HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/27/2014 Work SessionCity of Springfield
Work Session Meeting
MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION MEETING OF
THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD
TUESDAY MAY 27. 2014
The City of Springfield Council met in a work session in the Jesse Maine Meeting Room, 225 Fifth
Street, Springfield, Oregon, on Tuesday May 27, 2014 at 5:30 p.m., with Mayor Lundberg presiding
ATTENDANCE
Present were Mayor Lundberg and Councilors VanGordon, Moore, Ralston, Woodrow and Brew. Also
present were City Manager Gino Grimaldi, Assistant City Manager Jeff Towery, City Attorney Mary
Bridget Smith and Lauren King, City Recorder Amy Sowa and members of the staff.
Councilor Wylie absent (excused).
1. Overview of the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC)
Environmental Services Manager, Matt Stouder, presented the staff report on this item.
Mr. Stouder introduced Michele Cahill, Eugene Wastewater Division Director. He also acknowledged
Councilor Marilee Woodrow who served as the Springfield council representative on the MWMC.
The Council has expressed an interest in learning more about the MWMC, its operations and assets,
and factors and regulations driving MWMC's capital program and regional wastewater budget.
Mr. Stouder presented a power point for this discussion. The Clean Water Act was passed in 1972.
The MWMC was formed in 1977 by an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between Eugene,
Springfield and Lane County, to provide wastewater collection and treatment services for the Eugene -
Springfield metropolitan area. That was done at that time, in part, to take advantage of Federal
funding available to construct wastewater treatment plants. A groundbreaking for the treatment plant
was held in 1979, and it came online in 1984. In 1989, the bioswales management facility came
online. The MWMC manages regional assets with a net worth of approximately $300 million,
including the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), the Biosolids Management Facility and
Biocycle Farm, the Beneficial Reuse Site, and regional pump stations and pipelines.
Under the terms of the IGA, Springfield provides for the construction of regional facilities, permit
compliance and administration, financial planning and budgeting, facilities planning, property
management, and other duties. The City of Eugene is responsible for operation and maintenance of all
regional facilities, as well as managing MWMC's laboratory and associated testing requirements.
The MWMC holds a National Discharge Permit Elimination System ( NPDES) permit, issued in 2002
by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). This permit expired in 2006 and has
been placed on administrative extension by DEQ, with a permit renewal likely in the next few years.
Provisions contained within the NPDES permit are the primary drivers that affect the MWMC's
capital program, budget and rates. In 2004, the MWMC Facilities Plan (FP) was approved by MWMC
and the governing bodies, and laid the framework for approximately $200 million to be invested in
capital improvement projects to meet water quality requirements contained within the permit. Meeting
the covenants associated with over $115 million in revenue bonds issued in 2006 and 2008 and Clean
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Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) loans to invest in projects within the 20 -year FP is a key factor
affecting the regional budget and rates, as is establishing revenue adequacy to fully fund reserves and
adequately operate and maintain the regional facilities.
MWMC is positioning itself for a future NPDES permit renewal and foresees a number of new and/or
revised water quality regulatory issues on the horizon. These new issues, including requirements
related to temperature, toxic pollutants and a host of other water quality parameters, will continue to
require planning, capital investments, and an increased focus on source control through pretreatment
programs and will drive future MWMC budget and rates.
The MWMC representatives include 3 elected officials and 4 citizen representatives. The key
outcomes for MWMC are:
• High environmental standards
• Fiscal management that is effective and efficient
• A successful IGA partnership
• Maximize reliability.
Ms. Cahill pointed out the locations of the regional facilities and pump stations. Regional staff
operates all 53 pump stations for both local communities. The regional wastewater treatment plant has
a capacity to treat 277 million gallons a day, so there is capacity for growth in future years. On an
average day, they treat 30 million gallons. They are open 24/7, 365 days a year. The main purpose of
the plant is to take dirty water and make it clean as most of it gets discharged to the Willamette River.'
A bioproduct of cleaning the water are the biosolids which are then transformed to soil amendments.
