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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 11/14/11 Work SessionMINUTES Eugene City Council McNutt Room —City Hall 777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon November 14, 2011 5:30 p.m. 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 November 14, 2011, work session of the Eugene City Council to order. A. WORK SESSION: Envision Eugene The council was joined by Planning Director Lisa Gardner, Metropolitan Community Planning Manager Carolyn Weiss, Senior Planner Alissa Hansen, and Associate Planner Heather O'Donnell. They provided a PowerPoint presentation entitled Envision Eugene: Project Update for City Council Work Session, November 14, 2011. The presentation highlighted areas of the community where expansion of the urban growth boundary (UGB) might occur to accommodate residential development. Mayor Piercy solicited questions and comments. Ms. Taylor asked why the council was contemplating expansion of the UGB for single- family housing when it had not reached a decision on a ratio. She understood no expansion would be needed if the council selected a 50:50 or 40:60 ratio. Ms. Weiss indicated staff was presenting analysis that did not lock the council into a decision. City Manager Jon Ruiz said the council would receive his recommendation for the ratio on December 14. Ms. Taylor asked if the council had adopted the Seven Pillars of Envision Eugene. Ms. Gardner recalled that the council had agreed unanimously to forward the Seven Pillars to the public as the framework for Envision Eugene. Mr. Zelenka referred to maps 6 and 7 (Crest Drive and Dillard/Fox Hollow) and suggested those areas were largely residential already. Ms. Hansen concurred they were residentially developed but the current development patterns reflected rural densities rather than urban densities. She conceded that in the case of the Dillard/Fox Hollow area it was difficult to see how the existing development patterns could transition to a more urban area. Mr. Clark wanted to ensure that any land brought inside the UGB was actually urbanizable. He determined from City Manager Ruiz that the graph reflected on slide 1 would change as a result of the vacant land analysis. Ms. Weiss indicated that analysis would be complete prior to December 14. Responding to a follow -up question from Mr. Clark, Ms. Hansen confirmed that Public Works stormwater staff had been involved in the vacant land analysis. MINUTES— Eugene City Council November 14, 2011 Page 1 Work Session Mr. Farr asked what it meant for a street to be transportation- constrained. Ms. Hansen said that referred to already congested areas where congestion would be worsened past acceptable levels by the addition of more residential development. It was possible the City could choose to accept a higher level of congestion. Mr. Farr was concerned that developable land would be left undeveloped because the City lacked the appropriate transportation infrastructure. He asked why the State mandated an examination of non - contiguous lands. Ms. Hansen said the State mandated that the City examine already developed nearby non - resource lands with the intent to preserve farm and forest lands. Staff had chosen the areas to be examined. City Attorney Emily Jerome clarified that staff had identified areas already acknowledged as developed and committed land by Lane County. There was little "wiggle room" in the State criteria governing what lands the City could look to because the examination was based on existing County zoning. Mayor Piercy suggested that the Oregon Department of Transportation's revision of its highway mobility standards would give the community more flexibility in regard to acceptable levels of congestion so the community could achieve the residential density the council wanted it to have. Mr. Brown said the Dillard area did not appear to be constrained by farmland or wetlands; it appeared the main constraint was the limitations of Dillard Road. Ms. Hansen said that was one constraint. Two other constraints regarded the provision of wastewater and stormwater service, which were problematic. Mr. Brown observed that most of the areas under consideration had traffic constraints and he believed the City would have to expand capacity in those areas. Mr. Brown asked staff to discuss Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) service issues. Ms. Hansen said EWEB staff was asked to review each area and determine if service could be provided. A number of factors went into that analysis, which was very preliminary at this time. Mr. Brown determined from Ms. Hansen that the some of the areas in question had service from EWEB or a water district but many of the developed lots had wells. Ms. Ortiz suggested it was possible to serve any area with enough money but she thought it was important to consider the impact of that on housing affordability. She appreciated the cautions staff offered about the Dillard area. She asked Ms. Hansen if staff had identified lands currently zoned for industrial purposes that could be used for other purposes. Ms. Hansen suggested the potential that industrially zoned land in the Awbrey Lane area and the area north of Lane Community College along Interstate 5 could be converted to other uses. Responding to a question from Mr. Clark, Ms. Hansen said the Envision Eugene process was occurring in coordination with the Transportation System Plan update and staff hoped that the council would adopt them at about the same time. If that could not happen, staff would recommend the council make amendments to TransPlan to reflect new projects and service levels in the interim. Mr. Clark asked if the City was legally required to have a transportation plan that could be funded within the 20 -year planning horizon to service the new areas brought inside the UGB. City Attorney Jerome said the City must demonstrate to the State that it could feasibly expect those lands to develop within the next 20 years. That evidence did not have to rise to the level of a project in the Capital Improvement Program. She indicated she would provide more specific information about the legal requirements related to transportation planning. Mr. Clark reiterated his desire that the lands identified for expansion could actually be developed. City Manager Ruiz emphasized his intent was to present the council with a realistic and achievable plan. MINUTES— Eugene