Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout190715 JEO WSMINUTES – Eugene City Council July 15, 2019 Page 1 Joint Work Session M I N U T E S Joint Meeting of the Eugene City Council and Lane Transit District Board of Directors Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 July 15, 2019 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Chris Pryor, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett LTD Board Members Present: Carl Yeh, Don Nordin, Kate Reid, Joshua Skov, Emily Secord, Steven Caitlin Vargas Mayor Vinis and Board President Carl Yeh opened the July 15, 2019, Joint Meeting of the Eugene City Council and Lane Transit District Board of Directors. 1. JOINT WORK SESSION: MovingAhead Project Update City Engineer Chris Henry, Principal Planner Terri Harding, and LTD staff Andrew Martin presented information about proposed corridor investment packages. The Eugene City Council and LTD Board of Directors were asked to affirm the proposed corridor investment packages in advance of a Public Hearing in the fall of 2019. [Councilor Zelenka arrived at 5:42] Discussion o Councilor Semple – Expressed concern that information was confusing as presented; discussed preferences for EmX locations; discussed choices and associated costs and needs; expressed desire for “no build option”; inquired why River Road or Coburg Road was chosen over other options; discussed cost of EmX on River Road. o Mr. Nordin – Discussed concerns around polarization of community due to cost of packages; inquired about who is opposing capitol costs and how informed community members are. o Councilor Syrett – Discussed role as decision makers with regard to future transportation planning and alternatives to single car use; discussed rationale behind high cost of packages. o Mr. Skov – Expressed appreciation for the work already completed; emphasized purpose of packages; discussed purpose of large capital costs; discussed need for funding strategy discussion including redevelopment potential. o Councilor Clark – Inquired about how many people who live near Coburg Road versus those that do not live on Coburg Road participated in discussion about Coburg Road Corridor; discussed potential for development along Highway 99 and Coburg Road, as well as challenges for transit development on Coburg Road. o Mr. Yeh – Expressed support for transportation improvements on Coburg Road; discussed need to focus on vision of projects rather than logistics. o Councilor Evans – Expressed opinion that a no-build option is not a viable option and discussed need for some level of enhanced services; discussed types of enhancements and associated factors like cost and where money would come from; expressed desire to build out River Road and Highway 99 enhancements; discussed experiences with transit, needs for enhancements, and livability issues in various corridors. MINUTES – Eugene City Council July 15, 2019 Page 2 Joint Work Session o Mr. Skov – Expressed confusion as to why it would be hard to develop on Coburg Road noting that transit is needed to accommodate redevelopment; discussed desire for analysis in the context of current transportation costs and types of transportation; discussed cost savings in effective transportation systems. o Councilor Yeh – Discussed role as decision maker in the current conversation around transportation planning; discussed package options; reminded community that board and council are not committing dollars but are discussing current work in planning and vision planning; inquired about reaching out to transit riders. o Ms. Reid – Asked why Coburg Road was chosen over the Highway 99 to add into the modified package and discussed desire to include Highway 99; discussed similarities between goals of Transit Tomorrow and MovingAhead and the need for community involvement. o Councilor Pryor – Discussed process of change in a community and the need for decision makers to articulate net gain instead of loss from process; requested that the conversation be centered around this articulation. o Ms. Vargas – Asked staff what information community members are given about projection of growth within an associated corridor related to the development. o Councilor Zelenka – Discussed cost of projects and other considerations; discussed historical planning efforts for other projects; expressed support for transit investments. o Mr. Yeh – Reiterated and explained reasons for support of Coburg Road development; discussed similar support for River Road development; expressed desire not to compare development of Coburg Road versus Highway 99. o Councilor Taylor – Discussed support for development of EmX on Highway 99 and related benefits; discussed desire for more frequent bus service; voiced support for various packages. o Ms. Reid – Discussed climate change and bus service considerations; discussed LTD’s role to provide service to all areas of Eugene; noted LTD’s efforts around tree planting and preservation. o Mayor Vinis – Discussed the different packages and their effect on local community areas and paradigms associated with each corridor; expressed support for adding a package that includes EmX on Highway 99. o Councilor Syrett – Noted net gains in trees during development of West Eugene EmX development; expressed support for Highway 99 package; discussed timelines of investments of housing alongside investments in transportation, expressed desire to put forth an additional package for EmX on Highway 99 and River Road, enhanced corridor for 30th, EmX for Coburg, and enhanced corridor for Martin Luther King, BLVD.; reiterated Mr. Yeh’s comments about not pitting options against one another. o Councilor Clark – Discussed difference in community goals among corridors and transportation investments; expressed desire to learn from and analyze data from community who live along corridors to decrease car use in exchange for public transportation. o Mr. Yeh – Discussed reasons for taking a system-wide approach to analysis versus focusing on those who live along the corridor; reiterated support for Coburg developments; expressed support for additional package to include Highway 99. o Councilor Zelenka – Expressed support for forwarding packages other than no-build; discussed east-west commuting challenges; expressed support for moving these packages to public hearing; reiterated what current decisions are intended to accomplish. o Councilor Pryor – Discussed transportation planning methods for the future; discussed difference between village and city infrastructure needs.