In that process, gas is created which is then used for heat and electricity in their processes and
operations. The biosolids are pumped about six miles to Autumn Lane to the biosolids management
facility. At that site, there are four lagoons where they further stabilize the biosolids, and thirteen
drying beds. The biosolids then go through presses and other processes that turns the biosolid into soil
amendments. They create about 4500 dry tons of soil amendment a year and apply it at the poplar
fields and nearby farmer's fields of non -food products. They had 600 acres of agricultural land, 400 of
which is planted in poplar trees. The trees are watered in part with recycled water.
Mr. Stouder reviewed and described the revenues and expenses for MWMC. A large portion of the
expenses went towards operations to keep the facilities running. Approximately 33% of expenditures
are used to pay back revenue bonds to cover loans for capital projects. Roughly 16% of the funding
went to capital programs. The Commission strives to use system development charge (SDC) revenues
for debt service, maximize capital transfers and stay in a position to make only the lowest responsible
rate increases. The main drivers for their financing are to meet the existing bond conveyance, maintain
a favorable credit rating and also to avoid rate spikes, and positioning for future capital investments.
He referred to the 2004 Facilities Plan that was a phased `build as needed' approach. It was a $195 M
(2006 dollars) project funded in part with bonds. The Plan focused on wet weather flows and sanitary
sewer overflow reduction that related to a bacteria rule put into place. An update on this Plan will be
done in the next few years.
Ms. Cahill referred to a slide showing how things went from pretreat to final clean water to the river.
The facility plan touched every process at the plant. She acknowledged the good work by Springfield
staff as the administrative partner of MWMC. They did a great job working with the operational
people to minimize disruption, and kept things moving forward while keeping operations going. She
noted some of the work done including improved aeration basins and relined lagoons. They strived to
be a good neighbor to those residences nearby in regards to odor control and landscaping.
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Mr. Stouder said this year MWMC did their first trial harvest of some of the poplars at the poplar
farm. They have 400 acres divided into three management units and they harvested 52 acres of the
oldest poplars. The remaining harvest would occur in 2014/2015. The harvest included 100% of the
tree. The materials were processed and chipped onsite and were shipped to western Oregon and
Washington markets. They worked with Lane Forest Products in this process.
Councilor Ralston asked what the wood was used for.
Mr. Stouder said it was mostly chips.
Ms. Cahill said it could also be made into cardboard boxes and charcoal
Mr. Stouder said due to the twelve year cycle, it was difficult to get it large enough for saw logs and it
was a soft wood. They did find a good chip market. There are a number of challenges faced by
MWMC in the future including permit renewal, temperature standards, toxic pollutants, and facilities
plan update. Appeals had been filed on some of those standards, making it difficult for MWMC to
plan, budget and construct projects. Oregon has some of most stringent toxic standards in the nation
and those will be incorporated into the permit in the future. Some of the toxics, such as certain metals
and pesticides, can't be treated at the plant so would need a separate facility. He provided a slide
showing national trends and cost of treating water compared to the average Consumer Prices Index
(CPI). Different environmental requirements are put into permits depending on the region. Regardless
of location, the projected trend is for user fees to continue to increase due to aging infrastructure and
more stringent standards. They tried to offset costs to ratepayers through resource recovery. Sixty
percent of the plant is powered through methane gas from the sites. They continue to provide
education, offer facility tours, and provide the Clean Water University program for 5`s grade students.
The Commission is considering a survey of the community to gauge their level of understanding and
interest in MWMC and use that as a baseline in moving forward. They also have an eNewsletter.
Councilor Moore spoke regarding the capacity and asked why it was so high compared to the average.
Mr. Stouder said they had gotten close to capacity during wet weather periods.
Councilor Moore said it didn't look like there was that much capacity throughout the system.
Mr. Stouder said it was the overall capacity for anything coming into the plant.
Ms. Cahill said it is a hydrolic capacity for wet weather. There are more improvements scheduled in
the Facilities Plan to capitalize on meeting 277 gallons full treatment. They are able to meet the permit
and treat 277 gallons now.
Councilor Moore asked about the issue during the ice and snow storms, and the power outage.
Mr. Stouder that was taken into account, but there was no credit for the storm.
Councilor Moore said she understood for other damage throughout the City, we are able to get some
assistance.
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Mr. Stouder said they also submitted to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the
labor and materials costs.