City Council November 14, 2011 Page 2 Work Session Constraints would be accounted for and land that could not be developed within 20 years would not be counted toward the need. B. WORK SESSION: Eugene Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan Rights Project Recommendations The council was joined by Transportation Planning Manager Rob Inerfeld and Associate Planner Reed Dunbar, who provided a PowerPoint presentation on the City's draft Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. The presentation included information about the types of projects contemplated in the plan and the City's best practices guide. Mr. Dunbar anticipated staff would ask the council to accept the plan in February 2012 and that the plan would ultimately be adopted as part of the Transportation System Plan update in 2013. He shared the web site for the plan: www.eugenepedbikeplan.org He invited questions. Mayor Piercy expressed concern about the costs of maintaining added infrastructure. She encouraged the City to hold more "Sunday Streets" events. She appreciated the City was being clear about its intentions in regard to bicycle and pedestrian improvements. Mayor Piercy solicited council questions and comments. Speaking to the subject of infilling the sidewalk network, Ms. Ortiz encouraged staff to reach out to the community on the topic because she would not support a local improvement district (LID) for an unwilling neighborhood given the challenging economic times. Ms. Ortiz asked if staff had neighborhood buy -in regarding the proposed Rasor Park bicycle path. Mr. Inerfeld said the path was included in the Rasor Park Master Plan, which had considerable public input. Ms. Ortiz continued to be concerned about safety conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists using Highway 99. While the road had been improved, it continued to lack amenities to serve those who lacked choice in their transportation mode. Mr. Inerfeld reported that the City and the Oregon Department of Transportation had partnered on a grant application to underwrite the costs of sidewalks on one side of the highway. Mr. Farr commended the presentation and said it made him enthusiastic about the future of Eugene. He suggested that the City partner with Lane Transit District to make it easier for riders to use their bicycles at the end of the bus trip. He suggested that might include the provision of bicycle garages downtown. Mr. Inerfeld reported that LTD's Point2Point program received funding for a bicycle parking study that would include downtown. In addition, staff had discussed creating a bicycle sharing program so that people did not have to take their bicycles along on the bus. Ms. Taylor commended the plan and anticipated she would accept it enthusiastically. She advocated for more separated bicycle paths. Ms. Taylor reported that she and Mr. Brown had recently attended a National League of Cities workshop that included information about The Bike Cellar, a bicycle commuting support station/membership facility located on the Arizona State University main campus that provided members with secure bicycle parking and showers and had bicycles available for rent. MINUTES— Eugene City Council November 14, 2011 Page 3 Work Session Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor about the City's approach to sidewalk infill, Mr. Inerfeld said staff had not yet developed a strategy. There were some federal grant moneys available for sidewalk infill and in some cases sidewalks were constructed as part of a street improvement project. He acknowledged that many residential areas did not qualify for any grant program and the City would need a funding mechanism to construct sidewalks in them. Ms. Taylor emphasized the importance of sidewalks for safe pedestrian travel. Mr. Clark was concerned about the inadequacy of funding for sidewalks and advocated for more work in that area. He believed the effort to infill the sidewalk system would be doomed to failure if the council depended on the creation of a series of LIDs, which he anticipated would result in a "series of small fights." He asked the timeframe for the proposed sidewalk infill project along County Farm Road. Mr. Inerfeld anticipated the project would be included in the next six -year Capital Improvement Program. Mr. Zelenka perceived the BPMP as increasing livability, choice, and mobility. He said transportation systems must be convenient in order to work, which required the appropriate infrastructure; otherwise, no one would use an alternate mode. Responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, Mr. Inerfeld confirmed the City had no dedicated funding sources for pedestrian and bicycle projects. The City used systems development charges (SDCs) to enhance the system, often using SDC revenues as the local match for grants. He said one of the challenges of using grants for project funding was that grants did not always support the highest priority project but rather the project that best qualified for the funding in question. He estimated that the City averaged about $1.5 million annually in grant funding. Mr. Zelenka requested the total cost of all the projects in the plan. Mr. Reed offered a preliminary estimate of $93 million, with more than half of that cost being sidewalk projects. Mayor Piercy hoped staff was taking the input from GEARS and resident Sue Wolling into consideration. She reported that she served on ODOT's flexible funding committee and its major focus was on multi - modal, non -auto modes and the creation of a system to serve them. She said the Metropolitan Policy Committee's Citizen Advisory Committee also advocated for more separated lanes and increased safety for alternate modes. She believed that was necessary to encourage more use of alternate modes. Mr. Farr was happy to hear sidewalks were planned for County Farm Road and suggested that a temporary path be considered to help facilitate pedestrian travel. Mr. Zelenka believed Eugene had a great bicycle /pedestrian system but it could be better. He encouraged the council to consider a dedicated source of funding to build the projects list. He also encouraged councilors to tour their wards by bike. Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 7:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 16 W 1A11,,t Beth Forrest City Recorder (Recorded by Kimberly Young) MINUTES— Eugene City Council November 14, 2011 Page 4 Work Session