall should be made safe for all employees. Ms. Bettman agreed with the other councilors. She wanted to look at a wide range of options and thought the City should move forward rapidly to get the police into safer quarters. Mr. Johnson said that staff would return soon with a comprehensive space planning project no later than March 31, 2001. In the meantime, the City would remodel the former 9-1-1 space and expand the Police Department into that area. He said that eight to ten employees would remain in the basement, and the next step was to determine where to house them. Mr. Farr agreed that the City should not go out with another measure and recommended that the City get the police into facilities that helped them do their job effectively. He expressed concern about the equity of facilities, pointing out the police had some of the worst facilities while others who were not as essential to the City's day-to-day safety were operating in relative comfort. C.Autzen Stadium Code Amendments Allen Lowe of the Planning and Development Department joined the council for the item. He distributed copies of a reply to a question from Ms. Bettman regarding the staff costs to process the amendment. Ms. Taylor asked who paid the staff costs. Mr. Johnson said that staff costs represented the cost of processing the land use proposal; he did not believe the fees paid by the University of Oregon covered all those costs. Mr. Kelly said he believed there was a way to get a code amendment, an intergovernmental agreement (IGA), and a situation where the University can expand and WISTEC would be protected. He did not think the City had reached that point yet. He said to support the amendment he needed the TDM (Transportation Demand Management) program and monitoring associated with the TDM to have a much stronger feedback loop. If TDM did not work, a lot of residents in his ward would be negatively impacted, and the City needed to know that. Mr. Kelly thought the IGA was inadequate as to that point. He wanted something in the IGA that indicated that if the TDM targets were not reached, parking would be reduced. Mr. Johnson said that when the draft IGA was written, the City had contemplated engaging the University in a problem-solving approach. He anticipated annual meetings to discuss parking and to resolve issues, and pointed out that Mr. Kelly's suggestion would preclude the University from selling season tickets. Mr. Kelly reiterated his interest in ensuring that something supplemented the problem-solving process to deal with the neighborhood issue. Ms. Nathanson said the University was looking to maximize operations and minimize its costs. WlSTEC wanted to find financial stability. She did not think that the parking situation was the MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 5 Work Session solution to that problem. She said the problem was not unique to WISTEC as museums all over the country have a difficult time finding funding. She had been distressed to hear of the possible opening of a new museum, stretching available dollars even further. Ms. Nathanson noted that the University had offered compensation to WlSTEC, which, while it might not meet WlSTEC's goals, was sufficient to make up lost parking revenue. Ms. Nathanson said that the City had many different goals and she did not think that it wanted to support one use over another. She did not want a situation where there was a winner and loser and wanted to find a good solution. Mr. Farr agreed with Ms. Nathanson's comments, saying it was important to come up with an equitable solution for both groups. He reported that a group of people attending home games were upset about their parking situations being moved. He said that some sensitivity should be shown to those individuals. He thought that an agreement beneficial to all could be reached. Mr. Johnson indicated he had offered his assistance to the parties involved in working through the issues and was attending meetings, but it was not yet resolved. Mr. Pap8 appreciated the effort Mr. Johnson put into the issue. He agreed with Ms. Nathanson remarks about the value of WlSTEC. He wanted to ensure that the arrangement with WlSTEC was part of the budget process. Mr. Pap8 pointed out that the use of the stadium in question was a very infrequent use and suggested that the TDMs needed to be specific to game days. He hoped the University would provide more facilities for bicyclists and buses. Mr. Rayor said the bicycle mode at one percent seemed too Iow to him. He said that keeping all the bicycle parking in Alton Baker Park meant that bicyclists had to go through the crowds and encounter frequent conflicts. A traffic jam on Centennial was not a traffic jam for bicyclists. He suggested bicycle parking in the stadium and thought the bicycle mode percentage should go up, with an accompanying increase in bicycle parking. The location of the transit station continued to be a problem for him as he preferred that it be located on University property. Mr. Rayor said that the IGA was unclear as to fiduciary and staffing responsibilities. Mr. Rayor said the staff report made it appear