A video regarding MWMC was shown
Mayor Lundberg said there are two pieces: the treatment and the capacity. Since we have more
stringent requirements than other states, we will need to continue to pay to meet those requirements.
She asked what as being done at the metro level for overflow, how much is on the City of Springfield,
and how does it get fixed. She didn't want to build more capacity until they met the requirements for
the water going back into the river. She asked how they can address capacity in terms of getting rid of
leaky pipes.
Mr. Stouder said there are capacity and wet - weather issues, as well as toxics issues that will need to be
addressed. Regarding the volume, they are looking to extend a contract with the consultant on seeping
a private lateral program. Private laterals are the portion of the private system that comes from the
house to the main line. The public portion of the system had been invested in significantly. They will
look at both communities and talking about next steps. With any program they put in place, they will
need to decide how and when and the appropriate vehicle. They are also looking at a program called
Capacity Management Operations and Maintenance (CMOM) program which addresses private
laterals and management practices of the entire sanitary sewer system. The MWMC will adopt a
framework for that piece next month. The local agencies had done a gap analysis of their programs for
maintenance practices.
Mayor Lundberg said in terms of a lateral program, the laterals are the property owner's direct
expense. She asked if they had a timeline for that type of program.
Mr. Stouder said part of the study was to determine what a program would look like and how it could
be funded. Several options including starting with some seed money, having property owners pay
immediately when a problem is identified, or having the property owner pay upon sale of the house or
property transfer.
Mayor Lundberg said it is a looming issue and would be costly, so people needed to be prepared and
the}, needed to find ways to address it.
Mr. Stouder said staff would be reporting back on that topic.
Councilor Moore asked if the flow meter is a prohibitive cost from a residence to the public system.
Mr. Stouder said there are flow meters spread out throughout the public side of the system. If people
are interested in installing their own meter, they can look into it further. Significant rehabilitation has
been done in certain public sections of pipe. They had full monitoring data previous to that rehab and
would compare it to data post -rehab to see if there has been an affect. If there is not a large affect, they
can assume there is a large contribution from private lines.
Councilor Moore said there is a flow meter for water coming into her house and wondered how
difficult it would be to put a flow meter where the private system goes into the public system, from the
house.
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Mr. Stouder said he is not aware of any residents having that and it could be costly to retrofit the lines
to install that. There are a number of other ways to get to the same data. Considering the age of our
wastewater infrastructure, anything they could do to keep to the 277M gallons would eliminate the
need to expand.
Councilor Brew said if water could get in during wet weather, then sewage could get out.
Mr. Stouder said water coming in was pressurized, but that didn't mean there aren't cracks in the pipe
which could allow some seepage.
Mayor Lundberg said the lateral issue was something that needed addressed.
2. Flat Monthly Wastewater Rates.
Environmental Services Manager, Matt Slender, presented the staff report on this item.
Council has expressed an interest in investigating the merits of billing residential customers for local
wastewater services based upon a flat monthly rate. Currently, the City bills local wastewater services
to customers based upon the volume of wastewater used per account.
Generally, utilities are billed based on demand placed on the system which is determined by a meter.
This allowed flexibility and choices for the user to affect their bill directly. It also allowed the utility to
measure changes in demand on the system over time and allowed charges to be distributed based on
actual usage, which was generally more equitable. There are three methods for billing: volume meter
(currently in use by the City); bill on a base charge plus a flow component (currently used by
MWMC); or bill using a flat fee. Of the 15 Oregon utility agencies that Springfield includes in its
annual rate comparison, most apply wastewater charges based on the volume of services provided.
Two cities, Gresham and Bend, bill using a flat rate. Staff contacted both communities and found that
they are engaged in a public process to move to a volume based charge. Springfield has about 16,750
residential accounts with average revenue of $4.2M generated in wastewater user fees. The average
home in Springfield uses 4500 gallons of wastewater per month which equates to a $19.07 per month
charge (local charge only). The table on page 2 of Attachment 1 of the agenda packet shows billing
units and gallons of wastewater consumed versus charges. He discussed the current billing method
and the cost per billing unit, and an estimated flat monthly charge. Currently the average user uses
about six billing units (4500 gallons) per month and pay $19.07. In a scenario of a flat rate, the cost
would be approximately $20.50. He described how they determined the flat rate. With a flat rate, the
more wastewater used, the more the user would benefit, and those using less than the average amount
would pay more than they do currently. Currently, the City contracts with Springfield Utility Board
(SUB) through an intergovernmental agreement for utility billing for stormwater and wastewater. For
stormwater and wastewater, the charge is about $162,000 per year. If they implemented a flat rate,
they could continue to have SUB do the billing or could look at what it would take to bill internally.
