HomeMy WebLinkAbout161214.WS.SIREMINUTES – Eugene City Council December 14, 2016 Page 1
Work Session
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
December 14, 2016
12:00 p.m.
Councilors Present: George Brown, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, George Poling, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor Mayor Piercy opened the December 14, 2016, meeting of the Eugene City Council.
1. EXECUTIVE SESSION: Pursuant to ORS 192.660 (2)(e)
The City Council met in executive session pursuant to ORS 192.660 (2)(e)
2. WORK SESSION: Coordinated Downtown Development
Assistant City Manager Sarah Medary and Central Services Executive Director Kristie Hammitt led the Council in a discussion about potential options for coordinated downtown development. Council discussion:
• Taking action at this moment is premature.
• It is prudent to decide between options A, B, C, or EWEB; implications are huge.
• County prefers option C; no legal certainty for site; most important asset City has is its own lot.
• Option C is the most elegant option for downtown and how space is used.
• More time is needed to digest the information presented.
• Delay will add months to the timeline; time equals money.
• There is no historic City Hall “site;” it has been rebuilt in different locations with each iteration.
• Option C is the best option for providing required courthouse security.
• EWEB site is a natural extension of efforts to improve downtown; revitalize the riverfront.
• A move to EWEB will be seen as abandoning downtown; it is the most expensive option.
• EWEB site would impact communications and meeting accessibility; important to have a civic center.
• Concentrations of people attract more people to public spaces, EWEB option limits that.
• Every downtown plan has included EWEB as a part of downtown.
• The community has the ability to make any of these four options work.
• Creating a usable council chamber is important; building new will allow us to control costs.
• Choosing option A, B, or C will eliminate the possibility of a consolidated City Hall.
• Council has enough facts and enough time; staying downtown is preferred option.
• Proximity to the County and accessibility is very important.
MOTION AND VOTE (with friendly): Councilor Zelenka, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to direct the City Manager to begin negotiations with Lane County with the possible purchase of a portion of the Butterfly lot for City Hall. Offer to sale to Lane County the City Hall site, contingent on the City being able to commence construction of a phase 1 of City Hall on the Butterfly lot, with a back-up option to locate City Hall on the existing City Hall site. PASSED 5:3, Councilors Poling, Clark, and Evans opposed.