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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 09/14/11 Work SessionMINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room —City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon September 14, 2011 Noon COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, Pat Farr. COUNCILORS ABSENT: George Poling. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the September 14, 2011, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST Mayor Piercy announced that she would welcome a delegation from Eugene's Sister City of Kakegawa at 9 a.m. on September 20, 2011, at her office in City Hall and encouraged councilors to be present. She noted that a delegation from Eugene would visit Kakegawa in October. Mayor Piercy announced the upcoming United Way Day of Caring on September 21. Mayor Piercy reported that the Eugene Police Commission had welcomed new members at its last meeting. Police Chief Pete Kerns had discussed how he was implementing the commission's recommendations regarding the closure of the Monroe Street Station. The commission revised its bylaws and considered changes to the department's search and seizure policy recommended by its Police Screening and Review Committee. The commission was awaiting further input into the policy from the Police Auditor. The commission also heard the chief's monthly report. Mayor Piercy noted that the Eugene Police Department was holding a new Citizen Police Academy, which she was attending. Mr. Brown reported that the McKenzie Watershed Council was working with the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) on an eco- system restoration and regulatory credit project on Cedar Creek and the Springfield Millrace. The MWMC awarded a contract to Freshwater Trout to do some of the necessary work. The watershed council would oversee landowner outreach to secure permission to plant trees to shade the water to lower the temperature for fish habitat. The entire project was projected to take four years. The MWMC would be able to secure temperature credits from the DEQ as a result of the product. Mr. Brown noted that Freshwater Trout had pledged not to invoice the MWMC until the trees were in the ground. The funding for the project would come from the State Revolving Loan Fund. Mr. Zelenka and Ms. Ortiz arrived during Mr. Brown's report. Mayor Piercy reported on the Oregon Metropolitan Planning Organizations Consortium (OMPOC), saying that the consortium heard a presentation on the Oregon Department of Transportation's various planning processes and a status update on projects. She said there were issues around the state regarding redundancy in transportation routes in the case of emergencies. MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 14, 2011 Page 1 Work Session Mayor Piercy commended the recent Eugene Celebration and Mayor's Art Show and announced the upcoming Teen Art Show at Maude Kerns Center. Mayor Piercy commended the new bicycle parking corrals recently installed in downtown and said they were both artistic and functional. She said good examples could be seen near the train station and The Kiva. Mayor Piercy solicited other items of interest. Ms. Taylor -had attended the Pearl Street Block Party and said it was fun and well- attended in spite of the heat. She also attended the City's 9 -11 commemoration and said it was extremely well done. She reported that the Southeast Neighbors held a picnic on September 11. Ms. Taylor reminded residents of the September 19 public hearing on an ordinance to repeal the ban on dogs in the area around 13 Avenue and Alder Street. Ms. Ortiz reported that she had attended a meeting of the Latino Business Network and also attended the 9 -11 ceremony mentioned by Ms. Taylor. She agreed the 9 -11 ceremony was well done. She said she had been invited to sit in on one of the listening circles involving Eugene police officers and members of the Latino community and had been pleased with the event. Ms. Ortiz encouraged people to participate in the upcoming Neighborhood Summit being held at North Eugene High School on September 24. Mr. Pryor reported that Director George Kloeppel of the Lane Council of Governments had announced his retirement would occur at the end of November 2011. He anticipated that LCOG would retain Mr. Kloeppel on contract until his replacement was hired. Mr. Pryor said the Housing Policy Board (HPB) met to review Request for Proposals for a land bank site on Coburg Road. Due to the number of people interested in the development, the HPB postponed its recommendation to the City Council and agreed to hold a public forum and another public hearing, delaying the council's action on the site. Mr. Clark noted he had attended the HPB meeting because the development mentioned by Mr. Pryor was in his ward, Ward 5. Many interested neighbors had attended the HPB meeting. Mr. Clark thanked Mr. Pryor and other members of the HPB for their willingness to delay their recommendation and seek more input. Mr. Clark noted Mayor Piercy had held a Mayor's One -on -One in Ward 5 at the Market of Choice during the council's summer recess. Mr. Clark thanked the Fire and Police departments for organizing the 9 -11 ceremony. Mr. Clark announced the Cal Young Neighborhood Association meeting scheduled on September 22 at 7 p.m. at the