the East Alton Baker Park Citizen Planning Committee (CPC) was at odds with the City. He agreed with the CPC's recommendations. He said that the City could work with the University and WlSTEC to maximize opportunities to protect the park. Ms. Bettman said it would d be great if everyone came out of the process happy. She said the City already allowed a 50 percent reduction in required parking; with increased ticket sales, there was an increased amount to be transferred to other modes. She did not think that the TDM proposed by the University could achieve the targets. She felt that the target for bicycles was inadequate. She said that even if the use was only five or six days a year, it would still have a massive impact. Ms. Bettman said that for TDM to work there must be enforcement. The IGA was too general and she characterized the language as squishy. She wanted the impact of parking to be MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 6 Work Session absorbed on University property, and preferred to see Option 1 taken off the table. She did not think the council would have much control after the code amendment was passed. She wanted to see all parking removed from the grass in the park eventually. She said that if and when the City granted the code amendment, the IGA should be contingent on the code change and it should supercede all preceding IGAs. Then the council could consider WISTEC and whether it wanted to let the organization control the parking lot. She wanted to see the University's impact to be focused north of Leo Harris Parkway. Ms. Bettman suggested that the bicycle parking be professionally managed, marketed, and developed to increase the one percent target. She agreed with Mr. Kelly's comments about monitoring. Mr. Kelly said that he was supportive of the CPC's goals if not all the recommendations. He agreed with the City and staff analysis about the CPC's status. He wanted to see the City, University, and East Alton Baker Park CPC sit down together and discuss the issues involved before he could support the amendment. Regarding the grass parking, Mr. Kelly supported Ms. Bettman's remarks regarding a ramp down in parking on the grass so WISTEC had time to work on its alternatives. Mr. Kelly referred to a suggestion in the staff proposal that changed the temporary bicycle parking from going up and down for each game to being established before the first game and taken down after the last game. He did not support that, saying that people would be going through the park and be faced with orange plastic fencing. He wanted discussion of how to improve the aesthetics of the situation. Mr. Johnson said the council needed to consider the location of the transit station. He wanted to know the council's position on the options presented by staff at some point in time. Mr. Kelly said he was more interested in the outcomes than the mechanism. Eliminating Option 1 would probably get to most of his outcomes, but he could accept it if it was workable. Ms. Nathanson said that she sometimes traveled to games by walking, bicycling, and riding the bus, and there was often congestion to the north. Mr. Meisner arrived at the meeting. Ms. Nathanson said that she hoped the City gave more thought to what the City needed to do or what it could do regarding temporary signage or temporary routes or separation of bicycles from pedestrians. She did not want to set up conflicts that created citizen unhappiness with alternate modes. Regarding bus travel to games, Ms. Nathanson said that the length of time the bus took, particularly after games, was a problem. The queuing system was also confusing and discouraging. Improvements in those areas would help increase use. Ms. Nathanson said that she was having difficulty figuring out why Option 1 was better than Option 2. She asked for staff feedback. Mr. Lowe said that the major issue was operational; Option 1 was further away from the stadium, although only marginally so. He said that LTD suggested that Option 1 it would be a problem for shuttling the disabled between the transit station and stadium but that the University had responded to that concern by providing golf cart shuttles for the disabled. He said the staging area for bus patrons was higher by three or four MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 7 Work Session feet than the sidewalk, which would slow boarding and introduce conflicts between pedestrians on the north and pedestrians crossing those paths. Ms. Taylor said that it sounded to her as though too many people would be going to one spot at one time. She liked Mr. Kelly's suggestion for limitations if TDM did not work. She thought the University should put the station on its own property. She did not object to helping out WISTEC given its service to the community. She suggested more shuttle buses. She thought the CPC should be involved in discussions on how to protect the park. Ms. Bettman said that all the options appeared to be predicated on the assumption that the University did not want to build a parking structure because it was expensive. She also did not think it was reasonable for the