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HomeMy WebLinkAbout201021 WSMINUTES Eugene City Council Virtual Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 October 21, 2020 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett and Chris Pryor Mayor Vinis opened the October 21, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council. 1. WORK SESSION: Urban Reserves Direction Urban Reserve Senior Planner Rebecca Gershow provided a brief overview of the Urban Reserves options. Council Discussion: Councilor Clark - stated values choices are creating more expensive housing, which is what Council will be doing if it doesn't take the 29- or 30-year option; asked staff about the potential cost of servicing areas in hilly regions; stated options that protect values should be retained. Councilor Syrett - supported the City Manager's recommendation; asked clarifying questions regarding the future of Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) expansion. Councilor Semple - asked what happens to lands not included in Urban Reserves; stated she is in favor of the 27-year option. Councilor Evans - stated he is concerned about planning for food security, compact growth and transportation; said he is in favor of the 27-year option. Councilor Yeh - thanked the Envision Eugene Technical Advisory Committee for their work on this project; stated the Fisher Road area was included in the 27-year option because it made more sense than including other areas in the south; said she is in favor of the 27-year option. Councilor Pryor - asked clarifying questions regarding the expansion of the UGB; stated the conversation about how Eugene is going to grow never has an end, and a future Council will move it into its next iteration; supported the City Manager's recommendation. Councilor Zelenka - stated he is in favor of compact urban growth; supported the 27-year option. Councilor Taylor - stated that forest land is important and food security is crucial; asked if the ratio adopted by Council of single family to multi -family housing can be changed; stated she is in favor of no urban reserves as it would cause land speculation; supported Option 4. Councilor Clark - stated developers will build the kind of housing demanded by the market, and if it doesn't happen in Eugene it will happen in surrounding communities; voiced concern that this process of being overly restrictive will result in surrounding communities growing towards Eugene rather than the other way around. Councilor Zelenka - stated, in response to Councilor Clark's point, that builders build what the market is interested in only in part, noting the huge demand for affordable and lower cost housing that builders are not building. Councilor Evans - stated there will be a demand for commercial nodal development, which will play into the transportation and commercial retail sectors. Mayor Vinis - stated this is an important conversation and opportunity to connect the dots from decisions made by previous City Councils; said moving this discussion forward is important for the community. MINUTES - Eugene City Council October 21, 2020 Page 1 Work Session MOTION: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to initiate a public review and adoption process, including but not limited to comprehensive plan and code amendments, to consider establishment of Urban Reserves as described in Option 3, the 27- year Option, shown in Attachment D. VOTE: 7:1, Councilor Clark opposed. 2. WORK SESSION: Housing Status as a Protected Class Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement Manager Michael Kinnison provided information on how protected classes are currently addressed in Eugene Code and a proposal to amend the City's Human Rights Code to add housing status as a protected class. Councilor Clark - inquired into potential illegal camping conflicts between the Eugene Code and amending the Eugene Human Rights Code to add housing status as a protected class; stated he would like the Human Rights Commission to analyze possible implications of adopting housing status as a protected class. Councilor Taylor - stated she is unclear what will happen as a result of adopting this code amendment. Councilor Semple - asked staff if adding the "Intimidation" language will take away the conflict with camping; stated shelter options are needed and suggested lifting the camping ban in places; stated both the decriminalization effort and the need for shelter need work. Councilor Pryor - stated he thinks the condition of homelessness should be protected but has concerns about the behaviors by association and disparate impact that may be included in that protection; supportive of the Intimidation aspect. Councilor Zelenka - stated homelessness is a symptom of the larger problems of lack of affordable housing, addiction services and mental health services; said he is not in favor of lifting the camping ban; supported asking the Human Rights Commission to provide an analysis of unintended consequences including how this impacts housing, employment and public accommodation. Councilor Syrett - stated she would be ready to add housing status as a protected class to Intimidation in the 2nd Degree and move it to a public hearing; stated she would like another work session with scoping of pieces mentioned by Councilor Zelenka. Councilor Yeh - stated she agrees with Councilor Syrett on moving forward with the Intimidation in the 2nd Degree part; stated the other part of this conversation is unclear and she would like to hear from the Human Rights Commission on ramifications as well. Councilor Zelenka - asked questions related to directing the Human Rights Commission to include this analysis in its workplan; expressed support for moving the Intimidation part to a public hearing. Mayor Vinis - stated it appears two motions have surfaced, one reflecting moving forward with an additional work session and a second one that Councilor Syrett is proposing to put forward on the Intimidation piece; thanked staff for making the distinction between the code and the law. Councilor Clark - stated he would like to hear the Human Rights Commission recommend resolution of the conflict so there is no ambiguity in what is being accomplished with the changes. Councilor Zelenka - stated the conversation is about how to resolve the conflicts and move forward without eliminating the camping ban. MOTION and VOTE: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to direct the City Manager to add to the current package of code amendments for state law consistency an amendment to EC 4.731 that adds homeless as an identified class and schedule a public hearing. VOTE: 8:0. MINUTES - Eugene City Council October 21, 2020 Page 2 Work Session MOTION with Friendly Amendment: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to direct the City Manager to schedule a follow-up work session to further discuss the option of adding housing status to the City's Human Rights Code, including feedback from the Human Rights Commission. VOTE: 8:0. The meeting adjourned at 1:29 p.m. Respectfully submitted, YX4� Julie Adams Deputy City Recorder (Recorded by Jessica Gebb) Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES - Eugene City Council October 21, 2020 Page 3 Work Session