HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 3A: Approval of City Council Minutes
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Approval of Council Minutes
Meeting Date: June 11, 2012 Agenda Item Number: 3A
Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Kim Young
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5232
ISSUE STATEMENT
This is a routine item to approve City Council minutes.
SUGGESTED MOTION
Move to approve the minutes of the May 23, 2012, Work Session, May 29, 2012, Work Session, May
29, 2012, Regular Meeting, May 30, 2012, Work Session.
ATTACHMENTS
A. May 23, 2012, Work Session
B. May 29, 2012, Work Session
C. May 29, 2012, Regular Meeting
D. May 30, 2012, Work Session
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Kim Young
Telephone: 541-682-5232
Staff E-Mail: Kim.A.Young@ci.eugene.or.us
S:\CMO\2012 Council Agendas\M120611\S1206113A.doc
ATTACHMENT A
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
McNutt Room—City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
May 23, 2012
Noon
COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Pat Farr, Betty Taylor, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling,
Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the May 23, 2012, work session of the Eugene City Council to
order.
A. WORK SESSION:
Street Repair Review Panel Recommendation of 2012 Bond Measure to Fix Streets
Public Works Director Kurt Corey led the council through a PowerPoint presentation entitled Street
Repair Review Panel Recommendation of 2012 Bond Measure to Fix Streets. The presentation included
an update on the City’s progress on the street repair maintenance backlog and an outline of the Street
Repair Review Panel’s recommendation for a 2012 bond measure and recommended modifications to the
2008 approach. Councilors asked questions clarifying the information presented.
At the request of Mayor Piercy, Finance Director Sue Cutsogeorge reviewed Attachment A in the meeting
packet, which laid out the cost estimate for the proposed measure.
Councilors thanked the members of the Street Repair Review Panel: John Barofsky, Howard Bonnett,
Janet Calvert, Mel Damewood, Paul Holbo, Bob Kline, Steve Lee, Ollie Snowden, Clayton Walker, Gary
Wildish, and Sue Wolling.
Mayor Piercy referred to the criteria for prioritization and asked how local roads in severe failure, such as
North Seneca Road, were addressed by the measure. Mr. Corey said unimproved local streets such as
North Seneca Road were not included in the bond measure. The City was working to address the
condition of such roads on a somewhat minimal level through existing maintenance funds. Mayor Piercy
believed it was incumbent on the City to be clear about what was funded through the bond measure and
why.
Ms. Taylor noted the popularity of the current bond and anticipated it would be easy to pass another. She
believed people appreciated that they got to vote on the measure and what was repaired. She asked if
people could suggest other streets to be repaired. Mr. Corey said yes. Ms. Taylor was pleased to see the
panel’s proposal to fund alternative modes because people wanted such facilities.
Ms. Ortiz recommended the bond be street-specific so that voters knew what they were voting for.
Mr. Zelenka believed the City had made progress on the maintenance backlog with the last bond measure
but he found it insufficient progress. He recalled the work of the Council Committee on Transportation
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 23, 2012 Page 1
Work Session
Funding, which had developed a recommendation that included a street utility fee. He supported a street
utility fee due to its direct tie to transportation and how much residents used the street. In addition, it was
paid by all users of the streets. A bond measure had no relationship to how much one used the street, and
it only captured revenues from those inside the city. He said that 50 percent of the people who use
Eugene streets were nonresidents. He termed such individuals “free riders” who did not pay for the cost
of streets. He found that inequitable, and would not support another bond measure unless the council
moved forward with a street utility fee.
Mr. Poling agree with Mayor Piercy’s remarks. He supported the increase in funding dedicated to
alternative modes.
Mr. Farr believed that people would question the fact that assessed rates and their tax bills continued to
rise while real home values were lower and he thought the City needed to be prepared for such questions.
He supported moving forward with the bond because he believed the City could convince the voters they
were getting real value.