Staff estimates it would take two full -time staff to administer a billing program, which would include
program oversight, supervision, and appropriate software/hardware. If Council was interested in
exploring these options further, the next steps would be to do a more detailed analysis of residential
customer usage to determine the impact on accounts; talk with SUB about the utility billing services to
identify cost adjustments; develop and evaluate costs associated with the City taking on the billing
services; discuss with partnering agencies of M WMC to identify concerns and/or unintended
consequences; and provide outreach to Springfield's customers regarding any changes or impacts.
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Councilor Ralston said charging a flat rate would cause people to use more water, and would mean
those that don't use much would be subsidizing those that use a lot.
Mayor Lundberg said this was brought up because SUB is charging the City $162,000 to monitor the
meters.
Councilor Ralston said if we had to hire two people, it would cost more.
Councilor Brew said he asked this to come to Council. If they divided the total revenue by the total
number of residential billings, they came up with an average which is lower than what the average
user actually uses. He asked if they are talking about a median in one instance and a mean in another
case.
Mr. Stouder said it could be the median and mean. They didn't have information on the individual
accounts, but only the number of accounts and the average usage.
Councilor Brew said SUB has to check all their meters, but the City is paying half of their cost and
passing that off on our sewer bills. He felt that was unreasonable. He wasn't advocating the City take
on the billing, but questioning why we are paying the meter charge to SUB if they would have to
check meters anyway. Out of the 15 cities, he wondered how many of them were in control of who
checked the meters. It is not common that the City and utility would be separate. He referred to the
chart and asked how much of the $19.07 average cost is a fixed cost and how much is variable.
Mr. Stouder said he would need further analysis to determine those costs separately.
Councilor Brew said if $10 was the fixed cost and the rest was variable, it could vary less than the $2.
His main question is the amount being charged by SUB. If we could save our ratepayers and citizens
money by going to a flat rate, he would support that. He agreed having a cost component for usage
encouraged people to use less.
Councilor Woodrow said she is not a proponent of a flat rate. She uses as little water as possible to
keep her costs down and a flat rate will increase her bill by $8 or $9. She understood the concern about
the extra money for SUB, but didn't feel the flat rate was the answer. They should look further into
the fee paid to SUB and see if there is a way to address that_
Mr. Grimaldi said they could talk to SUB about renegotiating the contract. Another approach would be
to look at alternatives such as doing our own billing. The second option would involve asking SUB
what they would charge for the City to access their data.
Mr. Stouder said the amount charged by SUB had not increased for many years, and they were not
expecting that to increase. There would be costs in running our own program.
Mr. Grimaldi said there was an economy of scale and staff could look for partners where possible. He
noted that Eugene paid EWEB for their billing services. Doing it on our own would not likely produce
savings, but working with partners could be a lower cost.
Councilor Moore asked how Lane County was involved in MWMC and if there are Lane County
users.
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Mr. Stouder said there are some county residents on the regional side. Lane County was in charge of
doing a lot of the fund management initially when the plant was built. There have been conversations
of further regionalization by adding other nearby cities.
Councilor Moore said there are people living just outside the city limits whose water runs off into City
streets. She asked if they paid.
Mr. Goodwin said they don't pay a stormwater user fee.
Mr. Stouder said they were not likely connected to the system.
Discussion was held regarding those outside the city limits not paying into the system, and others in
the city limits who are not connected to the system yet are paying.
Councilor VanGordon said he was ready to walk away from the discussion of flat rates. He wanted to
keep an incentive for people to conserve water and save money, The $162,000 fee to SUB seemed
reasonable and he wasn't ready to have the City take on our own billing as it would mean another bill
for residents to receive. He would like to see an itemized contract so they know exactly what services
they are paying to SUB.
