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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 10/10/11 Work SessionMINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room —City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon October 10, 2011 5:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Betty Taylor, George Brown, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka, Pat Farr. Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the October 10, 2011, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. A. WORK SESSION: Eugene Community Climate and Energy Action Plan Progress Report The council was joined by Sustainability Liaison Babe O'Sullivan, Climate and Energy Analyst Matt McRae, and Sustainability Commission Vice Chair Kathi Jaworski. Ms. Jaworski expressed the Sustainability Commission's support for the work that had occurred to implement the City's Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP) and for its continued implementation. She reviewed the highlights of a letter from the commission that urged the council to focus on goals where less progress had been made, including expansion and maintenance of the urban forest, promotion of water conservation, and reduced natural gas consumption and which suggested the council could spur action in those areas. Ms. Jaworski recognized progress as exemplified by the City's Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan and recommended that the City establish a process to evaluate which projects worked best to encourage the use of alternate modes. She concluded by suggesting the next step was to reflect CEAP in City policies. She offered the commission as a resource in that effort. Mr. McRae led the council through a PowerPoint presentation regarding the City's Climate and Energy Action Plan, first reminding the council of the goals of the plan: 1) to reduce community greenhouse gas emissions ten percent below 1990 levels by 2020; 2) to reduce fossil fuel use by 50 percent by 2030; 3) to prepare the community for climate change; and 4) to prepare the community for rising fuel prices. CEAP included six focus areas: • Buildings and agriculture • Food and agriculture • Land use and transportation • Consumption and waste • Health and social services • Urban natural resources Mr. McRae placed local efforts in context by noting increasing national awareness of the issue of climate change. He shared national trend data showing increases in crude oil prices, gasoline prices, adjusted food prices, and adjusted asphalt price index. MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 1 Work Session Mr. McRae indicated that staff would seek additional input on the report from the topic specialists involved in creation of the plan and other interested parties and anticipated that staff would continue to report to the council and community on progress in plan implementation. He called attention to some of the agencies the City was collaborating with on implementation. Mr. McRae also noted the City's collaboration with entities such as BRING Recycling, whose Re: Think Program helped local businesses save money by reducing their energy and water use and waste generation. He also reported that Rexius and Lane Forest Products had received permits to compost food waste from grocery stores and restaurants, which would divert material from the landfill and preclude the release of additional methane into the atmosphere. Mr. McRae then shared information about energy use in Eugene that demonstrated progress in reducing the use of gas, natural gas, and electricity. He noted that the trend decline began prior to the economic downturn in 2008, which suggested that the plan's goals were both sustainable and could be achieved without economic hardship. Other related measures demonstrated similar gains. While he acknowledged it was difficult to measure the impact of CEAP on the community's use of energy, Mr. McRae believed Eugene was on the right track. He emphasized the importance of a sustained commitment to ensuring CEAP's ambitious fossil fuel reduction targets were met. Mr. McRae also emphasized the importance of considering what was needed to reduce the physical and financial risks brought about by the projected changes in climate. He reported he had been working with Eugene Emergency Program Manager Joe Rizzi to update the City's Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan to ensure it considered the risks associated with climate change. Staff was also working with other local governments on regional approaches to emergency preparedness and support was growing for a voluntary Willamette Valley compact to more efficiently prepare local communities. Mr. McRae invited questions. Mayor Piercy believed the community's challenge was how to continue to progress on CEAP's goals and not lose ground in the face of an increasing population. She appreciated that staff recognized the City's partners in implementing LEAP. She encouraged staff to present the information to the Eugene Water & Electric Board commissioners. Mr. Poling noted that the Agenda Item Summary stated that the council had unanimously endorsed CEAP in September 2010 but that was not the case. He recalled that instead, the council had adopted a motion that directed the City Manager to implement actions