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HomeMy WebLinkAbout200921 JEO WSMINUTES Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners Virtual Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 September 21, 2020 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Betty Taylor, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor, Greg Evans Commissioners Present: Heather Buch, Pete Sorenson, Pat Farr, Jay Bozievich, Joe Berney Mayor Vinis opened the September 21, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council. Commission Chair Buch opened the September 21, 2020, work session of the Lane County Board of Commissioners. 1. JOINT WORK SESSION: Urban Reserves Planning City Manager Sarah Medary and Rebecca Gershow, project manager for Urban Reserves Planning, provided information about the different options available for consideration. Council and Board Discussion: Councilor Pryor - thanked staff for the presentation; discussed land in urban reserve area being expensive to build on in the south, and the trade-offs in support of affordable housing by having land in the northern part of town available. Councilor Semple -expressed support of the 27-year option; would like to support 10-year because of importance of Class 1 and 2 soils; expressed importance of protecting agricultural land. Commissioner Sorenson - expressed support for Option 4; inquired about options in relation to the Climate Action Plan and climate impacts of the various options, in particular, lifestyle threat analysis, including fire risk and sociological changes. Councilor Clark - thanked staff for the presentation; expressed agreement that suitability and cost of building in different types of lands is important; requested there be a financial feasibility assessment of the different options and types of lands and having the financial aspects delineated as much as possible for council assessment; inquired how long it's been for county designation reviews on class types of lands and if that had been done; asked for clarification of how lands were classified; requested follow-up information for soil classification analysis. Councilor Syrett - thanked staff; expressed support for the 27-year option, as it will help preserve agricultural lands; inquired about repercussions if the county and city do not agree on which option to forward for public consideration; expressed frustration with state confinements on this process. Commissioner Farr - inquired about population projections in relation to climate refugees and expressed concern that was not part of the consideration; inquired what happens if the urban reserves land is used faster than projected. Councilor Zelenka - addressed concerns about the impact of climate refugees, noting the trend that the majority of people stay close to where they grew up. Councilor Taylor - discussed the dangers of land speculation once urban reserves are set; said she does not approve of adding any urban reserves and believes the urban growth boundary MINUTES - Eugene City Council September 21, 2020 Page 1 Joint Work Session should be maintained due to importance of agricultural and natural lands especially in the face of climate change; expressed support for Option 4, if the state requires it. Commissioner Berney - expressed concern about making any decision, given how little public input was received; asked about the average estimated residential capacity and how tall projections are based on the past, noting that many conditions have changed; suggested said the area is already seeing an influx of economic and climate refugees. • Commissioner Bozievich - inquired about the history of the urban reserves process and how long Envision Eugene took to enact; expressed support for 30-year option because of lengthy planning process and the need for more affordable housing. • Councilor Evans - discussed growth and development in north Eugene, and the need for additional infrastructure to address the expansion of commercial retail development; discussed Bethel school district plans for surrounding area. • Councilor Clark - inquired about how much it costs per acre to build housing; expressed frustration with the process and clash of values; discussed housing costs as an important factor and supported showing exactly how land can be evaluated; requested measurement of climate refugees and expressed desire to wait for useful information on growth monitoring for the UGB. • Commissioner Buch - addressed how opportunity and resources here are already attracting more people to the area and that will continue, driving the strong need for adequate urban reserves for the future community; expressed desire for Eugene to remain affordable, and avoid becoming an elite suburb; expressed concerns about development areas getter closer to wildland and forest interface. Mayor Vinis closed the meeting of the Eugene City Council and noted the issue would be coming back to the council on October 12. Commissioner Buch closed the meeting of the Lane County Board of Commissioners, The meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Julie Adams Deputy City Recorder (Recorded by Julie Adams) Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES - Eugene City Council September 21, 2020 Page 2 Joint Work Session