Mr. Pryor also supported the proposed measure. He believed the voters would judge the measure on
whether the City was asking for what it needed or for what it could get. He said the need was greater than
what the bond asked for, but the bond would address the streets most in need. He invited input from
residents and councilors in identifying the streets to be repaired but wanted that input to be balanced with
staff’s professional advice.
Speaking to Mr. Zelenka’s remarks, Mr. Pryor recalled his own support for a street utility fee but pointed
out that since that time, other needs arose that could be funded through a similar fee. He thought the
council needed to discuss how to proceed with those options but thought it was important to recognize the
changed context.
Mr. Clark favored moving forward with a new bond. He believed voters would recognize the City did
what it said it would do with the proceeds of the past bond. He advocated for a more comprehensive plan
to address the condition of unimproved local streets.
Mayor Piercy believed the City’s geographically balanced approach toward the 2008 bond measure had
led to its success and hoped that the council took a similar approach.
Mr. Zelenka agreed with Mayor Piercy. He appreciated that the rate would stay about the same. He also
appreciated the additional funding for alternative modes and hoped the council would see a priority list of
alternative mode projects. Mr. Zelenka reiterated his previous remarks about the remaining backlog and
said the City still lacked a plan to address the backlog. He believed the council should discuss a street
utility tax before it voted to forward the bond measure to the voters.
Mr. Poling said the distinction between reconstruction projects and street overlays and why streets that
appeared to be in good shape were reconstructed rather than overlaid should be made clear to the public.
Mr. Brown supported the panel’s proposal but expressed concern about the cumulative impact of
increased fees on residents. He suggested the potential of limiting the bond measure to $35 million,
acknowledged the reduced revenues but pointing out that people would be paying about the same rate as
they were now. Mayor Piercy pointed out the council would have another opportunity to change the
amount.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 23, 2012 Page 2
Work Session
Mr. Brown, seconded by Mr. Farr, moved to direct the City Manager to bring a resolution
placing a $43 million general obligation bond measure to fix streets on the November
2012 resolution, consistent with the proposed project list included as Attachment B.
Mr. Farr observed that the proposed amount was approximately $1.50 a month, which had different
ramifications for different residents. It was equivalent to the cost of a cup of coffee. He commended the
work of Mr. Corey.
The motion passed, 7:1; Mr. Zelenka voting no.
B. WORK SESSION:
Capital Project Funding for Washington-Jefferson Park
Parks Planner Neil Björklund joined the council and provided some background on the proposed City
Center Skate Park. Councilors asked questions clarifying the costs involved and the nature of the park
proposed.
There was general support for further exploration of the proposed skate park project, although several
councilors expressed concerns about the timing of the expenditure, the source of funding, and the costs of
ongoing maintenance. Councilors generally agreed about the benefit of such a facility for youth.
Speaking to the issue of timing, Mayor Piercy pointed out the City was taking advantage of public-private
partnerships and an opportunity for ongoing maintenance funding as well as the current high level of
public interest. In addition, Mayor Piercy believed there was a compelling need for the parkland to be
used in a positive way in the area for entire community, for the nearby Whiteaker neighborhood, and in
particular for youth. Speaking to the source of funding, Mr. Clark sought assurance that the funding
would not come from the money set aside for the Santa Clara Community Park.
In response to councilors’ concerns, City Manager Jon Ruiz said staff was seeking to gauge the council’s
interest in moving forward with the project. Staff was not seeking direction on a specific funding source.
City Manager Ruiz noted that City Attorney Glenn Klein had had raised concerns about using the
revenues from the 2006 Park and Open Space bond measure to build the park because the bond appeared
to be limited to acquisition. If the council approved the staff-recommended motion, staff would return
with more information about the project, including its ongoing maintenance costs.
Ms. Ortiz asked for information about the funding that remained from the 2006 bond and was specifically
interested in knowing if the funding allocated for the West Eugene Education Center had been used.