that supported CEAP's goals and objectives, subject to best practices, resources, collaboration with community partners, and council approval of future policy changes. He expressed appreciation for the work that had been done. Mr. Zelenka believed CEAP created a road map to the future for the City and the community. He thought the majority of the actions in CEAP were economically beneficial for Eugene and would leave residents with more money. He hoped that staff was able to track those savings over time. Mr. Zelenka did not think measuring electricity use was a good economic indicator because conservation and increased efficiency drove use down over time. Responding to a question from Mr. Brown, Mr. McRae indicated that methane capture at the landfill was imperfect but did reduce emissions to some degree. Mr. Brown was impressed by the data regarding declines in energy use and determined from City Manager Ruiz that Eugene's population grew at the rate of about one percent per year during the time of decline. MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 2 Work Session Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor about what the City planned to do in regard to barriers to solar access created by infill development, Ms. Weiss said Planning Division staff was considering some of the recommendations that came from the Infill Compatibility Standards Project and would forward those to the council as part of the Envision Eugene adoption process. Ms. Taylor was happy to see that CEAP recognized the importance of protecting farmland and potential farmland. She suggested the council keep that in mind when it considered expanding the urban growth boundary (UGB). Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor about the staff position dedicated to urban agriculture and composting, Mr. McRae said that position was intended to encourage and facilitate urban agriculture. Ms. Taylor asked if that position's duties included oversight of chickens. Mr. McRae said the employee in the position was currently researching the regulations that governed the keeping of chickens in other communities. Ms. Taylor asked for more information about what the employee in question did. Mr. Farr asked if staff was tracking the costs of energy conservation. Mr. McRae said that was not yet occurring but staff would begin to track that information once the programs just begun were more fully in place. Mr. Farr was encouraged to hear that staff was working on the barriers to solar access given the emphasis City planning efforts placed on more dense development. Ms. Ortiz was pleased to hear of the progress that had been made. She asked if EWEB had incentives for weatherizing rental properties. Mr. McRae acknowledged the difficulty of weatherizing such housing and said Eugene was working on how to create such incentives. Mr. Zelenka shared information about the Business Energy Tax Credit with Ms. Ortiz, which was a state program that provided landlords with tax credits for their energy efficiency efforts. Speaking to the interest expressed by the Sustainability Commission for expansion of the urban forest, Mayor Piercy reported that the Eugene Tree Foundation was working with a similar organization in Portland to build its capacity and help the City plant and maintain more trees. Mr. McRae introduced Community Development Manager Mike Sullivan, Metro and Community Planning Manager Carolyn Weiss, Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld, and Senior Planner Robin Hostick, who were also present to answer questions about 20- minute neighborhoods. Mr. McRae led the council through a PowerPoint presentation on the City's 20- minute neighborhoods initiative. He linked the initiative to both CEAP and Envision Eugene and described more fully its focus on distance, density, and destination to create neighborhoods that supported walkability and the use of alternate modes. Such neighborhoods reduced congestion, increased public safety, helped increase social interaction, and increased the affordability of access. Walkable neighborhoods reduced individual transportation costs and retained dollars otherwise spent on fuel in the community. They benefited the environment by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and noise. Mr. McRae offered downtown and the neighborhoods built around Blair Boulevard and 3` Avenue, Royal Avenue and Danebo Road, and 24 Avenue and Hilyard Street. He shared a "heat map" of Eugene that showed where factors supporting 20- minute neighborhoods were strongest and weakest. He reviewed the criteria for 20- minute neighborhoods, which included: MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 3 Work Session • Distance — intersection density, sidewalks, bicycle lanes, transit • Destinations — elementary schools, parks, full- service grocery stores, convenience stores, other commercial uses (restaurants, salons, cafes, etc.) • Density— population density at home, employment density at work Mr. McRae shared a series of heat maps that illustrated the community's intersection density, the density of parks proximate to residences, full - service grocery store densities, and residential densities. He indicated that areas that were "cooler" were in that condition for different reasons; some lacked grocery stores and bus service, while