HomeMy WebLinkAboutApproved Minutes - 2010-02-09 (03) CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING
` MINUTES
February 9, 2010
Mayor Jack Hoffman called the special City Council meeting to order at 5:33 p.m. on
February 9, 2010, in the City Council Chambers, 380 A Avenue.
Present: Mayor Hoffman, Councilors Jordan, Hennagin, Olson, Moncrieff, and
Tierney. Councilor Johnson was excused.
Staff Present: Alex McIntyre, City Manager; David Powell, City Attorney; Robyn Christi ,
City Recorder; Sidaro Sin, Senior Planner; Bob Galante, Redevelopment
Director
3. STUDY SESSION
3.1 Mayor's Institute on City Design: Design Matters for Successful Cities
Mayor Hoffman mentioned that he gave a 20-minute presentation on a North Anchor project at
First and B to the attendees at the Mayor's Institute on City Design last July. He indicated that the
mayors from the cities of Lake Oswego, Gresham, Beaverton, Bellingham, Los Altos, Chico, Napa,
and Hillsboro attended. He stated the names of the experts on the expert panel: Ellen Dunham
Jones (Georgia Institute of Technology), Skip Graffam (OLIN), Paul Morris (Parsons Brinckerhoff),
Gordon Price (Simon Fraser University), Michele Reeves (retail expert), Jeff Schnabel (PSU), Roxi
Thoren (architect specializing in urban farming), and William Wenk (landscape architect).
He reviewed the questions that the experts were prepared to answer with respect to his
presentation.
• Was a civic use, such as a library, an appropriate anchor for the retail at First & B?
• What other uses could be combined with the project to help spur pedestrian activity along the
full length of First Street?
• What were the optimal programming space and mix of uses?
• How could the library be designed to be a profit and not a barrier to the adjacent residential
neighborhood?
• How could the project best interface with State Street and reach across State Street to provide
connectivity with Foothills.
• How could a new library be developed and programmed?
The Council watched the video of the Mayor's presentation and the experts' commentary. Mayor
Hoffman occasionally paused the video for a comment.
Mayor Hoffman noted that Michele Reeves was a retail expert. She preferred using restaurants
over libraries to generate foot traffic for retail, as people went to the library to get their books and
then left. Mayor Hoffman noted that someone later on spoke of programming cultural events at
the library to generate foot traffic.
Mayor Hoffman indicated that Ellen Dunham Jones from the Georgia Institute of Technology
argued that there would be an enormous market for an urban lifestyle within the suburbs.
Mayor Hoffman noted that the speaker and others recommended that the City approach the
owner of the Wizer site and suggest a public/private partnership.
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February 9, 2010
Mayor Hoffman indicated that he would invite Paul Morris, a financial expert on public/private
partnerships, to speak to the Council when he was in Portland this spring.
Mayor Hoffman mentioned that Paul Morris' focus was on Foothills as the component that would
drive retail and make the whole town of Lake Oswego successful.
COUNCIL QUESTIONS
Mr. Galante indicated to Councilor Jordan that he guesstimated a height of 18 to 22 feet for any
elevated crossing of Hwy 43, although crossing over the railroad tracks required something
substantially higher. He indicated that there was probably a 65-foot grade change down into the
Foothills area from State Street; any crossing would not be graceful or visually pleasing.
Mayor Hoffman recalled that the experts challenged the mayors to think bigger, which was one of
his take aways from the conference. He spoke of combining Downtown and Foothills in figuring
out how to get down to the river. He mentioned the debate about whether a multi-use library would
fit at the edge of the core or some other place, such as Wizer's. He agreed with Councilor
Hennagin that tying Foothills to the Downtown required more crossings than the two usually
discussed.
Councilor Moncrieff commented that the idea of Foothills wanting to come to the Downtown, as
suggested by one of the speakers, was a new way of looking at the situation for her. She
mentioned another comment about maintaining edges for the local businesses that could not afford
the 'Sur la Table' lease prices, but would create the vibrant, multi-generational diverse urban feel
that they were discussing. She recalled this topic coming up this morning at the Strategic Business
Alliance when some Downtown business owners expressed concern about the high leases.
Mayor Hoffman identifed Jeff Schnabel of PSU as the speaker who pointed out that nothing was
broken at First & B now; the current businesses located there were successful. He mentioned that
Michele Reeves, who worked extensively on Mississippi Street in Portland, has moved back to
town and was available to talk to the Council about retail.
Councilor Jordan commented that Ms. Reeves' point during the wrap up was important: the key
block at Wizer's would redevelop. She remarked that, while she would love a library with a reading
room overlooking the lake, she expected that many businesses would like a view of the lake and
would also provide a tax benefit to the community. She mentioned a comment that the public
money investment in the Downtown should be in an area that would not redevelop quickly on its
own and was the best economically viable site at this time.