Mr. Brown determined that City Manager Ruiz interpreted the staff-proposed motion as meaning that no
potential funding source was eliminated from initial consideration.
Mr. Brown, seconded by Mr. Farr, moved to direct staff to bring information on
alternative funding options back to the council for discussion and consideration,
including:
Description of the process needed to utilize each funding source addressed;
Timing implications for utilizing each funding source;
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 23, 2012 Page 3
Work Session
Funding implications for other projects resulting from utilizing each funding
source;
Other impacts and considerations resulting from utilizing each funding source;
Strategy for operating the facility following construction;
Strategy for funding maintenance of the facility following construction.
The motion passed unanimously, 8:0.
Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 1:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
(Recorded by Kimberly Young)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 23, 2012 Page 4
Work Session
ATTACHMENT B
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
McNutt Room—City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
May 29, 2012
5:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Pat Farr, Betty Taylor, George Poling, Alan Zelenka,
Chris Pryor, Mike Clark.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Andrea Ortiz.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the May 29, 2012, work session of the Eugene City Council to
order.
A. COMMITTEE REPORTS AND ITEMS OF INTEREST
Mayor Piercy reported that she and Mr. Farr toured the new Municipal Court facility. She thought staff
did an excellent job with a tight budget. Mayor Piercy noted Oregon State Treasurer Ted Wheeler’s
recent visit to Eugene-Springfield. She had also attended the recent Police Awards ceremony on May 23
as well as the wrap-up for the recent Business Commute. She thanked Lane Transit District and its Point-
to-Point staff for facilitating the commute. Mayor Piercy reported that she and City Manager Jon Ruiz
attended the groundbreaking for St. Vincent de Paul’s new Stellar Apartments housing complex.
Mr. Farr reported on the May 24 Regional Food Consortium held at the McDonald Wholesale Weir
Center. Growers and processors discussed the development of a food industry cluster in Lane County.
The consortium was well-attended and Mr. Farr believed much progress was made. He suggested that
increased food production in Lane County could create many future jobs.
Ms. Taylor advocated for protection of the Amazon Headwaters from development to help maintain the
area’s water and air quality. She advocated for City action to protect the headwaters. She said residents
supportive of headwaters preservation were upset that parks bond money might be used to pay for a
skateboard facility in Washington-Jefferson Park.
Mr. Clark expressed pride at the recent Eugene Police Awards ceremony. He had been happy to hear
stories about officers and residents who made a choice to help other people. He congratulated the officers
who received years of service awards and special commendations.
Mr. Poling noted the pending retirement of Lieutenant Rich Barrong. He reported that the Board of
Directors of Travel Lane County had discussed the organization’s budget and it appeared that the
organization was to receive its full allotment of Room Tax Funds from Lane County.
Mr. Poling reported the Northeast Neighborhood Association met and attendees discussed some of the
public improvements and private developments occurring in the area.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 29, 2012 Page 1
Work Session
Mr. Pryor recalled the May 27 Joint Elected Officials meeting at which funding for ambulance services
was discussed. He said the elected officials faced some crucial funding decisions for a crucial service.
Mr. Zelenka noted the Fairmount Neighbors were meeting that evening to discuss the Olympic Trials. He
also noted the upcoming June 9 screening of the movie “Bag It” at the Eugene Library. Mr. Zelenka had
attended meetings of the Sustainability Commission and the Laurel Hill Valley Neighbors on May 16. He
reported that his wife Susie Smith had recently received her Master Gardner badge.
Mr. Brown also attended the Police Awards ceremony and agreed with the remarks of Mr. Clark. He had
attended the Stellar Housing Complex ground breaking ceremony and noted the project included units set
aside for homeless veterans and National Guard veterans and their families. He had attended a weed
eradication project on May 26 at Civic Stadium and said volunteer efforts were paying off.
