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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/16/2001 Work Session , .' \ , I , "j \l '''~.' ~-',.. . . . MINUTES OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE SPRINGFIELD CITY COUNCIL HELD ON MONDAY, JULY 16, 200 I The Springfield City Council met in Work Session at Springfield City Hall, Library Meeting Room, 225 Fifth Street, Springfield, on Monday, July 16,2001, at 5:34 p.m. with Mayor Leiken presiding. ATTENDANCE Present were Mayor Leiken, Councilors Ballew, Fitch, Lundberg, Ralston, and Simmons. Councilor Hatfield (present via conference telephone). Also present were City Manager Mike Kelly, City Recorder Kim Krebs, City Attorney Joe Leahy, Police ChiefJerry Smith, Development Services Director Cynthia Pappas, Finance Director Bob Duey, and members of staff. GUESTS Youth Council Members: Sean Nack, Jeff Barker, Erica Westover, Sara Dandurand, Stephanie Smith, Kim Robillard, and Courtney Mitchell. 1. County Capital Projects. Traffic Manager Nick Arnis was present for the staff report. He said the purpose of this work session is to present two projects for council's consideration for application for capital projects. He said staff is recommending that we apply for two projects, 1) Pioneer Parkway Extension PPE), and 2) is the 42nd Street. He said Lane County will use $10 million of the $20 million received in federal timber relieffunds to improve roads in Lane County. He said the County is accepting applications from state and local jurisdictions until August 31 for road projects. He said the County Board would take action at the end of October and reserve discretion on the timing and distribution of the $10 million for the potential projects. He said the Board may also decide to allocate more or less than the $10 million based on the applications and they may determine when the funds are spent. The County Public Works Department indicates that funds could be available June 2002 and spent over the next five years to 2006. He said the County Roads Advisory Committee (RAe) and the County Board have approved application and evaluation criteria for proposed projects. He referred to the Council Briefing Memorandum listed as Attachment A. He explained how the board will rank the projects according to the evaluation criteria. Mr. Arnis said based on the evaluation criteria, City staff recommends applying for two projects: PPE in the amount of $2.7 million and 42nd Street (RR to Marcola Rd.), for $2.5 million. He said these are the two projects that the council over the last year has indicated very strong priority for. Mr. Arnis highlighted the City projects reviewed but not recommended for the funds. He referred to Attachment A - Page 3. Mayor Leiken asked if the$1 0 million is county wide. And how much the total amount of the timber receipts was for dollars that came into the county. Mr. Arnis said yes this is county wide. He said it was his understanding it is approximately $20 million dollars from timer receipts for road projects. .. Minutes of the Springfield City Council Work Session - July 16, 2001 Page - 2 . There was discussion about where the other $10 million dollars might be. Public Works Director Dan Brown said there is a total of$20 million, out of that approximately $12 million can be spent for roads. Senior Management Analyst Eileen Stein said her understanding is that $20 million is left from the County for funding projects. She said the County has decided to split $10 million to use now, and the other $10 million is being held in reserve, and they may allocate that in another year or two. Councilor Lundberg said she supports the project, being part of the presenting team, she said the / projects match what they are looking for and meet the criteria. She said these are both good showcase projects for the county. Councilor Hatfield said the county should be very supportive, Commissioner Dwyer was insistent that the PPE be put into this program. Councilor Fitch said she supports the projects going forward, as long as PPE is in 1 sl position, 42nd street second. 2. Springfield Youth Council. . Councilor Lundberg was present for the report on this item. She said the Springfield Youth council is here tonight this is the first public body they are meeting with, so they are practicing their skills. She turned the meeting over to one of the Co-Chair's Sean Nack. Sean Nack said they welcome any involvement or help you wish to lend to the Youth Council. He said they look forward to a long and happy working relationship with the Springfield City Council. He said the Youth Council wishes to be a medium through which the youth of the community speak to voice their concerns and desires. He introduced Jeff Barker who is going to be ajunior at Thurston High School, and is also President of the Young Republicans Club. Mr. Barker said the Youth Council is made up of 8 youth. 