Mayor Lundberg asked if the billing rate from SUB had increased on a regular basis.
Mr. Stouder said it has gone up, but not in the last few years.
It was noted that costs would go up with an increase in users, postage and other costs.
Councilor Brew asked if the $162,000 was the total the City paid to SUB.
Mr. Stouder said that was what Springfield paid locally to SUB.
Council asked staff to bring back details of what the City paid to SUB.
Councilor Moore said she would also like to see a comparison of what Eugene paid to EWEB.
Mayor Lundberg said they would not pursue the flat rate, but would look closer at the amount paid to
SUB for their billing services.
3. Springfield 2030 Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) Study: Council Discussion (Metro Plan
Amendment File No. LRP 2009 - 00014)
Principal Planner, Linda Pauly, presented the staff report on this item.
The Council is in the process of reviewing new information and identifying additional information to
be provided by staff to inform the City's UGB expansion and 2030 plan policy proposals.
• At the April 28th work session the Council received information to compare the probable
costs of providing urban levels of service to the five study areas and directed staff to provide
more information to inform Council's discussion, including but not limited to: Commercial
Industrial Buildable Land/Employment Opportunities Analysis (CIBL/EOA) policy choices;
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location and size of redevelopment areas in the existing UGB; feasibility and cost of phasing
service extensions to expansion areas or portions thereof, and economic development
considerations.
• At the May 5th work session the Council reviewed the Results of Stakeholder Outreach and
directed staff to provide more information about flood plain development and agricultural
uses.
• At the May 12th work session, Council received information about cost to serve smaller
portions of the study areas and infrastructure financing mechanisms. Council directed staff to
bring back information on redevelopable parcels inside the UGB, parcels that could be
redesignated, and look at the potential for a smaller expansion.
Staff is conducting additional analysis as requested and will provide that information to Council as it
becomes available. As Council seeks to reach consensus on which lands to be included in
Springfield's UGB expansion proposal, Council may also discuss other actions the City may take to
plan and zone sites for economic development and job creation.
Ms. Pauly referred to several maps of the different areas under consideration. The packet in front of
the Council was input that had been received by staff over the last couple of weeks. She noted that
Council had asked about the working farms in the Seavey Loop area. She referred to a map showing
the area and working farms in that area. Council also asked to have the map marked showing which
landowners supported expansion in their area and those opposed, and about information on the Rice
property off 56h Street. Ms. Pauly contacted the owner last week who told her that their most
productive area of their orchard was the piece marked as suitable for employment. They have about
192 acres of filbert orchards which are marketed by Hazelnut Growers of Oregon, a grow- your -own
co -op. They sell to domestic and international markets, and are moving more towards a niche market
and value added products. She noted the variety of trees grown on this property. They have an Oregon
State University (OSU) research control area testing on their property right now for non -spray
technologies to combat filbert blight. Their orchards are revitalized and are in various stages of
rehabilitation. The soils are deep floodplain soils that required no irrigation. Council also asked for
information and maps showing floodplain and floodway areas.
Ken Vogeney, City Engineer referred to maps showing floodplain and floodway and identified each.
Jim Donovan, Planning Supervisor spoke regarding comments from Earle Wicklund regarding
development in Tualatin Commons. He distributed a map and documents related to this development
site which was built around a lake. He also referred to the flood insurance rate map which showed
three different waterways where the office portion of this development was built in the 1990's. All
were located in areas zoned low -depth (one to three feet of flooding) per the FEMA flood maps. At
that time, that zoning was developed under Tualatin's floodplain ordinance which is similar to
Springfield's. Looking at this area today under the constraints of the Environmental Species Act
(ESA) law suit in Washington, it would be very difficult and expensive to develop during this time of
interim liability. The Citys tact would be to require the applicant to go to FEMA and National
Incident Management System (NIMS) to do their own assessment of potential impact with regards to
protected species and their critical habitat. He felt that same development could very easily or
effectively be built at that same location in Tualatin at this time. The second example noted by Mr.
Wicklund in his comments was the Creek Side Business Center in Beaverton. He displayed the site
map and FEMA map of that area. The area of development is in a floodplain off of Fanno Creek. The
plat that created that office complex and those buildings would have a difficult time getting approved
today. This development was built in the 1980's.