Ms. Taylor reiterated past concerns about the future of City Hall and suggested the council needed to
decide on the future of the building before staff moved out.
City Manager Ruiz announced the retirement of Police Analyst Linda Phelps, Parks and Open Space
Director Johnny Medlin, and the departure of Assistant Fire Chief Karen Braack for a leadership position
in North Carolina.
B. WORK SESSION:
Carmen-Smith Relicensing Project
Finance Director Sue Cutsogeorge introduced the item, calling the council’s attention to the resolution
authorizing the Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) to issue and sell electric utility system revenue
bonds and electric utility revenue refunding bonds that the council would consider as part of the Consent
Calendar at the 7:30 p.m. meeting.
Carmen-Smith Relicensing Project Manager Mike McCann of the Eugene Water & Electric Board
(EWEB) joined the council and led it through a PowerPoint presentation entitled Carmen-Smith
Hydroelectric Facility License Implementation Project. Councilors asked questions clarifying the details
of the presentation and thanked Mr. McCann for the information.
C. WORK SESSION:
Jeppesen Acres Road Project
The council was joined by City Engineer Mark Schoening, who led it through a PowerPoint presentation
entitled Jeppesen Acres Road Street Improvement Project. The presentation including information about
the project history, public process, the design report proscribed by Eugene Code, the design exception that
must be approved by the council, remonstrance opportunities, council options, and the City Manager’s
recommendation, which was to direct Mr. Schoening to modify the improvement to remove the setback
sidewalk on the north side of Jeppesen Acres Road and direct him to prepare plans and specifications for
the modified improvement and to call for bids on the construction contract. Councilors asked questions
clarifying the details of the presentation.
Mr. Poling, Mr. Clark, and Mr. Pryor were reluctant to proceed with the project because they did not
believe there was sufficient resident support as demonstrated by the number of remonstrances received
and because the project would not impact the larger community. Mr. Clark advocated for a plan to
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 29, 2012 Page 2
Work Session
improve unimproved roads once brought into the City’s jurisdiction. He acknowledged the project had
been on TransPlan for many years but did not want to deal with it in isolation. Mayor Piercy suggested
the City might want to approach such streets in a different yet consistent way and advocated for some
“out of the box thinking” so such streets remained usable.
Mr. Brown, seconded by Mr. Farr, moved to not make the improvement on Jeppesen
Acres Road at this time. The motion passed unanimously, 7:0.
The council then considered the Consent Calendar, scheduled for action at the 7:30 p.m. meeting.
2. CONSENT CALENDAR
A. Approval of City Council Minutes
February 27, 2012, Regular Meeting
-
- March 14, 2012, Work Session
- April 9, 2012, Work Session
April 9, 2012, Regular Meeting
-
- May 14, 2012, Boards and Commissions Interviews
- May 21, 2012, Boards and Commissions Interviews
B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda
C. Adoption of Resolution 5061 Authorizing the Eugene Water & Electric Board to
Issue and Sell Electric Utility System Revenue Bonds and Electric Utility Revenue
Refunding Bonds
D. Initiation of Process for Eugene Sign Code Amendments
Mr. Brown, seconded by Mr. Farr, moved to approve the items on the Consent Calendar.
Mr. Zelenka pulled item D.
The motion, with the exception of Item D, passed unanimously, 7:0.
Responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka about the process related to the Sign Code amendments, City
Attorney Glenn Klein reviewed the City’s ordinance adoption process and reminded Mr. Zelenka of the
several opportunities the council would have for input. Mr. Zelenka wanted the Planning Commission to
discuss the “right” square footage for signs before the item reached the council.
Item D passed unanimously, 7:0.
Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 7:04 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
(Recorded by Kimberly Young)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 29, 2012 Page 3
Work Session
ATTACHMENT C
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
Council Chamber—City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
May 29, 2012
7:30 p.m.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Pat Farr, Betty Taylor, George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris
Pryor, Alan Zelenka.