4 from Thurston, and 4 from Springfield High School. He said in late August youth will be able to attend their open meetings, announcements will be conducted during school hours, hoping to make Springfield a better place for the youth. He introduced Erica Westover who is a senior at Springfield High School, and is Vice President of her Student Council there. Ms. Westover said she wanted to talk to the council tonight about a very special project, which is Peer Court. She said Peer Court is for youth offenders in the community ages 12-17, who have committed minor crimes such as 1) minors in possession; 2) theft II and III; 3) trespass; and 4) criminal mischief. They have the opportunity to come before a jury of their peers who volunteer their time to come and do this. She said there are a number of positions in the Peer Court, which include the Bailiff, Court Clerk, and Case Presenter. She acts as the Defendant Advisor and is able to sit down with the defendants and interview them, as well as sit on the stand with them to help them feel more comfortable. She said with Peer Court the hope is to decrease the number of repeat offenders. A lot of youth in the community want to participate, and this provides them the . Minutes of the Springfield City Council Work Session - July 16,2001 Page - 3 . opportunity to do so. She introduced Sarah Dandurand, Senior from Thurston, who recently won best actress in a one act. Ms. Dandurand spoke about the Youth Access Ordinance. She said what they want to see in a youth access ordinance is something that makes it harder for tobacco retailers to sell tobacco to youth. She said in doing compliance checks in the area they found that approximately 20% of retailers in Springfield sell tobacco to youth. She wants to see an access ordinance that license all retailers, and move all the tobacco ads above three feet. They would like to see all the tobacco behind the counter and locked up. She said ordinances have already been passed in many cities, and would like to see Springfield pass a tobacco ordinance. She said a lot of the youth in this community are behind this as well. Mr. Nack said it is already illegal to sell tobacco to a minor, this would just be another tool to use. He introduced Stephanie Smith, a graduating senior from Springfield High School. Stephanie Smith said since this started one of the main goals is to have youth center for the youth in Springfield. She said there are not a lot of options or choices for youth currently. She said they have been looking for a building over the past several months. They are hoping to have a youth center that is run by youth, with opportunities for young entrepreneurs, people to come in to have maybe a coffee shop, and a place where people will come because they want to be there. She said whatever the help that the council can provide to assist them with this project, they are hoping to have something open and running within the next year. . Mr. Nack introduced Courtney Mitchell, a senior from Springfield High, she is the All Student Body Vice-President, and Kim Robillard who is the treasurer for the Youth Council, who is a junior at Thurston. Mr. Nack said these are their three main points at this time. Councilor Hatfield said the City Council would probably be discussing the Youth Access Ordinance after they return from recess, and suggested that the Youth Council attend that work session to be involved in that discussion, and hear the City Council debate the actual issues of that ordinance. Mr. Nack said he would like to be able to act as an advisory to the Springfield City Council on matters that concern youth. Councilor Hatfield suggested the Youth Council sit down with the Willamalane Board to talk to them and ask for their assistance in developing the Community Youth Center. Councilor Hatfield asked what rules the Peer Council follows. Councilor Lundberg said Peer Court is a stand alone, it is a diversion program of the Department ofY outh Services. Councilor Ballew said in the 1990's there was an organization called the teen center, that was absorbed by WilIamalane, asked if they were going to build on to that idea. . ~ Minutes of the Springfield City Council Work Session - July 16, 200 I Page - 4 . Councilor Lundberg said there is currently a teen center that is primarily focused on middle school age kids. Councilor Fitch asked how kids reach the youth council if they aren't able to attend a meeting. Mr. Nack responded and said no open meetings have been held, hopefully in the fall that will happen. Councilor Ballew asked ifthey were going to work with the School District in the coordination of events. Ms. Westover responded they have it set up as another option activity for people who maybe don't participate in school activities, or people who just don't find those activities appealing. They aren't planning around school activities at this time. They see this as an opportunity for people who have attended a basketball or football game at one of the schools to maybe attend the game, and then go to youth center afterwards to hang out. Councilor Ralston asked how each ofthem had an opportunity to join. He said the Boys and Girls Club is always looking for opportunities to partner. Mr. Nack said the members are nominated in the process, application, and interview, and the members of the Youth Council do the selection. . Mayor Leiken commended the Youth Council on their Mission/Purpose/Goals statement. Keeping agenda items at a minimum, looks forward to the Youth Council and the working relationship they will develop with the City Council. 