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Mr. Vogeney said another question from Council was whether or not development could occur in a
floodplain under Springfield's current ordinances. Development can occur under our Floodplain
Development Overlay. It allows for fill and building within the regulatory floodplain and is very
restrictive in terms of building within the floodway. The floodplain is where the water would go in a
I% chance of flood in any given year. The floodway is not necessarily something identified on the
ground, but is built from a mathematical model. It assumed one -foot fill on both sides of the floodplain
until the level of the floodwater rises one foot. At that boundary is the floodway. Those are the current
FEMA regulations. Floodplains can be filled, but fill and development is not allowed in floodways
unless they can prove they are not changing the water elevation at all during development. When the
Riverbend PeaceHealth campus was built in Gateway, there were specific issues they had to address
regarding flood plain analysis. They were required as part of their development to do a detailed
analysis of three river miles along the McKenzie River. The City asked them to evaluate, with the fill
they wanted to do on their site, the effect it would have on the floodplain and floodway determination.
In addition, as they did their fill in incremental phases, they needed to identify where the water would
go in the interim to make sure water wasn't going to pushed to someone else's property and causing
damage.
Mr. Donovan distributed documentation that guided some of the discussion during the Commercial
Industrial Buildable Land (CIBL) study which included some short definitions of floodplain and
floodway. He also distributed the City's floodplain ordinance. Floodplain was often referred to as the
area of special flood hazard for the 100 -year flood. The floodway is the area necessary to convey the
flood without increasing the height one foot if everything were filled. Development in the floodway
was virtually impossible for commercial and industrial development because it requires an analysis
that would demonstrate that any increase in the level of the flood during the occurrence of the base
flood discharge was prohibited. Springfield's Code says commercial and industrial development can
occur in a floodplain as long as they elevate, flood proof, or both. All development in a floodplain has
to comply with standard construction materials and techniques and methodology for flood proofing
and elevating a structure. He referred to the non - residential construction standards which are based on
insurance rates. The City carries the FEMA program forward as necessary to remain in the flood
insurance program, and don't allow any encroachment that would affect the floodway.
Mr. Vogeney said last May, he and Mr. Donovan discussed with Council changes that are occurring in
the National Flood Insurance Program at the national level. They still don't know what the rules will
be. Last May, the expectation was that the National Marine Fishery Service (NMFS) would be issuing
their decision on how to change the program in July 2013. At that time, Washington DC took the
package back to review and nothing has been heard since. He spoke with the State floodplain
coordinator a month ago to see if she had heard anything new, but she had not. Floodplain
development will get more restricted, but they are not sure how or when.
Mayor Lundberg said the Council could be overwhelmed in information, or they could narrow it
down. They will have to make some choices. As far as they knew, the hospital is sitting beautifully
and is prepared for flood. There will likely be more restrictions in the future, but she would assume
that those areas in North Gateway and College View still had potential for development. They need to
look at what they want and make some decisions.
Councilor Ralston said they knew things can be done in the floodplain and none of the areas being
considered are serious in terms of flooding. He felt they should go forward with making decisions
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based on what they knew now. If the City does something to raise red flags for FEMA, that might get
their attention so they set the rules which gives certainty.
Mayor Lundberg said the North Gateway areas had property owners that are interested and some that
are not. She suggested they look at the interested properties in Gateway and remove the floodway, but
keep the floodplain. In College View, they should also look at interested properties staying away from
the farms that don't want to be included in the UGB. She noted the areas on the map.
Councilor Brew said he was fine with the Mayor's suggestions for the North Gateway area. A lot of
the College View industrial is not in the floodplain at all and didn't include farm land. He asked for
clarification of the study area. Mr. Vogeney indicated it on the map. It is a long way from the farms.
Councilor Brew said he would lean towards picking up all of the College View study area.
Councilor Woodrow said she agreed with both the North Gateway and College View areas. She asked
what happens once they determine the acreage of the selected areas.
City Attorney Mary Bridget Smith said if the Council gave direction to select acreage less than the
amount recommended in the CIBL, they would go back to the CIBL to see if there were some policy
choices for the Council to reconsider to reduce the need, find efficiency measures or other measures.