COUNCILORS PRESENT: Andrea Ortiz.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the May 29, 2012, regular meeting of the Eugene City Council to
order.
1. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Piercy shared some of President Barack Obama’s Memorial Day remarks.
Councilor Poling led the council and audience through the Pledge of Allegiance.
2. PUBLIC FORUM
Mayor Piercy reviewed the rules of the Public Forum.
Dan Armstrong
, Ward 5, Lane County Farmers, provided an update on progress in expanding the
farmers market, which included discussions with Lane County about the possible use of the County’s
butterfly parking lot and a University of Oregon design studio focused on expansion concepts. He invited
the council to a final review of the design studio’s work scheduled on June 5 at 2 p.m. in Room 231 of
Lawrence Hall.
John Simpson
, Ward 8, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) commissioner, shared information
regarding EWEB’s upcoming electricity rate increase, EWEB’s water distribution infrastructure system
upgrade and related water rate increase, recent organizational actions to close the anticipated budget gap,
and EWEB’s smart meter pilot project. He indicated the smart meter project would continue through the
summer and EWEB was holding public meetings to explain the benefits of the smart meter technology.
Pauline Hutson
, Ward 1, asked the mayor and council to consider the potential job losses from the West
Eugene EmX route. She questioned how political agendas could take priority over such losses. She
suggested that frequently, the public was the last to know the ramifications of council actions as she
perceived the project study authorized by the council had morphed into the project. She said residents
had the right to speak out to protect their town, quality of life, and livelihoods.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 29, 2012 Page 1
Regular Meeting
Josef Siekiel-Zdzienicki
, Ward 1, had attended a recent lecture on humans and transit by transportation
planning and policy consultant Jared Walker where Mr. Walker suggested no private individual should
have a say in the use of the public right-of-way, which Mr. Siekiel-Zdzienicki found outrageous. He
reported that Mr. Walker also termed the West Eugene EmX a flawed system but believed it should be
supported so Eugene could get the federal money. He questioned whether that was why people died in
wasteful wars. He used the bus to return home from the lecture and found himself downtown at 8:06 p.m.
with a 45-minute wait for a bus to take him to his neighborhood. Mr. Siekiel-Zdzienicki said that Lane
Transit District wanted to institute a system that would run six times an hour at 8 p.m. but the agency
either currently could not afford or lacked the ridership to run more than one bus an hour.
Andrew Fisher
, Ward 1, a volunteer serving on the City’s Historic Review Board (HRB) advocated for
increased appreciation and understanding of the community’s past. He noted some of the board’s recent
work on how best to preserve neighborhood character while encouraging density and infill, how to find
new meaningful uses for historic local resources, and how to encourage public awareness and
appreciation of the community’s historic built environment. He said as the City moved toward the
conclusion of Envision Eugene, the HRB stood ready to help.
Mary Salinas
, a Springfield resident, noted the increase in homeless veterans and said she did not want to
see them warehoused. She contrasted the cost of the proposed Capstone development to St. Vincent de
Paul’s new housing project, noting the St. Vincent de Paul project was almost as expensive as the
Capstone development even though the land was donated. She did not know if she supported the
Capstone project but believed students would add vibrancy to downtown.
Lisa Warnes
, Ward 3, suggested it was illegal to use parks bond money on the proposed skateboard
facility in Washington-Jefferson Park. She questioned how the City could end its contribution to the Lane
County Animal Services (LCAS) but build a new skate park. Ms. Warnes encouraged the council to
adopt an independent oversight committee for the new animal control service. She criticized the
operations at the Greenhill Humane Society.
Alix MosieurMolly Smith
, a Lane County resident, read testimony on behalf of Eugene resident who
suggested that dogs did not behave in shelters as they did in more relaxing settings and felt it was
important that individuals with the power to make decisions about dogs to be euthanized should be an
individual familiar working with shelter animals.
