HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022 04 05 CCI Minutes & Regular Session W_PPApproved: June 6th, 2022
Committee for Citizen Involvement/ Springfield Planning Commission
Minutes for Tuesday April 5th, 2022
Meeting held on-line via Zoom
Committee for Citizen Involvement Meeting
Planning Commissioners Present: Chair Andy Landen, Vice-Chair Matt Salazar, Grace Bergen, Michael
Koivula, Kuri Gill, Sophie McGinley, and Andrew Buck
Absent – None
City Staff: Sandy Belson, Interim Planning Manager; Monica Sather, Senior Planner; Molly Markarian,
Senior Planner; April Miller, Communications Coordinator; Shannon Morris, Planning Commission
Assistant; Kristina Kraaz, Assistant City Attorney
Willamalane Staff: Kristina Boe, Landscape Architect; Eric Adams, Planning, Parks & Facilities Director
Chair Landen called the meeting of the Committee for Citizen Involvement to order at 6:00 pm.
Community Engagement Plan (CEP): Willamalane Comprehensive Plan
Senior Planner Monica Sather introduced this agenda item seeking the committee’s feedback for
Willamalane’s Community Engagement Plan (CEP) for update of its Comprehensive Plan. Willamalane’s
Comprehensive Plan is one chapter of the City’s Comprehensive Plan in compliance with Oregon
Statewide Planning Goal 8.
Kristina Boe, Landscape Architect for Willamalane, presented (see attached presentation).
Key comments and take-aways:
• Willamalane’s community engagement should include outreach strategies such as public
services announcements and radio spots. Short audio / video presentations in Spanish should
also be created to engage the Latinx and Spanish speaking community members.
• Targeted community outreach should include NGOs, diverse populations, low-income groups,
communities of faith, organizations such as Springfield Rotary, Arc of Lane County, Food for
Lane County, NAACP, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, the Chifin Native Youth Center,
Lane County tourism, hotels, and other service providers, and Boarder Boys Bike Club.
• Outreach should also consider users of Splash! at Lively Park who live outside Willamalane’s
service district. These users would benefit from seeing informational signs at the facility. QR
codes could be included in the signage with more detail about the Plan.
• Springfield Public Library should be included in outreach strategies.
Motion: Commissioner Salazar moved to adopt the Community Engagement Plan in the agenda packet
provided as attachment 1. The motion was seconded by Commissioner McGinley. All Commissioners
voted in favor. Motion carried.
In response to Commissioner Landen’s request, Sandy Belson gave a brief tutorial on how the
Commissioners log in and read comments in the SpringfieldOregonSpeaks website.
Approved: June 6th, 2022
Attested by: Sarah Weaver
Commissioner Salazar reminded the Commissioners to click on the “read” button so the public can see
that their comments have been viewed.
Assistant Attorney Kristina Kraaz confirmed that logging into the SpringfieldOregonSpeaks Website from
a personal computer does not raise the same legal issues of emailing/ storing public records on private
devices.
Commission Landen adjourned meeting of the Committee for Citizen Involvement at 6:52pm.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Planning Commission Meeting
Planning Commissioners present: Chair Andy Landen, Vice-Chair Matt Salazar, Grace Bergen, Michael
Koivula, Kuri Gill, Sophie McGinley, and Andrew Buck
Absent – None
Staff: Sandy Belson, Interim Planning Manager; Monica Sather, Senior Planner; Molly Markarian, Senior
Planner; April Miller, Communications Coordinator; Brian Barnett, Traffic Engineer; Michael Liebler,
Transportation Planning Engineer; Emma Newman, Senior Transportation Planner; Loralyn Spiro, DPW
Lead Communication’s Coordinator; Shannon Morris, Planning Commission Assistant
Kristina Kraaz, Assistant City Attorney
Chair Landen called the Planning Commission meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
Business From the Audience
Joni Mogstad / temporarily on 51st Street explained that she called the Springfield Police Department
(SPD) because she was unable to access the road where she lives. The street was blocked by parents
picking up their children from school. The congestion on the street leads to long wait times, which can
result in a public safety issue. The SPD informed her that this was not their responsibility and she
needed to find a way around the blockage herself. Question: If law enforcement is not responsible for
unblocking traffic in this instance, can the Planning Commission clarify who is responsible?
Commissioner Koivula suggested that she contact the Springfield School District. Another good venue to
address her concerns is the SPAC (Springfield Police Advisory Committee).
Main Street Facility Plan
Commissioner Landen: A public hearing was held on February 15th, 2022. The item was left open for
public comment until February 22nd, 2022. Any comment provided after that date will be submitted to
the City Council for their public hearing planned for May 2nd. Tonight’s deliberations are to decide to
approve, approve with modifications, or not approve the Main Street Facility Plan.
Conflict of Interest Roll Call: All Commissioners declared that they do not have any potential conflicts of
interest.