3. Presentation of Market Position Analysis Completed as part of the Glenwood Riverfront Plan. Planner II Susanna Julber was present for the staff report on this item and said she is the Project Manager for the Glenwood Riverfront Plan. She introduced the guests who will be involved in presenting the Market Position Analysis tonight. Laurie V olk, Zimmerman - V olk Associates, Jerry Diethelm, Project Consultant, Otto Poticha, Poticha Architects, and Project Consultant Sarah Woodworth, ZHA, Inc. Ms. Julber said the purpose of this work session was to accept and agree by consensus that Consultants Market Position Analysis is the most feasible redevelopment scenario for the Glenwood Riverfront and the scenario to pursue in the next phase of the Glenwood Riverfront Plan. She said at the council's work session on March 12, 2001, council confirmed their commitment to establishing a Nodal Development land use pattern along the Glenwood Riverfront. At an April 23rd executive session, council discussed with staff the possibility of purchasing options on key properties in the future. At that time, staff reported that the state had authorized funding to complete a detailed economic study by a nationally known consultant experienced in analyzing and marketing challenging sites for future Traditional Neighborhood Developments (TND's). She said this Market Position Analysis was completed on July 11, and provides a detailed analysis ofthe potential build-out of the Glenwood Riverfront for the City or a potential developer who may want to purchase properties along the Riverfront and redevelop the entire area. . Minutes of the Springfield City Council Work Session - July 16, 2001 Page - 5 . Ms. Julber said at this time, there is no [mancial impact for the city. She said the results of the Market Position Analysis provides detailed information on the potential build-out for the riverfront and may assist council in determining where future capital improvement funding should be allocated and assist in establishing a future land use pattern for the Glenwood Riverfront. She said the Analysis confirms that a residential component must be implemented in the riverfront, as a node, to support densities necessary for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to succeed, to implement the policies in TransPlan, the Nodal Development Overlay District, and the Mixed Use Zoning District. She said council's acceptance of the Analysis is consistent with the concepts in many of these other projects. Ms. V olk presented a slide show that highlighted the various amenities of Springfield. Ms. Woodworth said a redevelopment plan for Glenwood, as a whole is necessary. She said an important issue is to have Franklin Blvd transformed, and that will be a vital key to the redevelopment, she said a high amenity road is necessary in order to maximize the value of the land on the site, not just the rivers edge. She said that will probably be the key element to any redevelopment that happens. In order to maximize value, you need to maximize access to the site. She said any plan that is undertaken in this area, must maximize the use of the river. . Ms. V olk said they found several aspects of a development on the Glenwood site that were significant. I) Significant untapped market of younger singles and couples for first time ownership housing; 2) significant untapped market for low maintenance housing. She said they determined what they call the optimum residential market position for this site and that is essentially looking at what can be done here from a residential prospective. She said there are a couple very specific aspects that need to be achieved in order to accomplish a market position that she is talking about. One is a Poticha architect's neighborhood plan. She said it is very critical that they are not talking about dividing this site into pods or Glenwood into pods. She said she is talking about an integrated mixed-use environment where each of the uses enhances the value of the others. She said they have learned from other types of development very similar to this across the country, that this is critical to creating value. She said we have a very high value amenity in the Willamette River, and it will be important to capitalize on that value and bring it into the site. She said it is also advantageous that it is a highly visible location on Franklin Blvd, it isn't hidden away. She said households that would eventually live there, would have easy access to a wide range of retail. Ms. V olk talked briefly about the type of people who would be attracted to either rent or buy real estate in this type of location, and where they might be coming from. She said approximately 2600 households have the potential of moving into a "redeveloped" Glenwood. She said the emphasis is on "redeveloped". She explained the optimum mix for residential. She said it would be critical that this land be highly advertised and marketed. Councilor Ballew asked if the sites were seismically safe? Mr. Poticha said to the best of his knowledge. The financial feasibility study was reviewed. . Ms. V olk said they feel that it is absolutely critical that to insure the maximum values and the quality mixed-use environment, there are certain things that must be done, and that is the mix of Minutes of the Springfield City Council Work Session - July 16, 200 I Page - 6 . office, retail and residential. She said they only had the charge to study 43 acres only. She said a re-development is absolutely essential to achieve the ultimate goal. She said that requires from the public sector both guidance in terms of having the plan create what you want, and investment. The public sector cannot step back and expect private developers to take the full burden. It needs to be a partnership in order to be truly successful. Also, from the private sector, or landowners in particular, there needs to be realistic expectations of what their land values really are. Land owners need to realize that the increase in property values