Staff would bring it all back to Council for consideration. She distributed an overview of the CIBL
with numbers of acres. She discussed the information provided including acreages, targeted industries,
and larger sites needed that were included in that study.
Councilor Brew said he would like to see the gap once they chose the sites. He pointed out on the map
land owned by Weyerhaeuser in the North Highway 126 study area.
Mayor Lundberg said they could pick two sites and see how many acres more might be needed.
Councilor Ralston said the property owned by Weyerhaeuser in the North Highway 126 area seemed
like a good location because it had good freeway access. They need to look at part of Mahogany Lane
by the Bob Straub Parkway and Jasper Road because it also had good access to the highway. It was a
clear choice to take part of the South Mill Race for park land or Springfield Utility Board. He asked
where the 50 acre lots were located. They need to look at those specifically. He felt looking at parts of
each study area would be needed to get the right mix that is needed.
Ms. Pauly said the draft analysis said about 600 acres was needed, but they could take less if they had
policies to support that.
Councilor Ralston said because of the time involved in this process, he felt they should take all they
could now so they wouldn't have to do it again.
Councilor Moore said in looking at the target industries, the North Gateway area already had medical
services and a call center. She would like to go up the river because of the beauty of the river. The
areas noted by the Mayor in the College View area made sense since they had a manufacturer that
wanted to expand. She would like to look at the acreages of the other areas.
Ms. Pauly said they still had not received input from Weyerhaeuser. She would try to get an updated
contact and reach out to them again.
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Councilor Moore said she agreed they needed to narrow it down and set people's minds at ease. They
do need to preserve as much farmland as possible because we depended on those areas for food
production.
Councilor VanGordon said in the North Gateway area, there was a clear line of those interested and
those not. He would like to see what the total acreage is for the North Gateway area and the College
View Industrial area to see what might be left over. He also wanted to keep the farmland rural. Once
they determine the acreage of those two areas, they should look at the 50 -acre lots and the South Mill
Race as the third option. He would favor looking at properties of those that were interested rather than
those that were not. He asked about the question on job density.
Lauren King from the City Attorney's Office said 1000 Friends suggested the City look at
Springfield's historic employment patterns and population, divide those figures and assume all things
remained equal. That is not how ECONorthwest projected it and not what the law required in terms of
projecting employment. Rather than doing a density equation, a number of factors can be considered,
including the population projected forecast. It was not based on looking at how many jobs per acre,
but what type of jobs will be here and how many acres do those jobs need.
Councilor VanGordon said he would like more details about how ECONorthwest came up with their
figures.
Ms. King said they could provide a more detailed analysis from ECONorthwest for the Council.
Properties in favor and opposed in the Seavey Loop area were pointed out and discussed. There was a
GO buffer between industrial properties and farmland.
Ms. Pauly said when they drew the study area, they followed the slough.
Mayor Lundberg said they had identified the industries they wanted such as medical facilities, but
needed to know what the needs and acreages are for those industries such as what is currently in place
and what else they need to help grow. It would be helpful to have examples of the size of sites that
would make sense in each area.
Ms. Pauly said they also need to consider soil types as well as meeting industry needs.
Councilor Ralston said North Gateway had large sites, and there were some in the South Mahogany
area along Jasper Road.
Mayor Lundberg said properties could also be put together
Councilor Ralston said the lower section of the Mahogany area by Bob Straub and Jasper Road was
logical.
Mayor Lundberg said need to think about where industry would want to locate. She said Council was
interested in focusing on the North Gateway and College View Industrial areas for the industrial needs
(drawing the line between those property owners that supported the expansion and those that did not),
and the South Mill Race area for open space needs. They would also like to have more information on
the Weyerhaeuser property along Highway 126 once staff is able to make contact with them. The
Mahogany area was still a possibility.
City of Springfield
Council Work Session Minutes
May 27, 2014
Page 12
Mr. Grimaldi said Council could use that as a starting point, and then review the information on
industries and acreage in relation to those areas.
The Council agreed.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Minutes Recorder — Amy Sowa
Christine L. Lundberg
Mayor
Attest:
Amy Sow
City Recor er