Mayor Hoffman recessed the meeting for a break at 6:50 p.m. He reconvened the meeting at
6:55 p.m.
3.2 Urban Design Presentation
Mr. Sin gave a slideshow presentation of urban design ideas and elements that he saw in
Vancouver, B.C., on the recent trip taken there by Council and staff members. He described his
presentation as a "visual exploration in the art of possibilities." He noted that the government and
growth planning for the Portland Metro region and the Greater Vancouver Regional District were
very similar, such as Portland having an urban growth boundary and Vancouver an urban
containment boundary.
He noted that the two areas were also similar with 2.2 million people living in 25 jurisdictions on
450 square miles of land In the Portland-Vancouver area, and 2.1 million people living in 21
jurisdictions on 1,100 square miles of land in the Vancouver, B.C. area. Both areas had regional
growth strategies and public transportation systems.
He mentioned that one take away from Vancouver for him was the idea that multifamily did not
need to be large or bulky. He spoke of using single-family design elements and alleyways, and
placing multi-family on corners to use two different street frontages to address the larger mass. He
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described several examples in the Kitsilano area of mixed-use developments on a major arterial
that did not look like multi-family but fit in well with the single-family residential neighborhoods
behind them. He noted that the local streets coming off the main corridors were very narrow.
Councilor Moncrieff pointed out how the phased landscaping and the mature trees added to the
character. She commented that Vancouver must have as stringent a tree code as Lake Oswego
Councilor Tierney asked how Vancouver created multi-family buildings that felt like they were part
of the neighborhood. He noted that the multi-family units recently build in First Addition clearly
stood out as different from the neighborhood. David Leland explained that part of the reason was
that virtually every development deal in Vancouver was negotiated with the City. He indicated that
these negotiations went beyond the typical Code process, in that Vancouver had economists on
staff to work with the developers. He mentioned another factor that there was no Court of Appeals
beyond the Vancouver City Council, which allowed a certain rigor not seen in the U.S.
Mayor Hoffman pointed out that First Addition had a multi-family zone that stopped, as opposed to
integrating multi-family into a single-family zone.
Councilor Jordan commented that, while it would be interesting to put this kind of housing in a
neighborhood like hers, her neighborhood had no alleys. Instead, it had deep narrow lots with flag
lot-like driveways going down the side.
Mr. Sin pointed out that, in Vancouver, the character and feeling of the streetscape had the final
say in determining compatibility, even more than the design of the structure itself. He showed
examples of housing with parking sideloaded and rearloaded. He described how a corner mixed
use development in Kitsilano transitioned to single-family residential using building structure,
architectural elements, and streetscape. He agreed with Councilor Jordan that this example was
similar to the Lake Grove Village Center plan. Councilor Jordan recalled that the town she grew
up in looked similar to this example, with residential units built in the 1920s and 1930s to
accommodate families, rather than single-family homes.
Mr. Leland commented that part of what they saw in Vancouver was the difference between a
performance environment and a prescriptive environment. A performance environment was staff-
intensive and time-consuming, requiring negotiations on every development to build something that
created a sense of community. However, the solutions were not built into the code. He recalled
asking the Vancouver Chief of Planning if they could have achieved the sense of place using a
form-based code. The Chief categorically stated no; it required a transactional relationship
between the public and the private sectors.
Mr. Sin showed examples of low and mid-rise developments, which involved larger community
open spaces and grander pedestrian walkways. He mentioned the strong sense of community he
encountered when a resident told him how much she loved living in this area because of its
accessibility to a variety of services. He pointed out the internal pedestrian alleys, the underground
parking, and the mix of building heights. Mayor Hoffman commented that this area averaged 16
units per acre using a `horizontal skyscraper' concept, which might be applicable to Foothills.
Councilor Moncrieff mentioned that the families with young children lived in this area, pointing out
the elementary school right across the street from this development.
Mr. Sin showed a brewery redeveloped as a senior assisted living facility. He presented examples
of different types of mixed uses along the corridors in Vancouver, from three to four stories to taller
(25-story) buildings. Mr. Leland mentioned that Vancouver was a cultural melting pot with a
tremendous in-migration from the Far East where intense urban living was the norm. People were
ready to move a family into a high-rise environment.
Mayor Hoffman recalled that the Urban Land Institute's report on Lake Oswego discussed how
the different generations in Lake Oswego viewed housing. He mentioned that he has read data
indicating that they had sufficient single-family homes to last for the next 20 years because the
demand was changing from a single-family residence in the suburbs to something else.
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Councilor Jordan observed that Lake Oswego's strong school system as one factor that could
pull people into the community. She commented that people might be willing to live in something
smaller and different because of the educational opportunities available and the quality of life.
Mr. Sin showed other examples of mixed-use developments, including a grocery store with
condominiums above and a Home Depot store down the block. Mayor Hoffman pointed out that
the Home Depot had so little parking that people paid to have their purchases delivered to their
homes.