Staff report Draft Facility Plan:
Molly Markarian presented on the Main Street Draft Facility Plan (see attached presentation).
Approved: June 6th, 2022
Attested by: Sarah Weaver
Commissioner Salazar asked to review the second to last slide of the presentation listing the proposed
modifications saying it would be helpful to expand the language of the fourth bullet point concerning
the right of acquisition and what that process would look like. This has been a hot topic in public
comment.
The Commission deliberated on the Draft Facility Plan noting the following points:
• The 20-year + project will cost 130 million dollars not including inflation.
• The infrastructure modifications suggested in the draft Facility Plan directly address the safety
concerns for the Main Street corridor. The plan would cut the number of fatalities by half,
reduce severe injury, and result in less costly property damage.
• An Addendum to Technical Memorandum #6 was just posted to the City’s website, specifically
Table 1. The speed limit was lowered from 40 mph to 35 mph in 2016. The below table provides
a comparison of crash frequency and severity before and after the change in speed limit.
All crashes:
2012 – 148 2016 – 135
2013 – 130 2017 – 110
2014 – 115 2018 – 95
2015 – 120 2019 – 105
There is a downward trend of crashes during that time period.
Injuries and Fatalities:
2012 – 78 2016 – 83
2013 – 67 2017 – 67
2014 – 55 2018 – 68
2015 – 71 2019 – 67
No trend has been established. There appears to be more fluctuation between 2012 –
2016 than 2017 – 2019, which appears to be relatively static.
Staff provided the following points in responses to questions from the Commission:
• The grant with the best return with respect to safety is the All Roads Transportation (ARTS)
grant. The State targets roadways with the highest crash numbers. This is a jurisdictionally blind
grant with regard to which governmental agency applied. The cost / benefit ratio is the deciding
factor in approving the grant. Once approved, the public outreach phase begins, including
conversations with the property and business owners affected. If there is a Main Street Facility
Plan in place and adopted, that would provide the guidance as to how the engineers would
design the construction infrastructure improvements.
• This project will eventually include the e-NEPA – environmental assessment or environmental
impact statement, which includes outreach and impacts. The best way to include specific
information would be to adopt a toolbox of solutions reflecting public comment to the Facility
Plan.
Approved: June 6th, 2022
Attested by: Sarah Weaver
• Design of roundabouts will accommodate the longest truck for Rosboro Lumber and other
trucking companies. It is possible to design a round-about that will service all different kind of
trucks.
• With the limited funds likely to be available for this project, it is planned to keep the current
curb width and sidewalk locations as they are for the foreseeable future. As of now, there will
be no right of way purchases in the early stages of the plan. When that transitions, depends on
when the funding is allocated to enter the next phase of the project.
• The key safety enhancements can be implemented inside the existing curb.
• If right of way is needed, it would be purchased through an independent land appraisal process.
• If businesses lose parking spaces, there could be efforts from the City to assist in redesigning
parking lots to create additional parking spaces. Business or property owners would be
compensated for any loss of parking spaces.
Kristina Kraaz explained that the appraisal process in cases of eminent domain can sometimes involve
the court to weigh in, but often the process involves using ODOT’s clearly outlined process to arrive at a
fair compensation. This process is not always one involving the judicial system. If a business needs to be
relocated, there is a State and Federal law called the Uniform Relocation Act that requires certain
formulas for relocation.
Commissioner Koivula referenced his position paper expressing his concerns and standing on the Facility
Plan and made the following comments:
The project would cost $130 million in today’s dollars without factoring in inflation and that "binding
and mandatory" language in the proposal would lock in the current design ideas, even if there were
significant changes in transportation, the economy, or other factors.
Any significant bike, pedestrian or transit improvements in the design were envisioned for the very last
phases of the project, which would leave the "high stress" bicycle and pedestrian environments as is for
a long time and transit stops would continue to impede traffic.
He expressed concerns that round-abouts facilitate a continuous flow of traffic (removing gaps in traffic
that allow for turns) and in some cases (Exhibit A1 on p. 73) could increase chances of collisions. That
initial implementation leaves curb line in place, leaving bike lanes narrow. He’s most concerned with
the binding nature of the plan given potential for changes in economics and transportation over the next
20 years.
In response, Kristina explained that having an adopted Facility Plan addresses public concerns by
requiring that ODOT’s design/construction would follow the adopted policies and use the solutions in
the Facility Plan toolbox.
Commissioners expressed the following concerns:
• The pedestrian beacons that have been placed in the last decade are not being used.
• Raised medians may not address the safety issue since they could encourage jay-walking
• Is there a way to reduce the size of the median without impacting safety outcomes?
• The safety of the round-abouts.
• Competing factors: safety, traffic flow, and impact on businesses & community
Staff addressed the concerns of the Commissioners:
• The continuous flow of traffic provided by the round-abouts is very efficient.
Approved: June 6th, 2022
Attested by: Sarah Weaver
• There is a reduction in delay compared to a traffic signal.