Tamara Banavige
, Ward 1, also advocated for creation of an independent oversight body for animal
control services and envisioned that such a body would recommend policies and procedures regarding
animal welfare.
John Archer
, a Lane County resident, also advocated for the creation of an independent oversight body
for animal control services. He objected that dogs were being euthanized for aggression.
Mayor Piercy closed the Public Forum. She thanked those who offered testimony and solicited council
comments and questions.
Councilor Clark determined from City Manager Jon Ruiz that the City would vacate City Hall by the end
of August 2012. Councilor Clark suggested the potential that the vacated courtyard could be used for a
farmers market and advocated for further discussion.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 29, 2012 Page 2
Regular Meeting
2. CONSENT CALENDAR
A. Approval of City Council Minutes
February 27, 2012, Regular Meeting
-
- March 14, 2012, Work Session
- April 9, 2012, Work Session
April 9, 2012, Regular Meeting
-
- May 14, 2012, Boards and Commissions Interviews
- May 21, 2012, Boards and Commissions Interviews
B. Approval of Tentative Working Agenda
C. Adoption of Resolution 5061 Authorizing the Eugene Water & Electric Board to
Issue and Sell Electric Utility System Revenue Bonds and Electric Utility Revenue
Refunding Bonds
D. Initiation of Process for Eugene Sign Code Amendments
The council adopted the Consent Calendar at the 5:30 p.m. work session.
Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 8:01 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
(Recorded by Kimberly Young)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 29, 2012 Page 3
Regular Meeting
ATTACHMENT D
M I N U T E S
Eugene City Council
McNutt Room—City Hall
777 Pearl Street—Eugene, Oregon
May 30, 2012
Noon
COUNCILORS PRESENT: George Brown, Pat Farr, Betty Taylor, Andrea Ortiz, George Poling,
Mike Clark, Chris Pryor, Alan Zelenka.
Her Honor Mayor Kitty Piercy called the May 30, 2012, work session of the Eugene City Council to
order.
A. WORK SESSION:
Envision Eugene
Mayor Piercy noted that Mr. Clark had to leave the meeting early and asked that no votes be taken in his
absence.
Metro/Community Planning Manager Carolyn Burke called the council’s attention to a memorandum
from staff distributed at councilors’ places responding to earlier council questions.
Ms. Burke led the council through a PowerPoint presentation titled Envision Eugene, Council Work
Session May 30, 2012, which included an overview of the process recommendations, recommended
revisions to those recommendations, and an outline of next steps. The changes to the recommendations
were summarized in the Agenda Item Summary (AIS) included in the meeting packet as follows:
Regarding strategy 2.a. under the Economic Opportunity pillar: Staff will give consideration to
properties that are outside the Campus Industrial or west Eugene study areas and can help to
accommodate our land deficit for commercial jobs and multi-family homes by adding flexibility
for commercial or flexible employment uses.
Staff will perform further analysis to evaluate the pros and cons of bringing the airport into the
urban growth boundary (UGB).
Staff will include Russell Creek Basin in the analysis of potential UGB expansion areas.
Staff will perform further evaluation of compatibility and health concerns related to existing and
planned industrial uses in the Clear Lake Road area.
Regarding strategy 1.b. under the Economic Opportunity pillar that identifies four 10 to 20-acre
industrial sites for development inside the UGB through site consolidation and brownfield clean-
up: This number should be revised to three 10 to 20-acre industrial sites. This change is further
explained in Attachment B of the AIS.
Ms. Burke called the council’s attention to the staff responses to council information requests included in
the meeting packet. The information requests were pertinent to the topics of whether to include the
airport inside the UGB, the amount of industrial land to be designated, the housing mix ratio, and
potential expansion areas. She invited questions.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 30, 2012 Page 1
Work Session
Mr. Brown, seconded by Mr. Farr, moved to direct the City Manager to prepare, for a
formal adoption process, planning documents to establish a new urban growth boundary
based on recommendations in the Technical Components Document (Attachment E), and
that carry forward the pillars and strategies described in the Envision Eugene Draft
Proposal, March 14, 2012.
