[NLC] Where things stand with Envision Eugene

[Paul Conte]

Dear Mayor and City Councilors,

Eight weeks from tonight you're scheduled to make critical decisions 
on the "deal points" of Envision Eugene.

I thought it might be helpful to provide a concise recap of where things stand.

WHAT WILL YOU BE DECIDING ON FEBRUARY 28?

Excerpts from October 13 City Council work session Web cast

48:48 George Poling
I don't want to go beyond our own self-imposed deadline. Not because 
of what the State may or may not do, what the community is going to 
think of us. If we can't set a deadline on a project, even though 
it's a major project like this one, and we can't stick to it, involve 
the community, and come up with a workable solution, what's the 
community going to think of us?

50:38 Alan Zelenka
I also agree with George that the deadline is important. Deadlines 
are good. They're great for me at work, and they're great for us 
here, and we need to stick to them because they force us into making 
decisions and getting there.

1:20:10 Alan Zelenka
What is it exactly that we're going to get [in February]? What does 
that look like? What are those "hard decisions"? Let's be more 
specific about that Jon and Lisa. And how to we get there from where 
we are right now?

City Manager:
My intent in February is to present to the Council a package of 
decisions, however you want to describe it, in which you are ... um 
... think of it in sort of the "deal points" of a deal. You know when 
we say in this case a line on the map; you're adopting a UGB or an 
amended UGB I guess is the right term for that. ... So, you're 
actually identifying a UGB; you're identifying a ...

Alan Zelenka: Lines on a map?

City Manager:
Yeah. Lines on a map. You're identifying strategies with reference to 
the infill and what Lisa has talked about for using properties and 
all most efficiently and here's how we want to get to that point. And 
so I think you're actually saying: "Here is what the deal points 
are," which is backed by data and analysis and all those kinds of 
things. But then you say "Yes," and what we're doing is moving that 
forward. ... My intent is that what you've approved in February, 
barring any sort of unusual piece that comes up, is what is the final product.

1:25:45 Alan Zelenka:
So it's like we will make the decision points, the deal points, the 
bullets; and then we will say: "Go make the contract to make the deal 
happen and get it signed."

1:27:34 City Manager:
What we're trying to do is have all of the stakeholders, which really 
is the community to say: "We're OK; we support those deal points." 
... So that's what we're trying to do at this point, to really get 
agreement on those deal points with enough specificity around them so 
people understand what that means; not just a general concept, but 
enough specificity, and then we can work through that.

1:28:43 Planning Director
... and after we have sort of the deal points in place where you say 
"Yep, this is where the UGB line should go, and this is what our 
efficiency strategies should be ...

1:29:22 George Brown
Will there be a map with a dotted line that says this is what 
Manager, staff and citizens drew?

City Manager: Yes.

Planning Director: Exactly!

City Manager:
So the answer is: Yes, there will be a map with a line on it. ... 
[and] You will have more than a weekend to look at the map.

HAS ANYTHING RESEMBLING A TENTATIVE NEW UGB MAP BEEN PRODUCED?

Not that has been shown to the public.

WHAT HAS THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE GROUP PRODUCED?

Not a single agreement on anything nor any other work product related 
to "deal points" or "lines on a map" has yet been produced.

HAS THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE GROUP WORKED ON ANY SPECIFIC AGREEMENTS 
REGARDING A NEW UGB?

Not yet.

WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE AND PLAN FOR THE COMMUNITY RESOURCE GROUP?

As of today, no future meeting has been scheduled and no work plan, 
milestones or deliverables established.

WHAT OTHER EVENTS ARE SCHEDULED?

January 12   --  City Council work session ("Social Equity"), 12:00 
noon, McNutt Room, 777 Pearl
January 26   --  City Council work session ("Environmental 
Stewardship"), 12:00 noon, McNutt Room, 777 Pearl
February 3   --  Public Workshop, 4-7 pm, North Eugene Location TBA
February 9   --  City Council work session ("Goal and Strategy 
Overview"), 12:00 noon, McNutt Room, 777 Pearl
February 10 --  Public Workshop, 4-7 pm, South Eugene Location TBA
February 16 --  City Council work session ("Strategies and Tactics"), 
12:00 noon, McNutt Room, 777 Pearl
February 16 --  Sustainability Commission (TENTATIVE -- results of 
Triple Bottom Line analysis by Planning staff), 5:30 p.m., McNutt 
Room, 777 Pearl
February 22 --  City Council public hearing, 7:30 p.m., Council 
Chamber, 777 Pearl
February 28 --  City Council work session (likely staff 
recommendation for Council decisions), 5:30 p.m., McNutt Room, 777 Pearl

After inquiring with the Planning Commission President and other 
commissioners, I received no indication the Planning Commission has 
yet scheduled any hearings or meetings on Envision Eugene.

HOW WILL NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC BE ABLE TO 
ENGAGE IN A WELL-INFORMED AND EFFECTIVE MANNER?

Two weeks ago, I requested the EE Project Director provide me 
information I could include in a neighborhood newsletter that would 
provide JWN members adequate information to become well-informed and 
participate in a discussion about Envision Eugene at an upcoming JWN 
meeting. To date, despite repeated requests from myself and Councilor 
Brown, staff hasn't provided that information.

Our deadline for submitting information for the neighborhood 
newsletter that's mailed to all residents and businesses just before 
our February meeting is about a week from today.

Basically, other than the meeting schedule above, neighborhood 
leaders have nothing useful to provide their organization members.

We urgently need staff to lay out exactly how neighborhood 
organizations (and the general public) will have a meaningful 
opportunity to affect Council's deliberation and decisions on February 28.


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Given the above circumstances, I think many neighborhood leaders 
share my desire that the City Manager or Mayor explain to us how the 
next eight weeks of the Envision Eugene process will provide our 
City-chartered neighborhood associations a reasonable opportunity to 
engage in the Envision Eugene decision process in a timely and meaningful way.

Respectfully,

Paul Conte, Chair
Jefferson Westside Neighbors
2010 Eugene Neighborhood of the Year  
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