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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 2015)
in part because of Portland’s inner-city decline in the late 1980s and ’90s. “Infill has really transformed the city’s pros- pects,” he says. Infill works when an area of a city is “going downhill,” Fregonese says, or a city has “a great plan that doesn’t rely Get ready to grow. Portland is focusing on infill to meet its on grandiose ideas or heavy subsidy,” and “steady political growing population, but Eugene is looking to expand its city leadership provides a stable hand and resists the ‘prairie fire’ limits in the next few years. The sprawl is likely to happen mentality that we are all going to die if someone infills a despite the city’s commitment to make Eugene more bike and three-story mixed use building.” pedestrian friendly. Councilor Betty Taylor opposes expansion of the UGB Five years of community input and technical analysis have and says the destruction of prime farmland for industry “is in led to Envision Eugene expansion plans that appear to be fa- direct contradiction of our avowed interest in food security vored by the city administration and the majority on the coun- and reduction of the carbon footprint,” and “we could easily cil, including Mayor Kitty Piercy. change the ratio of single-family to multi-family and elimi- But don’t expect anti-sprawl advocates, nate the need” to expand housing land. She or even some council members, to remain does favor UGB expansion for Santa Clara ‘While we may not Park. quiet when the proposals go public begin- ning next week. See times and places be- Councilor George Brown agrees, say- be able to stop growth, low. ing he’s “very skeptical of the ‘need’ to we should not Some infill elements are in the Envi- expand the UGB for single-family hous- encourage growth.’ ing. More disturbing is the push to cover sion Eugene plan, but expanding the urban growth boundary (UGB) for residential up productive farmland with industrial — COUNCILOR BETTY TAYLOR and industrial development is controversial plants north of Clear Lake Road. This area since Eugene already has a low population is comprised of mostly Class 1 and Class 2 density and hundreds of acres of undeveloped industrial land. soils, among the very best quality soils in the entire world,” Expansion leads to more infrastructure, more vehicle miles and they make our valley famous for its agricultural prod- traveled, more police and fire services, etc., and system de- ucts. “When you pave them over with asphalt and concrete, velopment charges never cover the hidden costs, according to they are gone forever, further diminishing our ability to Eben Fodor of Eugene, author of Better Not Bigger — How to achieve local food security.” Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community. Taylor adds that “while we may not be able to stop Fodor is concerned about plans to develop the LCC basin and growth, we should not encourage growth. There is a limit its impact on traffic at 30th and Hilyard, which is already at to the capacity of the airshed, as well as the watershed, to capacity. City services will cost about $45,000 per home, not sustain healthy conditions for human beings.” counting transportation-related costs, he says. Envision Eugene recommendations will be presented at Noted Portland urban planner and consultant John an open house from 4 to 6 pm Tuesday, Jan. 13, at the Atrium Fregonese says he has “observed Eugene my whole career lobby, 99 W. 10th Ave., and at a public forum at 7:30 pm and for a great town they are really underperforming — prob- Tuesday, Jan. 20, at Harris Hall, 125 E. 8th Ave. The coun- ably because of fear. The key to overcoming that is to start cil is planning a work session on the topic Jan. 28 followed where there’s consensus and move out as experience grows.” by more hearings, including before the Lane County Com- Fregonese says some UGB expansion is acceptable, but mission. See envisioneugene.org regarding the proposals. Portland has welcomed infill “quite a lot more” than Eugene, — Ted Taylor ENVISION EUGENE SPRAWL PLANS GET PUBLIC REVIEW The Willamette Valley Sustainable Foods Alliance is planning its annual “Fun with Fermentation” Festival from 11 am to 4 pm Saturday, Jan. 10, at the Veterans Memorial Building at 16th and Willamette. A variety of local business will be there sampling products either made by their company or made with their ingredients. WVSFA members will be showcasing breads, beers, mead, cheese, teas and other locally produced products. The event has an educational focus centered on discovering the many ways that fermentation is used in making foods and the different types of locally produced fermented foods. Live demonstrations include sauerkraut, bread starters, mulled beer and miso. Vendors include 100 Mile Bakery, Agrarian Ales, Down to Earth Distributors, Independence