others lacked sidewalks and had low intersection density. He suggested that considerations such as aesthetics, tree canopy, signalization, street width, and traffic speeds also affected people's mode choices. Mr. McRae said the City needed to account for many factors, such as income levels, age, ethnicity, auto ownership, and current trends in bicycling and walking to prioritize its investments in 20- minute neighborhoods. Further analysis was needed to determine where the City should apply its toolkit of strategies. He anticipated that some of the tools would be implemented through Envision Eugene to support its goal of compact development. Mr. McRae suggested the next steps could include the establishment of a "Complete Streets" policy that mandated all new and reconstructed streets be built to support all modes. He invited questions. Speaking to the concept of the "Complete Streets" policy, Mayor Piercy suggested such a policy might require flexibility that allowed the City to recognize unique circumstances. However, she also supported setting such high goals and working to achieve them. Ms. Taylor asked if City staff had discussed the impact of elementary school closures on 20- minute neighborhoods with staff of the two school districts. Mr. McRae said he had discussed the issue with district staff and found out there were many variables that went into such decisions and that such closures were rare. Ms. Taylor emphasized the importance of local schools to families and pointed out that school closures also increased the community's carbon footprint by forcing residents to drive to schools farther away. She recommended that the City buy closed schools and suggested the possibility that the City could maintain the buildings on the site until they were needed again by the districts. Mr. Zelenka asked questions clarifying the nature of the priority recommendations related to 20- minute neighborhoods and the source of funding for the projects that would result. Mr. Zelenka asked about the role of the Planning Commission in removing policy barriers to 20- minute neighborhoods. Ms. Weiss anticipated the commission would oversee revisions to the City's regulations governing parking and Floor Area Ratios and forward its recommendations to the council. Mr. Zelenka suggested the City focus 70 percent of its efforts on the areas shown in orange on the heat maps to strengthen the 20- minute neighborhood elements in those areas and 30 percent of its efforts on the areas shown in blue where improvements would be more long -range in nature. Mayor Piercy advocated for a dispersed strategy that helped people feel their needs were being considered and that built capacity into the system. Mr. McRae distributed maps entitled 19- Minute Neighborhood Analysis showing how neighborhoods throughout the community scored in regard to the elements they contained that were supportive of the 20- minute neighborhood concept. MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 4 Work Session Speaking to the issue of what neighborhoods to focus on first, Ms. Ortiz pointed out that several areas of the community contained streets lacking sidewalks and residents who did not want sidewalks. She asked the City could encourage them to have sidewalks if they did not want them. She also questioned how the City could compel the construction of a grocery store or the appearance of a neighborhood. While she thought the work that had been done was good, she was challenged about where to begin. Mr. McRae said he discussed the question of where to focus the City's initial efforts with other groups and found no consensus. He agreed that the City was constrained in its ability to guide the location of a grocery store. Ms. Ortiz said access to wholesome and reasonable priced foods was a challenge in some of the areas she represented, and she asked how the City could improve that situation. Mr. McRae reported that the Lane Coalition for Healthy Active Youth was working on a Healthy Corner Stores Initiative with DariMart. Ms. Ortiz observed that the cost of refrigeration was too much for many small "mom and pop" stores. Mr. Farr concurred with the remarks of Ms. Ortiz regarding access to wholesome, reasonably priced foods and noted the presence of convenience stores in Bethel that included complete food sections. Mayor Piercy recalled that participants at the Neighborhood Summit discussed how the City could best use its funding to build on existing initiatives and the elements supportive of 20- minute neighborhoods that already existed rather than imposing solutions on the neighborhoods. B. ITEMS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS Mr. Zelenka reported the Sustainability Commission would present its work plan to the council soon. Mr. Farr noted the City Council's upcoming meeting with the Human Rights Commission, and reported that the commission was contemplating changes in its structure and focus as a result of what it learned through the recently completed Listening Project. Mr. Farr commended Golden Gardens Park as a model for what could be accomplished by the City in partnership with its neighborhoods. Mr. Poling reported that the Board of Directors of Travel Lane County held its September meeting at the Inn at Diamond Woods and discussed normal business. The board