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HomeMy WebLinkAbout201012 MTGMINUTES Eugene City Council Virtual Meeting Eugene, Oregon 97401 October 12, 2020 7:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Betty Taylor, Emily Semple, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor, Greg Evans Mayor Vinis opened the October 12, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council. 1. CEREMONIAL MATTER Mayor Vinis read a proclamation recognizing the second Monday in October as Indigenous People's Day. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST • City Manager Sarah Medary - reflected on the Mayor's statement and the City's overarching goal of resilience and building trust; discussed the unveiling of the mural and the work the City should have done better in the planning process; introduced guest speaker Frank Lawson from EWEB. • Frank Lawson - shared the impacts from the Holiday Farm fire on the watershed, noting there was no threat to water quality, but additional testing was being done. • Mayor Vinis - thanked Mr. Lawson and said she was encouraged by the information shared. • Councilor Semple- shared concerns about bike theft and how this crime can leave someone devastated when their bike is the main mode of transportation; said she felt bike theft is driven by illegal drug use and the desperation of poverty; supported further consideration of possible solutions to this growing crisis. • Councilor Zelenka - said he was glad to hear that water is clean and safe and that EWEB is proactively ensuring its safety; asked about the water system up river and about the mutual aid received from other agencies. • Councilor Pryor- updated the council on the final meeting of House Bill 2003 Housing Tools and Strategies Advising Committee; said the committee is doing a regional needs analysis for affordable housing, projecting 29 percent of the housing that needs to be built for lower income community will require public support. • Councilor Syrett - echoed Councilor Semple's concerns about bike theft; expressed concern about the rise in local COVID cases and the impact of parties that are endangering lives; appreciated the University of Oregon for its party patrol efforts; asked about the City's role in doing outreach for the Census. • Councilor Clark - shared the importance of facilitating the construction of more homes in the community, noting supply is low and prices are high; encouraged revisiting some of the decisions council made that affect the cost of building homes; said he hoped the recent mural issue results in better efforts to recognize potentially divisive symbols in publicly subsidized art. Councilor Taylor - shared concerns about pedestrian safety downtown; asked questions about the mural related to whose property it is on, who authorized it, who approved the design, who paid for it, and how much City money was used to subsidize it. MINUTES - Eugene City Council October 12, 2020 Page 1 Joint Work Session Councilor Zelenka - reported that the Ad Hoc Committee on Police Policy had its second meeting and was getting into the meat of the issues; acknowledged that COVID cases are again on the rise and asked if the City has the authority to police large parties. Councilor Clark - reported that family members of Mr. Landeros want his depiction on the mural to be removed; said he understands the importance of symbols of activism but some go too far and it's okay to admit a mistake and correct it. 3. CONSENT CALENDAR 1 A. Approval of City Council Minutes B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda Councilor Semple asked that a motion in the July 29, 2020 minutes be corrected to reflect a vote of 6:2, with councilors Taylor and Semple in opposition. MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to approve the items on the Consent Calendar with the correction to the July 29, 2020 minutes as noted. PASSED 8:0. 4. PUBLIC FORUM 1. Joel Iboa -talked about Columbus Day and the importance of sharing the truth about the past. 2. David Piccioni -spoke about the history of UPS and opposed granting the requested tax break. 3. Joshua Korn -encouraged Council to pass a moratorium on SG network installations. 4. William Smith -shared concerns about wireless safety and a recent, related legal decision. 5. ACTION: An Ordinance Adopting an Updated Eugene Airport Master Plan, a Refinement Plan of the Eugene -Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan); Adopting a Severability Clause; and Providing and Effective Date (City File RA 19-2, Lane County File PA 19-5770) MOTION: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to adopt the ordinance to the updated Eugene Airport Master Plan as a refinement to Eugene -Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan). PASSED 8:0. Council Discussion Councilor Zelenka- expressed interest in consideration of a solar requirement for the Airport; spoke about greenhouse gas emission mitigation and reduction. 6. ACTION: An Ordinance Amending the Eugene -Springfield Metropolitan Are General Plan Diagram and the Willakenzie Area Plan Diagram to Redesignate the Property Identified as Assessors Map 17-03-16-41 tax lots 201, 300 and 400 and Assessors Map 17-03-16-44 Tax Lots 400 and 800 from Campus Industrial to Light Medium Industrial and Rezone the Property from E-1 Campus Employment to E-2 Mixed Use Employment MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to adopt the ordinance included as attachment B to this AIS amending Eugene -Springfield Metropolitan Are General Plan Diagram and the Willakenzie Area Plan Diagram to Redesignate the Property Identified as Assessors Map 17-03-16-41 tax lots 201, 300 and 400 and Assessors Map 17-03-16-44 Tax Lots 400 and 800 from Campus Industrial to Light Medium Industrial and Rezone the Property from E-1 Campus Employment to E-2 Mixed Use Employment. PASSED 8:0. MINUTES - Eugene City Council October 12, 2020 Page 2 Joint Work Session Council Discussion ■ Councilor Zelenka - asked for clarification of the Planning Commission's recommendation; asked about the differences between E-1 and E-2 zones related to uses; raised concern about bright, loud car dealerships adjacent to residential apartments. 7. ACTION: An Ordinance Concerning Digital Sign Code, Amending Sections 9.OS00 MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to adopt the proposed ordinance with changes provided in Attachment A concerning an ordinance in digital sign code amending section 9.0500, 9.6610, 9.6615, 9.6620, 9.6630, 9.6635, 9.6640, 9.6645, 9.6650, 9.6655, 9.6660, 9.6665, 9.6670, 9.6675 and 9.6680 of the Eugene Code 1971 and providing an effective date. PASSED 6:2, Councilor Semple and Councilor Taylor opposed. Council Discussion ■ Councilor Pryor- asked to modify the motion by adding to Section 9.664010A to change 10 seconds to eight seconds. ■ Councilor Clark - asked why the City isn't doing a pilot program as suggested by the Planning Commission. ■ Councilor Pryor- asked why the time for digital signs and billboards are different. ■ Councilor Clark - asked if the amended motion could be characterized as being closest to the original motion at Planning Commission. ■ Councilor Semple - suggested that signs and billboards are different, and the motion should be divided; opposed billboards because they are distracting. ■ Councilor Syrett - shared that she's becoming more of an advocate of digital signs in recognition of their use in conveying timely and important public service messages; said there is no statistical correlation between number of accidents and electronic signs. ■ Councilor Zelenka - asked if the amendment would increase the number of billboards or just allow for digital signage. ■ Councilor Yeh - agreed that adding a more affordable tool for businesses to communicate is valuable; asked if feedback will be available and if accidents will be monitored. ■ Mayor Vinis- reminded the council that crash data is collected and analyzed as part of the Vision Zero initiative. The meeting adjourned at 8:51 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 4 Julie Adams Deputy City Recorder (Recorded by Niyah Ross) Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here MINUTES - Eugene City Council October 12, 2020 Page 3 Joint Work Session