HomeMy WebLinkAbout181024 WSMINUTES – Eugene City Council October 24, 2018 Page 1
Work Session
M I N U T E S
Joint Work Session of the
Eugene City Council and Eugene Planning Commission
Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
October 24, 2018
12:00 p.m.
Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett, Chris Pyror Councilor Absent: Mike Clark Commissioners Present: Kristen Taylor, William Randall, Chris Ramey, Lisa Fragala, John Barofsky Commissioner Absent: Tiffany Edwards, Steve Baker Mayor Vinis opened the October 24, 2018, Work Session of the Eugene City Council. Planning Commission Chair Kristen Taylor opened the October 24, 2018, Work Session of the Eugene Planning Commission.
1. WORK SESSION: Joint City Council/Planning Commission Meeting Principal Planners Alissa Hansen and Terri Harding provided a brief overview of the Planning Commission’s annual report and work plan. Discussion
• Appreciation expressed for inclusion of a minority report when the Planning Commission makes a recommendation to the council.
• Support reinstituting the Citizen Involvement Committee; would provide an invaluable avenue for community participation in important decisions.
• Suggestion made to consider designating a City Council liaison to the Planning Commission; would be particularly helpful with quasi-judicial issues.
• Request made for a list of all Planning Commission subcommittees and the issues each is addressing.
• The Planning Commission’s objective is to determine whether a project or proposal meets the code; political implications are often raised with City Council.
• The Planning Commission can help the council gain clarity on complicated land use issue, surface alternative points of view, outline a process for public engagement, and identify potential consequences of a decision.
• Planning Commissioners are tasked with representing the entire city rather than a certain geographic constituency during a time of profound change; decisions may be unpopular with certain segments of community.
• A more extensive process for selecting Planning Commissioners is needed; particularly the interview process.
• A certain level of expertise and understanding of state and local planning processes is needed to serve effectively on the Planning Commission; support more robust appointment process.