would review chief executive officer Kari Westlund's evaluation at its next meeting. He encouraged viewers to visit the Travel Lane County website. Mr. Poling congratulated Ward 4 resident Blake Shoemaker for the successful completion of an accessible ramp at the Old Willakenzie Grange as his Eagle Scout project. Ms. Ortiz reported that the Human Services Commission had formed a subcommittee to work on the details of a community summit. She also reported that the Centro Latino Americano inaugural Heritage Dinner had been well- attended, with City Manager Jon Ruiz and Mr. Pryor among the attendees. She had also attended a town hall meeting in Junction City where Governor John Kitzhaber discussed the new State hospital planned for that community. She had attended the Latino Business Network at Next Step and noted the network would meet again the following night. Mr. Pryor reported on the Lane Council of Governments (LCOG) Board of Directors, distributing a written report to the council and highlighting that LCOG was accepting nominations for awards in to be given at its January 2012 Awards Dinner, the upcoming retirement of long -time Executive Director MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 5 Work Session George Kloeppel, and the resignation of Vice Chair Judy Volta from the board. Mr. Pryor reported that he had agreed to remain as board chair for another year to oversee the search process. Mr. Zelenka said that the Metropolitan Policy Committee (MPQ was working on the Regional Transportation Plan and had approved the preliminary list of projects at its last meeting. The MPC also heard an interesting presentation from staff of TriMet in Portland regarding that agency's business assistance program. He encouraged councilors to view the presentation online. Mr. Zelenka reported that the City had received more than $1 million in energy efficiency incentives from the Eugene Water & Electric Board since 1995 and currently had seven energy efficiency projects that would yield another $250,000. Mr. Zelenka reported on upcoming trainings being conducted by Recreation Services: "Caring for the Car Giver" on October 25, "Dealing with Grief' on November 29, and "Pain Management" on December 14. Mr. Zelenka noted that City Parking Manager Jeff Petty had been elected to the Board of Directors for the Pacific Intermountain Parking and Transportation Association. He congratulated Mr. Petry. Mr. Zelenka shared information that indicated Oregon's business and income taxes were among the lowest in the nation and concluded that Oregon was a good place to do business. Mr. Clark reported that the Cal Young Neighborhood Association had unanimously agreed to separate into three organizations and would soon seek council approval for that action. He commended Neighborhood Services Program Manager Mike Kinnison for his work with the neighborhood association. Mr. Clark noted the Strategic Neighborhood Assessment Grant awarded to the River Road/Santa Clara neighborhoods, who were doing community outreach about the impacts of growth on the area with the goal of producing a refinement plan. Ms. Taylor said she had attended the inauguration of the worm bin at Masonic Cemetery. She reported that she had been contacted by constituents who expressed concerns about the school crossing at Camas Ridge School, the fact people could not get their cars out of the Overpark without a credit card when no attendant was present, and about the bicycles locked to railings downtown. Mr. Brown noted that the bicycles mentioned by Ms. Taylor had been removed. He reported on his attendance at the recent police promotion ceremony, saying several Records and 9 -1 -1 employees were promoted to new responsibilities, three patrol officers were promoted to sergeant and two sergeants were promoted to lieutenants. He was a member of the HSC subcommittee mentioned by Ms. Ortiz and hoped it could satisfy the growing financial need. Mr. Brown had also attended a work parry at Civic Stadium. Mayor Piercy said she continued to attend the Citizen Police Academy. She also attended the recent Good Works Film Festival organized by Cindy Wooten. She thanked Ms. Taylor for presiding over council meetings during her recent absence and said she would be in Washington, DC, during the week of October 17 to attend the "Railvolution" Conference in Washington, DC. Mayor Piercy had also met with Lane County Commissioner Faye Stewart about long -term public safety solutions and attended a Regional Solutions meeting with Governor Kitzhaber. The council agreed to take up the Consent Calendar, which was on the 7:30 p.m. meeting agenda. MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 6 Work Session 2. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda B. Adoption of Resolution 5042 Authorizing the Sale of General Obligation Refunding Bonds C. Initiation of Land Use Code Amendment to Facilitate the Siting of an Outpatient Clinic Operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs Ms. Taylor, seconded by Mr. Brown, moved to approve the items on the Consent Calendar. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 7:05 p.m. Respectfully submitted, &A 1" Beth Forrest City Recorder (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES— Eugene City Council October 10, 2011 Page 7 Work Session