Creamery, Herbal Junction, Hop Valley Brewing, McKenzie Mist, Mountain Rose Herbs, Nectar Creek Honey Wine, Singing Dog Vanilla, Take Root Magazine, Wandering Goat and more. Suggested donation of $5 with two cans of food for FOOD For Lane County or $10 without food donation, kids 12 and under free. As we go to press this week, several local businesses are set to be recognized as finalists for the Bold Steps Award at the Mayor’s State of the City address Jan. 7. They include Café Yumm!, Essex General Construction and Thermo Fisher Scientific. The award recognizes sustainable businesses and recognizes a partnership between the city of Eugene, Mayor Kitty Piercy and BRING’s RE:think Program. POLLUTION UPDATE BY PAUL NEEVEL HAPPENING PEOPLE Know anyone whose good work deserves attention in this space? Call the editor at 484-0519 or editor@eugeneweekly.com. The new nonprofit Rapid Access Center (RAC) and Medical Clinic is having its grand opening from 4 to 6 pm Thursday, Jan. 15, at 195 W. 12th Ave. The facility offers same-day assessment and treatment for “those suffering from behavioral health issues” and provides immediate medical attention if needed, according to a statement from Willamette Family, Inc. which operates the facility and others in Lane County. Jon Smith is the senior program manager for the RAC. “If someone is motivated to get help and they have to wait, they might lose their drive,” he says. “We’re here to provide services immediately.” For more information, call Willamette Family at 344-0031. Tuesday, Jan. 13, is the deadline to register for the gathering of local arts organizations called “New Connections in the New Year.” The event is from 5:30 to 7:30 pm Friday, Jan. 16, at the Oregon Supporting Living Program (OSLP) offices, 309 W. 4th Ave. Sponsored by Emerging Leaders in the Arts Network and the Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene. Space is limited. Email director@artsbusinessalliance.org or call 242-2364. KELSEY JULIANA “I was known as ‘eco-girl,’” says Kelsey Juliana, recalling her K-8 years at the Village School in Eugene. “I ran down the hall, turning off lights, and went through the recycling bin to find usable stuff.” The daughter of Catia Juliana and Tim Ingalsbee, who spurred on the Warner Creek timber sale protest, she was two months old when her parents got married at the protest site in May of 1996. “I grew up around adults who made it their life’s work to protect these places,” she says. At age 14, with the help of her mom, Juliana became a co-plaintiff in a lawsuit to require the state to develop a strict carbon emissions reduction plan. The suit was dismissed in Lane County Circuit Court, but reinstated in 2014 by the Oregon Court of Appeals. It will go to trial in March. Juliana took part in a week-long Sierra Club grassroots training camp after her freshman year at South Eugene, then returned as a trainer the following two summers. She was one of nine young climate activists nationwide to write and narrate a short documentary film, and she often speaks in local schools, at film festivals and rallies. After graduation in June of 2014, she joined the Great March for Climate Action. “I walked from Nebraska to D.C.,” she says, “15 to 20 miles a day. We met a lot of mayors and a couple of governors.” Juliana heads back east this month to begin environmental studies at Warren Wilson College in Asheville, North Carolina. Her short film and a long interview with Bill Moyers are easy to locate and view online. We hear the dramatically lower gas prices are good for local businesses. Transportation costs are down for everything that travels by car or truck, which improves profits now and maybe customers will benefit later. Car sales are up and more people are traveling. The downsides don’t get much attention. High fuel prices helped alternative transportation enterprises grow and kept our focus on locally produced goods. Will we see bike businesses and local farmers take a hit, and less support for cycling and pedestrians? We expect urgent care and ER rooms to get more business. More drivers and more vehicles means more collisions and more cracked skulls. Be careful out there. Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) recently followed up on the pre-enforcement notices it sent to Jeanne M. Burris and Michael & Rosemary Cress in November for illegal waste-tire storage at property owned by Burris at 29882 Kelso St. in Eugene (see EW 12/11, goo.gl/uGo453). DEQ sent Burris a civil penalty assessment in the amount of $15,041 on Dec. 31, and sent Michael Cress a civil penalty assessment in the amount of $19,755 the same day. Burris is the current owner of the property, while Michael Cress is a prior owner. It is against Oregon law to store 100 or more waste tires without the appropriate permit, and the Kelso Street property has an estimated 10,000 tires. eugeneweekly.com • January 8, 2015 7