Sheldon Community Center. He said the meeting was an important one because residents would decide on whether to divide the association into three neighborhood associations. Mr. Farr noted his participation in the Eugene Celebration Parade. MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 14, 2011 Page 2 Work Session Mr. Farr reported that he had also attended the HPB meeting and thanked member John Van Landingham for his suggestion that residents in attendance should tour existing low- income developments. He believed they would find such a tour very informative. He agreed with the HPB's decision to postpone action as he believed that residents had many legitimate concerns about the proposed development that needed to be addressed. Mr. Farr noted the passing of Bethel resident and business owner Bob Neiman, who drowned in a rafting accident on the Rogue River the previous week. He said the neighborhood would miss him. City Manager Jon Ruiz announced upcoming trainings for members of City boards and commissions. City Manager Ruiz invited the council and residents to participate in the "Sunday Streets" event occurring on September 18, during which 5 th Street from Fifth Street Market to Blair Boulevard would be closed to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists as well as other activities. City Manager Ruiz reported that a Veterans Stand Down was scheduled on September 24 at the Springfield Armory. A ribbon - cutting was planned for the veterans' housing project on November 11 at 11 a.m. City Manager Ruiz reported that the downtown momentum was continuing with the demolition of the Taco Time building on Broadway. Mr. Zelenka reminded the council of the "Welcome Back Students" walk scheduled on September 27. Mr. Zelenka commended a recent presentation by Tri Met staff at the Metropolitan Policy Committee meeting and recommended that councilors view the meeting on Metro Television. B. WORK SESSION: Neighborhood Livability Working Group Progress Report The council was joined by Neighborhood Services Manager Michael Kinnison, Police Lieutenant Sam Kamkar, and Neighborhood Livability Working Group members Jim Anderson, Carolyn Jacobs, Kaitlyn Lange, and Paul Shang. Mr. Kinnison led the council through a PowerPoint presentation on the recommendations of the Neighborhood Livability Working Group. He provided background on the formation of the working group, which occurred in response to residents' frustration with increased noise and undesirable behaviors fueled by alcohol use by young people frequenting the neighborhoods around the University of Oregon (UO). He reported that the working group had assessed current conditions in those areas and developed a Catalog of Negative Behaviors and Impacts. Mr. Kinnison shared statistical data about crime trends in the affected neighborhoods. Mr. Kinnison shared a map showing density levels in the affected neighborhoods and which also included information about the percentage of owner - occupied housing in those areas. Mr. Kinnison recalled past efforts targeted at the West University Neighborhood (WUN) to address similar issues. He shared a list of current initiatives focused on areas around the university to address the impacts being experienced. MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 14, 2011 Page 3 Work Session Mr. Kinnison emphasized that the situation in the areas around the University was not unique to Eugene and was similar to the experiences of other university communities in the United States. He said that a strong commitment from all stakeholders was required to address the problems that existed in the neighborhoods and a variety of approaches were necessary. Behavioral modification could be effective but was not enough, and consequences were necessary. Law enforcement had an important role in addressing the issues of concern. Mr. Kinnison called the council's attention to Section 6 of the report, which included the strategies developed by the working group, and noted that Appendix D was an anticipated effectiveness matrix evaluation of the strategies. Mr. Kinnison highlighted the strategies developed by the working group that required City support and noted where council action would be required. Strategies included: • Develop a Eugene "social host" ordinance • Increase fines for alcohol- and noise- related offenses • Enhance police resources • UO Police Department /University Public Safety District • Regulate party bus impacts • Crime prevention through environmental design • Countermeasure for traffic sign vandalism • Home Ownership and Investment Program • Evaluate need for Multiple -Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) in the campus area • Neighborhood -based planning Mayor Piercy thanked the members of the working group. She asked what constituted a neighborhood association in a case such as the WUN, when it is almost entirely occupied by students. She suggested the City could work with students to determine how the neighborhood could have a neighborhood association that would be meaningful to its residents and in keeping with the community's' goals. Mayor Piercy endorsed approaches that increased stability in neighborhoods that now included a mix of students and owner - occupants. Referring to the strategy for neighborhood -based planning, Mayor Piercy endorsed code changes that