Mr. Brown, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved to amend the motion to strike all references
to the Clear Lake Road area in Attachment E.
Mr. Brown opposed expansion of the UGB onto wetlands and high-value farm soils, which were
dominant in the Clear Lake Road area. Such soils were unique and could not be replaced. He also
opposed the development of new industrial uses near homes, parks, and schools.
Mr. Zelenka proposed to table the amendment because he had a recommendation for the order of
discussion.
Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Mr. Brown, moved to table the amendment. The motion
passed, 6:1; Mr. Farr voting no.
Mr. Zelenka, seconded by Ms. Taylor, moved that the council first discuss industrial
lands, then the airport, then the single-family housing mix, and then multi-family
expansion areas. The motion passed, 6:1; Mr. Farr voting no.
Industrial lands
Responding to a question from Ms. Taylor, Airport Director Tim Doll indicated that any airport-owned
land must, under federal law, be zoned for exclusive airport use. In response to a follow-up question from
Ms. Taylor, Senior Planner Alissa Hansen indicated that the airport was contiguous to the UGB in two
places and there were approximately 150 acres in the vicinity being proposed for inclusion in the UGB as
industrial.
Ms. Taylor questioned why Eugene would want to locate housing near polluting industries and if the City
must set aside land for polluting industries. Ms. Gardner said that locating housing near polluting
industries was not a strategy in the plan. The City must be mindful of such conflicts in regard to both new
and existing uses. She said that the staff-proposed motion was intended to allow time for such issues to
be addressed before the formal adoption process.
Returning to the subject of the Clear Lake Road area, Mr. Brown opposed the expansion of the UGB onto
farmlands for industrial use even if the land was not now being actively farmed. He anticipated such land
would be used for food production eventually.
Mr. Brown cited the staff memorandum included in the packet titled Envision Eugene: Follow-up on
Industrial Lands from Council Work Session and determined from Ms. Burke that the Joint Elected
Officials Regional Economic Prosperity Plan had been used to determine key industries for the region.
Staff had used the list of clusters of key industries to identify land suited for those uses, which led to
identification of the Clear Lake Road acreage under consideration.
Mayor Piercy reminded the council that Urban Services Manager Denny Braud had provided information
about the City’s industrial zones and their differing land requirements. Mr. Braud had indicated that staff
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 30, 2012 Page 2
Work Session
did not envision the Clear Lake Road would be used for heavy industrial uses but rather lighter industrial
uses more compatible with housing.
Associate Planner Jason Dedrick expanded on the remarks of Ms. Burke, explaining that staff had used
the targeted industry clusters to identify suitable lands. In regard to the issue of Goshen versus the Clear
Lake Road area, Mr. Dedrick emphasized that providing lands in one area did not preclude the need for
lands in another area. The land in Goshen was unique and the industries interested in locating in Goshen
might not be interested in the Clear Lake Road area. Conversely, an industry with more interest in being
close to the airport might not be attracted to Goshen.
Mayor Piercy called attention to staff’s response to a councilor’s question regarding potential restrictions
on industry for the purpose of health or quality of life (page 84 of the packet) that emphasized the
importance of not placing heavy industrial uses adjacent to residential uses, suggested such lands be
zoned campus industrial or light/medium industrial, and specifically cited target industries such as solar
panel manufacturing, food processing, and research.
Mr. Zelenka asked Ms. Gardner and City Attorney Emily Jerome a series of questions clarifying the
process and how staff would interpret the council’s direction while maintaining consistency with State
law.
Mr. Clark believed the City’s analysis regarding projected employment growth was lacking and he
advocated for a more aspirational approach that accounted for job growth caused by nonresidents. He
suggested that the City was not identifying sufficient land for employment growth. He also called for
analysis of the impact of new land on the tax base over the next 20 years and the impact on the costs of
operating a government that delivered the services citizens wanted.