Mr. Sin showed the Portico project with underground parking and a strong pedestrian connection
to a nearby park. He pointed out how the design of the interior courtyards emphasized the
pedestrian scale and reduced the impact of the four to twelve story buildings framing the
connection. He noted how the massing of the buildings, architectural elements, and personal
elements, such as rooftop gardens, combined to reduce the scale of the tall buildings in this and
other developments.
He showed examples of higher density center type of developments that illustrated how the visual
impact could be addressed through design elements and designing in context in order to create a
more efficient use of land and infrastructure. He began with Collingwood, a redeveloped industrial
site with a high percentage of single family residential. He explained that one reason why this
project was so successful was the coordination with the neighborhood residents regarding the
services, green spaces, and community amenities they wanted to see in the area.
Mr. Leland commented that the Collingwood example illustrated the negotiated relationship with
the developer, in that the pedestrian on the street experienced a three to four story environment,
yet the development included high rises.
Councilor Tierney wondered what impact the elevated rail line running through the development
had. Councilor Moncrieff commented that she thought it had less of a visual impact because a
pedestrian at the street level did not see the tracks and rails, and there was opportunity for more
green spaces.
Mr. Sin showed the Surrey Town Center, an area under development over the next five to eight
years per the development plan. He indicated the unusual architectural anchor building with a
large public plaza in front of it.
He showed the Port Moody area, which was similar in socio-economics to Lake Oswego. He
indicated that Port Moody decided to develop a town center close to the commuter rail line with its
focal point of a one story green grocery building. He mentioned the mixed uses and the variety of
building heights from one story to 20 stories.
Mr. Leland commented that two years ago there were two powerful forces at work in Port Moody
that Lake Oswego did not have: tremendous in-migration and the pre-selling of many of the
buildings before construction started. He indicated that, in Canada, a developer could use his 25%
down payment on constructing the development instead of holding it in an escrow account.
Mr. Sin showed an example of the pedestrian scale seen when walking down the street with the
shorter buildings to the front and the taller buildings behind. He noted that the mix of street
furniture and landscaping also worked to bring the area down to the pedestrian scale.
COUNCIL DISCUSSION
Councilor Jordan mentioned that parking was a major topic at this morning's economic strategy
session. She suggested looking at various options for parking cars, other than huge parking
garages, including an experimental strategy in Portland to use a parking garage as car storage,
similar to boat storage. She pointed out that no matter how much they tried to create a walkable
community, people would still drive in to the retail and activity centers.
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Mayor Hoffman pointed out that parking need not be right in front of a store. He cited Bridgeport
Village with its parking at the end of the block. He spoke of creating a pedestrian friendly
environment to get people out of their cars to walk two blocks instead of 20 feet.
Mr. Galante commented that mechanized parking would require changing the definition of a
parking space in the Lake Oswego Code. He indicated that the current definition of a parking
space was an on-ground space of a certain dimension with a certain backup area.
Councilor Jordan asked how they could work creatively with developers in order to get what they
wanted for the community without having to rewrite the code all the time. She commented that she
saw the current code provisions as the biggest impediment to developments of innovative design
and creativity. Mayor Hoffman suggested talking with Mr. Leland, as he thought there ways to do
it. Mr. Galante mentioned that staff was trying to develop a strategy for having a code that met the
City's future needs for flexibility. Councilor Jordan mentioned that they also did not want to inflict
something on the neighborhoods that the residents did not want.
Mayor Hoffman expressed his hope that the Council, the Planning Commission, the Development
Review Commission, and others could return to Vancouver, B.C. this year as they worked their
way through issues with respect to the Downtown and Foothills.
Councilor Tierney commented that he would like to know what drove the design of the multi-
family development in First Addition, whether it was the Code or the desire of the developers.
Mayor Hoffman speculated that it was the developer building to the Code while trying to maximize
the structure to make the development pencil out.
Councilor Jordan recalled remarks made by Councilors Olson and Hennagin about saving
existing housing and redeveloping it rather than tearing it down. She pointed out that there was a
break point when it became more expensive to renovate an older house than it did to build a new
one. She commented that one way of maximizing investment on an expensive land was to build
multi-family housing for four families instead of a 4,000 square foot single-family house. Mayor
Hoffman observed that making that choice was the lesson from Vancouver, although one had to
work with the neighborhoods to get community buy-in of the concept.
Councilor Hennagin commented that putting parking underneath added significantly to the
expense of the structure. Mayor Hoffman acknowledged the point but held that there were ways
for a jurisdiction to work with a developer to achieve the desired product. Councilor Jordan
mentioned that some builders put in basements simply to maximize the building; putting in four
parking spaces instead of a theater room would accomplish the same objective.
4. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Hoffman adjourned the meeting at 7:48 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Robyn hristie
City Recorder
APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL:
ON 18 2 10
Jack . offman, Ma
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February 9, 2010