happens once the redevelopment plan is in place, and it is not just dependant on what they want to do, it is an integrated plan. She said they absolutely agree that Glenwood can be transformed, because of it's market advantages. Those are the size, location, access, and the hinge between the cities of Springfield and Eugene. The planned public improvements that have already been decided upon and of course the spectacular riverfront. Ms. Julber added that the consultants that are speaking tonight are experts in the field redevelopment of difficult and challenging sites. Mayor Leiken said one thing not mentioned, and he feels it may be one ofthe areas of Glenwood that would be very difficult to overcome right now, is the transfer site directly across from the L TD main offices. He said the University of Oregon could be considered a tremendous asset to the redevelopment of Glenwood. He said there are probably five dominant property owners in Glenwood that have been long time residents, and probably don't see the vision as we do. . Councilor Lundberg said in referring to the five landowners and Glenwood having a long history; in fact they have an unofficial Mayor of Glenwood. She said it has it's own unique characteristics, and she is very protective of that. She asked how do you capitalize on the fact that these land owners probably build their property from the ground up, and very proud that they live in Glenwood. How do you capitalize and build upon that uniqueness that is within that community? Ms. V olk said what needs to happen is that the people who are already living there must be involved in the process, it will be critical to the success of the re-development. She said a plan does not necessarily mean that you wipe everything out and start over. What it means is you evaluate the area, determine what the assets of Glenwood are, and ask those who live there what they would like to keep. It must be a public, open process. She said you then incorporate all that information into the plan. There is already some value there, it may not be obvious in the existing environment, but there is some value. The smartest thing to do is to use that value as a starting point that creates something that will be of value, and not just another new community that is not utilized to it's potential. She said the re-development plan for the entire area is for people to understand where you are going and how you are going to get there. Councilor Ralston asked for clarification is the 43 acres between the river and Franklin Blvd? Ms. Julber said yes. . Councilor Fitch said this property is in her Ward. She said one of the agreements in the Glenwood Refinement Plan with the citizens was we would take that existing Refine Plan that they worked very hard, and not shove something new down their throat, without public input. Because of that, she appreciates the comments about the public process and input. She said if the truth be know, if you look at the Gateway area 18 - 20 years ago, it was not then what it has Minutes of the Springfield City Council Work Session - July 16, 2001 Page - 7 . become today. She said the Plan is very important in order to see the big picture, rather than piece by piece along Franklin. There were discussions regarding the Plan come before the sewers. Councilor Simmons said we need a bigger plan, the focus on the 43 acres is admirable. He said from 1947 when the last major flood went through that area there has been a lot of change. He said the dynamics ofthe people who live south of Franklin Blvd, are a very important part ofthis picture. He said there needs to be a plan for all of Glenwood, it isn't just this 43 acres. The issue ofthe river accesses, and habitat process is very important. Ifwe neglect to look at the whole scheme of things, in his opinion would be a real problem. How do you make the magic work between the city and development community is a mystery. He would like to see a vision of a broader Glenwood, rather than just focusing on this. However if we had the money, this might be one page of the larger book, lets not narrow the thinking, but expand it in a way that becomes beneficial to us in the long-term future. He agrees there should be a Plan before the sewer flows. Councilor Ballew said she likes the data that was prepared. She knows other studies have been done, she would like to see a vision ofthe whole area, and complete it in a partnership method with the people who live in Glenwood. . Councilor Hatfield said the first thing to recognize is to overcome years and years of benign neglect by Eugene and Lane County. He agrees that we need to have a vision larger than the 43 acres. He said the development community isn't going to look at the site given it's present condition, unless we have a vision that something bigger is going to take place. He said this rep()rt spells that out very clearly. He commended staff on the report. He said there are three things that need to be done: I) Re-design and rebuild Franklin Blvd. He said he learned from the downtown Charette that the main street is critical to the success of an area. 2) Master Plan needs to encompass a larger area; 3) outlast some of the holdouts in the area. He said it would be important to focus on what we can do, as a city, is to redesign or rebuild Franklin Blvd., and make that into a main street. Councilor Ballew said just a reminder; Franklin Blvd is a State highway. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:01 p.m. Minutes Recorder - Kim Krebs .