Mr. Clark left the meeting.
Mr. Farr questioned the purpose of revisiting the work done by the Technical Resource Group at this
point given the process that lay ahead. He supported moving forward with the original motion so the
questions of concern to councilors could be answered and the outstanding issues resolved.
Mr. Pryor suggested that no progress would be made without acceptance that the process was both about
data and values. He called on councilors to be thoughtful and deliberate when it came to those “article of
faith, belief, principled aspects” that the council had yet to discuss as a body. He acknowledged the
process was not straightforward and would require the councilors to come to some policy consensus
before it moved onto the technical aspects of the issues.
Mr. Brown indicated that he would also ask the council to strike the provision in Attachment E calling for
th
council initiation of a plan and code amendment to redesignate the former Naval Reserve site on 13
Avenue to medium-density residential. He believed the proposal was premature given the fact the
Jefferson-Westside Neighbors Board of Directors unanimously endorsed the site as a temporary homeless
site and camping spot. He supported that goal.
Responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, City Attorney Jerome clarified that the City had a legal need
for more industrial land because State law required the City to take a comprehensive approach to the
question of need that went beyond numbers and that encompassed policy questions such as what type of
industries the community wanted and what it was best suited to support. From that basis, the City did not
have a workable inventory of industrial lands. The City was also considering redesignation of its less
suitable industrial lands for other uses, which reduced the inventory further; however, that exercise had
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 30, 2012 Page 3
Work Session
not created the need. City Attorney Jerome suggested it was a case of the industrial lands inventory being
“a bunch of ties when everyone needed socks.”
Mr. Zelenka suggested the City’s approach to industrial lands spoke to Mr. Clark’s interest in a more
aspirational process. Speaking to Mr. Brown’s concerns about the soils in the Clear Lake Road area, Mr.
Zelenka suggested that those challenges would be found in other areas considered for expansion as well.
Mr. Farr believed that the community needed more jobs and more industrial and residential land and it
needed those things soon. He suggested the council base the decisions it had to make now based on the
information it had been given and allow the manager to finalize his recommendations. He pointed out
that State law compelled the City to add land and jobs. He acknowledged that some people preferred to
slow the process but he believed it was time to move forward.
Mayor Piercy determined that with the exception of Ms. Taylor, the council was ready to move forward
with the manager’s recommendations regarding industrial lands and the Eugene Airport with the caveats
previously expressed.
Responding to a question from Mr. Zelenka, Ms. Gardner said that Goshen’s land inventory could not
satisfy Eugene’s industrial lands need because it was not in Eugene and was not considered urban. City
Attorney Jerome added that Lane County was seeking an exception from the State to allow industrial uses
in Goshen. If that land became available the City could evaluate its impact at some future time and
determine if the industries locating in Goshen were satisfying Eugene’s job growth need. However, it
appeared that Goshen was seeking to attract a different type of industry than Eugene was attempting to
attract.
Mr. Zelenka acknowledged Eugene had few good choices in regard to expansion for industrial lands and
the manager’s recommendation could represent the least objectionable choice. How such lands were
developed was important, particularly with regards to social equity and environmental justice concerns.
He hoped to revisit those issues to ensure that the Seven Pillars were adequately addressed as it regarded
UGB expansion for industrial purposes.
Mr. Zelenka supported including the Eugene Airport inside the UGB and asked about potential
downsides. Land Use Planning Manager Steve Nystrom said including the airport in the UGB could
affect the facility in the long-term by restricting the land immediately available for expansion for
operational purposes. He believed more discussion of the implication of the shift was needed.
Mayor Piercy adjourned the meeting at 1:28 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Beth Forrest
City Recorder
(Recorded by Kimberly Young)
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 30, 2012 Page 4
Work Session