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HomeMy WebLinkAbout181022 WS and URAMINUTES – Eugene City Council October 22, 2018 Page 1 Work Session M I N U T E S Eugene City Council and Eugene Urban Renewal Agency Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97401 October 22, 2018 5:30 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor Mayor Vinis opened the October 22, 2018, Work Session of the Eugene City Council. 1. Committee Reports and Items of Interest Council Discussion • Attended meeting of Oregon Transportation Commission as representative from Lane Area Commission on Transportation; opportunity for all local transportation commissions to provide feedback to the OTC. LACT communicated that local jurisdictions understand their transportation infrastructure needs best and should be making prioritization decisions. • Announced plans to introduce a resolution opposing Ballot Measure 105, which would repeal Oregon’s decades-old sanctuary state law. • Security cameras have been installed downtown; consider signage that alerts people to their use by Eugene Police Department. • Protest camp is growing; requested and received an additional port-a-potty. • Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Business Expo; very well-attended and provided important networking opportunity for local businesses and City services. • Attended re-dedication ceremony for Richardson Bridge affordable housing community; oldest affordable housing project in Oregon and first Eugene landbank development. With help from City programs, facility was rehabilitated and enhanced. • Concerned that work session on Inclusionary Zoning has not been scheduled yet; opportunities being lost as new development occurs. • Council receiving feedback from constituents on recent decision to grant a Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption for the proposed Obie development. Many are frustrated that there was limited opportunity for public education and input. • As incentive, consider freezing property taxes for 10 years for those property owners who wish to annex to the City. • The topic of Inclusionary Zoning will be addressed during council’s upcoming work session on Housing Tools and Strategies. Mayor Vinis adjourned the City Council meeting and opened a meeting of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency. 2. WORK SESSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Downtown Riverfront Update Planning and Development Director Denny Braud, City Engineer Mark Schoening and Principal Landscape Architect Emily Proudfoot gave a presentation on the progress of the riverfront redevelopment efforts, including infrastructure and park features. MINUTES – Eugene City Council October 22, 2018 Page 2 Work Session Council Discussion • Level of public participation on this issue not surprising; community has an enormous stake in how the property is developed and used. The river is a unifying element. • EWEB Board intends to address the disposition of its headquarters at an upcoming meeting; the City will have 30 days from the date of EWEB’s declaration of surplus to request negotiations for the property and then five years to complete the negotiations. • The community will want the council to have a discussion about whether to pursue purchase of the EWEB building. • Proposed development addresses all of the input received about pedestrian access, greenspace, playground, water features, affordable housing, etc. • The inclusion of natural gas infrastructure should be carefully considered in light of increasing energy around climate goals. • There is community support for including multiple and diverse food options in site plans. • The location of the proposed development will have its own overlay plan so code amendments will affect that site only. Current concept plan will be reconfigured as site-specific decisions are made. • As proposed, every parcel of development will address its own parking needs and requirements. • Council’s direction to increase the number of affordable housing units may be accomplished in a number of ways, including adding to building height and width. • The proposed For Rent apartment buildings would be eligible for a MUPTE; the affordable housing development and fee-simple ownership townhomes would not; council should decide ahead of time if it is willing to grant a MUPTE. • Consideration should be given to view shed issues affecting neighboring properties and businesses. • Projected costs of next steps in development still being negotiated as part of project agreement with Williams and Dame. • Most important change to MUPTE criteria was to ensure that more housing will be built that is affordable to working residents; reasonable to consider now whether MUPTE should be used in this case. MOTION AND VOTE: Agency President Clark, seconded by Agency Vice President Taylor, moved to direct the Agency Director to explore options on expanding the number of affordable housing units and possible public parking and bring back design options on anticipated costs and proposed public investment. PASSED 8:0. Mayor Vinis adjourned the Urban Renewal Agency meeting and reconvened the City Council meeting. 3. ACTION: Downtown Riverfront Local Improvement District MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to order the local improvements to be made and direct the City Engineer to prepare plans and specifications for the improvements and to call for bids on the construction contract. PASSED 8:0. 4. UPDATE AND POSSIBLE ACTION: Temporary Day Center and Dusk-to-Dawn Pilot City Manager Jon Ruiz read a prepared statement about the growing crisis many in the community are facing around housing and homelessness, and the City’s efforts, in partnership with the County, to identify and implement effective and humane steps that can be taken to address this issue. MINUTES – Eugene City Council October 22, 2018 Page 3 Work Session Assistant City Manager Kristie Hammitt and City Manager’s Office Division Manager Becky DeWitt introduced a proposal to create an overnight safe sleeping location and day center on a portion of the former City Hall block. Council Discussion • The proposed camping site is dependent on finding a private service provider willing to operate the site; staff is working to identify the organization that will take on responsibility for the day-to-day operations. • Although the site will use a “low barrier” threshold for admittance, alcohol and drug use will be prohibited. • City funds will be spent to establish and run the proposed site, using modular infrastructure that can be used at another location; important to apprise council of the costs along the way. • Proposal is a reaction rather than a plan to address downtown issues; the City enabling those without shelter to sleep outdoors. Efforts should be made towards creating a safe, indoor structure. • Good temporary site, good plan, and good approach to a difficult issue; appropriate emphasis placed on coordinated entry and case management. • Providing an alternative to sleeping on the streets is a good temporary measure. • The budget for the proposed site is still being developed; staff will continue to look for a more permanent solution and will engage the County in a conversation about sharing some of the expenses. • Recognize that the proposal is not the ideal solution; it is a good interim step that acknowledges the challenges of approaching winter weather. • Efforts should be made to ensure the model is successful and ultimately replicable at other sites. • The site must be visually attractive; important to ensure community support and confidence. • Goal in creating the facility should be that it doesn’t attract negative attention. • Staff is working to get the site up and running as quickly as possible, while being appropriately cautious and deliberate to ensure its success. MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Evans, moved to extend by 10 minutes. PASSED 8:0. • Because the site is still City-owned property, it’s important to be assured that the site will be safe and secure. If public health or public safety risk is identified, the City Manager is authorized to shut the site down immediately. • Acknowledge that this is a temporary plan to protect vulnerable people from the elements while longer-term shelter is created. • Appreciate consideration of dog owners at day center; encourage staff to consider ways to accommodate dog owners at dusk-to-dawn camp. • Need to have a plan in place to deal with possibility that demand will greatly exceed availability. • Those who are currently camping at the Butterfly lot site cannot be forced to move to an alternative site. MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Clark, seconded by Councilor Taylor, moved to authorize the City Manager to move forward with piloting a temporary day center and dusk-to-dawn site on a portion of the City Hall block. PASSED 7:1, Councilor Clark opposed.