HomeMy WebLinkAbout170426.WSMINUTES
Eugene City .Council Work Session
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
April26, 2017
12:00 p.m.
Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire
Syrett, Chris Pryor
Mayor Vinis opened the April26, 2017 Work Session of the Eugene City Council.
A. ACTION: South Willamette
MOTION and VOTE (tabled at 4/24/ council meeting and including friendly
amendments): Councilor Evans, seconded by Councilor Syrett, moved to direct the City
Manager to continue community engagement in South Eugene, and to report back to Council
after the community engagement task is complete, including next possible steps. Councilor
Evans further moved to direct the City Manager to refocus the City's planning efforts on: 1)
developing special area zones or refinement plans for the River Road/Santa Clara area
where significant preparatory work and planning has already occurred by area residents, 2)
continuing the work on Building a Better Bethel, and 3) developing and bringing back to
Council a plan for moving forward on University neighborhoods. If neighborhoods other
than those mentioned above bring neighborhood planning ideas to the City Manager, the
City Manager shall forward those ideas to Council for consideration. PASSED 4:3,
councilors Clark, Semple, and Taylor opposed.
Council Discussion
• It may be difficult for City staff to accomplish all of the things laid out in Councilor
Evans' motion simultaneously. Council's job is to choose one of the following options: 1)
prioritize neighborhoods that should not be a·t odds with one another about which
neighborhood is given priority, or 2) mull the motion over during budget discussions .
• There is a lack of consensus in the South Willamette area vis-a-vis planning.
• A more robust engagement with South Willamette is vital to any public planning project
for that area. Eugene should take advantage of the River Road Planning Grant with LTD.
• The motion may be unnecessary, as it is too early in the planning process.
• City staff still need direction from Council.
B. WORK SESSION: Public Shelter for Emergency Housing
Mia Cariaga and Regan Watjus from the Eugene City Manager's Office gave a presentation on
public shelter for emergency housing.
Council discussion:
• Homelessness can be solved; it is just a matter of scope and scale.
• More indoor shelter options are needed, especially for those individuals struggling with
substance abuse.
• Expansion of the Opportunity Village model is needed.
• More options are necessary for the chronically homeless population.
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Work Session
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• Any continued work battling homelessness must be done in partnership with other agencies
and jurisdictions; the City of Eugene should not be solely responsible for homelessness work
in the area.
• Homeless housing should be dispersed throughout the city, instead of heavily concentrated in
a few areas.
• State-supported shelters are needed not only for homeless, but for the mentally ill.
• More effective communication with the community at-large is vital to this issue.
• Lack of sufficient capital is a significant hurdle in the local battle to end homelessness.
• Council will be updated as to the ongoing conversations of the Lane County Poverty and
Homelessness Board
The meeting adjourned at 1:23 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Forrest
City Recorded
(Recorded by Rodney Cimburke, LCOG)
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Work Session
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