University to externalize its impact and costs on the City. She thought that it was in the City's best interest not to require a parking structure for the displaced parking, but give the University the opportunity to decide if can find another option to satisfy that. She suggested that the University consider what could be done if there was a parking structure just for the displaced parking so the University did not rely on the City to provide parking. The structure would be less expensive and would give the University the chance to relocate the transit station. Ms. Bettman suggested looking at the parking absorbed by the neighborhood and add that to the parking structure. She wanted to internalize the impact of additional parking to the degree possible. She wanted the City to advocate for the CPC's recommendations, particularly as they related to pedestrian impact. Mr. Farr said that WlSTEC provided a tremendous service but he did not want to minimize the University's football program, which had a tremendous economic impact on the community as well as providing entertainment. He said that he could only agree with a parking structure if the City could manage egress and ingress better than it did at Hult Center events. Mr. Kelly said parking structures were a challenge but the same was true of parking lots and bus queuing lines. He said the IGA included one proposal he liked, and he requested staff response to the proposal that the University pay for parking control officers on game day. He asked if officers were available. Mr. Johnson said yes. Mr. Kelly appreciated the field survey done that demonstrated existing parking and litter problems. He said that the information was silent as to whether automobiles were towed for illegal parking. Tom Mason of the Traffic Enforcement Division indicated that the police were able to respond to complaints by citation or through towing, if necessary. He said that there was a great deal of illegal parking that went on throughout the entire area, and the City did not have the staff time to deal with every one of those beyond a parking citation. In some cases there were other public safety issues involved, such as the danger of fire from cars parked on grass. Mr. Meisner was not prepared to make a choice among the options. He said that TDM was a very useful tool and he appreciated what the University was trying to do in minimizing the stadium impact, even for the few days that games occurred during the year. He said that if the outcomes were not meant, he wanted some teeth in enforcement. He liked Ms. Taylor's idea about locating park and rides at other locations. Mr. Meisner wanted to find a way to accommodate the additional crowds without more surface parking. He thought that parking structures were great, but questioned the construction of one for six days' use each year. Unless there was a way to integrate its use for other times of the year, he did not think that was a solution. MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 8 Work Session Mr. Lowe said that the intent of Option 1 was to separate bicycle and pedestrian traffic. He agreed that conflicts were a safety issue. It was best to separate but put bicycle parking where it could be used. Mayor Torrey asked about the time line for the stadium expansion. Chris Ramey of the University of Oregon indicated that the University's Autzen Stadium expansion plans hinged on the greenway permit, which could not be secured until the code amendment process was done. He said that the University hoped to begin construction about one year from now. Mr. Lowe noted that the greenway permit was a 90-day process; in order for the University to get greenway approval by March, the City needed to take action by January 1. Ms. Nathanson agreed with Mr. Meisner regarding the construction of a parking structure. She asked about long-term growth of the commercial area, asking if over time the University might want to partner with other businesses to build a structure on the south side of the river. Ms. Bettman noted the impact on the riparian areas and asked why the City would wait a year to monitor the results of the TDM. She suggested that monitoring occur after every other game. She expressed concern that the City could encounter problems with the University in getting it to modify the TDM program to address unforeseen impacts. Mr. Rayor reiterated that there were weaknesses in the bicycle TDM and he continued to have concerns about the University's performance in maintenance and pick-up of the park. He said that the City's staff should walk through the park after games and identify what needed to be done. Mr. Kelly wanted to see Autzen Stadium expand but not at the expense of the park, the neighborhood, or WlSTEC. He cautioned the University representatives that the City may not be able to meet its deadlines. The council recessed briefly and then went into Executive Session. The meeting adjourned at 7:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jim Johnson City Manager (Recorded by KimberlyYoung) MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 8, 2000 Page 9 Work Session