allowed for the inclusion of social gathering spaces in multi -unit housing. Ms. Taylor advocated for the development of infill compatibility standards to protect the neighborhoods surrounding the campus. She believed it was important to save the South University Neighborhood and expressed concern about the impact of the MUPTE on the neighborhood. She supported home ownership but noted that some parents bought homes for their children while they attended the UO but the students did not care about the house and treated it as a "big party place." Ms. Taylor suggested the City could save money by buying vandal - resistant signs. In response, Ms. Jacobs suggested the City's practice of placing signs in the ground without anchoring them incement contributed to the problem. She reported that there were 72 missing street name signs in the South University Neighborhood. Ms. Taylor expressed concern about increasing fines on students. MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 14, 2011 Page 4 Work Session Mr. Zelenka endorsed the proposal for a social host ordinance as he thought it could be an effective tool to address the issue of repeat offenders. He suggested it would be a tool of last resort but believed it was a needed tool to ensure property owners took responsibility for what happened on their properties. Mr. Zelenka also endorsed the formation of a University police department and a public safety district and noted Chief Kerns' support for those ideas as part of a long -term solution. Mr. Zelenka did not think that MUPTE was needed in the areas around campus as he believed sufficient housing was being built without it. He suggested the City change the way it calculated the number of occupants in a dwelling unit and count people living in a unit rather than bedrooms. Mr. Zelenka also supported the inclusion of social gathering places in multi -unit housing, particularly in the WUN. Mr. Zelenka suggested a consequence of the UO becoming a dry campus was that parties moved off campus to uncontrolled situations. He suggested the UO reconsider its policy and allow parties on campus where drinking was allowed on special occasions. Responding to a question from Mr. Farr about the responsibility assigned the property owner by the proposed social host ordinance, Mr. Anderson did not think property managers or property owners could ignore a party house; there should be consequences to that. He believed most property owners tried to address such situations. Mr. Farr supported the countermeasures for sign vandalism and wished staff well in that endeavor. Ms. Ortiz determined from Mr. Kinnison that the working group did not include a representative of PeaceHealth and expressed surprise and regret about that. She pointed out that the hospital was a major employer and was physically located in the WUN. Mr. Kinnison said staff could make an effort to involve the hospital. Ms. Ortiz expressed support for the proposed social host ordinance. Ms. Ortiz suggested the council discuss a dispersal policy for social service agencies because neighborhoods were disproportionately affected by the presence of such agencies. Ms. Ortiz supported the formation of a UO police department and public safety district. Mr. Brown also supported the proposed social host ordinance. He also supported a UO public safety district if the officers were sworn and had the same training as Eugene's police. He also supported an examination of regulations for "party buses." Mr. Brown suggested that the City use vertical metal or treated wood 4" x 4" signs sunk in concrete to avoid vandalism. Mr. Brown questioned the further application of the MUPTE to the neighborhoods around the campus, pointing to the low owner - occupancy levels and high crime rates the WIN experienced. He believed the MUPTE had failed to improve the quality of life in that neighborhood. Mr. Clark determined from Lt. Kamkar that City staff had looked at the approaches taken by other communities with universities. Ms. Ortiz, seconded by Mr. Farr moved to extend the meeting for 10 minutes. The motion passed unanimously, 7:0. MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 14, 2011 Page 5 Work Session Ms. Lange expressed hope that the City Council would consider funding additional jail beds in the future because of the increase in crime the campus -area neighborhoods had experienced. Mayor Piercy assured Ms. Lange that the council was keeping that need in mind. Mr. Zelenka reported he learned from staff that signs were not anchored with cement for safety reasons and to reduce the costs of sign repair and replacement. Ms. Taylor also supported the proposed social host ordinance as a way to ensure property owner accountability and suggested the potential that second offenses would trigger the citation. Mayor Piercy also supported a UO police department but believed that such a department needed an audit function to ensure there was accountability to the community. Mr. Shang said the UO was discussing an appeal process and the City's Police Auditor had been helpful in that discussion. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 1:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, ,8 cx� JV_1 -,t t Beth Forrest City Recorder (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES— Eugene City Council September 14, 2011 Page 6 Work Session