• The Mill Street intersection to Franklin Blvd round-abouts is 1,500 feet. They are no driveways
creating friction works, so the road essentially acts like a cattle shoot that enables vehicles to
move unimpeded.
• The round-abouts and medians would cut the crash experiences by half.
• A narrower median has been considered where it would fit, but that is highly dependent on how
many breaks are in the median and if there are turn lanes. Reducing the width of the median
would come at the cost of limiting the amount of breaks.
• The crash rate on round-abouts is similar to a traffic signal, but the crash type is different
leading to less severe outcomes, far fewer fatalities, and fewer injuries with some property
damage.
Several Commissioners reinforced the need to save lives and reduce injuries. Others expressed a desire
to look further for solutions.
Commissioner Buck suggested moving pedestrian crossings further away from round-abouts and
creating more separations for pedestrians and cyclists in high traffic transition/conflict areas.
Motion: Commissioner Salazar moved to adopt the order and recommendation as in the Agenda Packet
as attachment 2 with the following changes recommended by the City Attorney to include the exhibits D
and E in the motion. Commissioner McGinley seconded. Landen, Salazar, Gill & McGinley in favor –
Koivula, Bergen and Buck opposed. Motion caries 4-3.
City Council Reports from the Commissioners
Commissioner Gill: The City Council met on March 15th for a work session. The topic was a partnership
grant for publicly shared bicycles. City Council requested additional information:
• To check in with the business community on their support for this proposal;
• More data about the impact resulting from where these bicycles would be sited and;
• How the access and use of the bicycles would work considering the long narrow shape of the
city.
Business from the Planning Commission
Commissioner McGinley: The Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) conducted a
public hearing on March 30th for the climate friendly and equitable communities’ rule-making process.
There is a question-and-answer session held by the Land Conservation and Development Commission on
Monday, April 11th from 2PM to 3PM.
Business from the Development and Public Works Department
Return to City Hall for Hybrid Meetings: Sandy Belson said it is targeted to have the next Commission
meeting take place in a hybrid format on April 19th. The Commissioners can choose ad hoc whether they
attend the meeting in person or virtually.
The Commissioners expressed some concern about the camera angles of the in-person participants.
Staff will address this issue.
Next Meeting: April 17th at 6PM in the Council Chambers and via Zoom.
Meeting adjourned 9:01 pm.
WILLAMALANE
PARK AND RECREATION
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN
Springfield Committee for
Citizen Involvement
Presentation
Overview 1.Project Scope and Timeline
2.Project Support
3.Strategies for Community Engagement
BerryDunn
Willamalane
Project Team
Advisory Group
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Willamalane Board Update
City Council & County Updates
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
1.General Public
1. Ongoing: Promote general project awareness
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
1.General Public
2.Target groups stated as priorities per Statewide
Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan
a.Older adults & accessibility
b.Diverse Populations
c.Youth
d.Low Income
1. Ongoing: Promote general project awareness
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
1.General Public
2.Target groups stated as priorities per SCORP
a.Older adults & accessibility
b.Diverse Populations
c.Youth
d.Low Income
3.Community Partners
1. Ongoing: Promote general project awareness
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
1.General Public
2.Target groups stated as priorities per SCORP
a.Older adults & accessibility
b.Diverse Populations
c.Youth
d.Low Income
3.Community Partners
4.Staff
1. Ongoing: Promote general project awareness
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Considerations
-Translation of written materials
-ASL and Spanish interpretation
-Childcare
-Hybrid options
-Utilize partners in the community
-Facilitator and environmental considerations
-Incentives (for example $50 gift card, food)1. Ongoing: Promote general project awareness
Online Engagement
Statistically Valid Survey
Online Surveys
Focus Groups
Stakeholder Interviews
Town Hall Meetings
Internal Staff Engagement
Pop Up Events
Project Pitch
EAG / Listening Sessions
Partner/Board Updates
MAR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APRIL
NEEDS PRIORITIESConsultant Led Effort
Willamalane Led Effort
Ongoing Goals:
●Promote general project awareness and
promote Willamalane parks, programs,
events & services.
Phase 1 (NEEDS) Goals:
●Gain a deeper understanding of WHO lives
in district.
●Learn about gaps, barriers, needs, and
preferences within the park district.
Phase 2 (PRIORITIES) Goals:
●Learn about the community’s priorities for
park & rec focused projects, programs,
events, services, etc.
●Gage support of final plan
recommendations.
WEEK 4WEEK 3WEEK 2WEEK 1
PM Meeting
P&D Check In
CoS & LC Staff Update
Superintendent Report
Board Update (Quarterly)
BD Agenda Outline
Advisory Group Meeting
Project Team Meeting
COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
BD: BerryDunn, Project Consultant (aka GreenPlay)
PM:Project Manager
CoS:City of Springfield
LC: Lane County
Q