Residents and businesses surrounding Autzen Stadium are rightfully concerned over proposed expansion plans, especially in light of the fact that the University is seeking to increase seating capacity at the venue without offering more on-site parking spaces for those extra 12,100 fans.
But administration officials and city planners have worked diligently to ease those worries and we applaud their efforts — with a few caveats.
The University’s goal is to lighten the parking space requirement via an amendment to Eugene’s Land Use Code — Section 9.586 for the purists, which requires one parking space for every 4.4 seats in the stadium. Even with a current 50 percent reduction allowance in place, the University would have to find a way to provide 1,375 extra spots on-site, and with expansion costs already estimated at $80 million, the less money spent, the better.
However, as anyone who lives or owns a business within a mile radius of Autzen knows, congestion is already a nightmare in the area on game days. Mobile quacker-backers spill over from the stadium site and park in just about any empty space they can find, creating headaches for property owners and residents in the area.
To tackle the issue without throwing extra cash into a parking structure or some other unsightly alternative, University architects and a private traffic consultant firm in Portland have designed a Transportation Demand Management Plan. The strategy received its first official OK Monday when the Eugene Planning Commission voted unanimously to accept it as sound and ready for consideration by the City Council.
The 74-page document is geared toward highlighting several travel alternatives for fans making their way to Autzen, including a focus on making pedestrian access safer along Centennial Boulevard, creating more convenient bicycle access for those inclined to arrive on two wheels instead of four and encouraging more people to use public transit. In fact, the plan aims to increase that usage from approximately 6,000 spectator bus trips per game to 11,200 spectator trips.
All is good with the plan to this point.
The problems — those pesky caveats referred to earlier — arise in exactly how to accommodate the increased transit patrons. In its TDM Plan, the University has done what seems like an adequate job of providing for the extra service. There are proposals to expand by anywhere from 34 to 39 the number of buses in operation to shuttle fans from off-site park-and-ride facilities.
The University would also develop an effective signage plan on major approach routes to Autzen, so that out-of-town fans could be directed to those lots. There was also discussion at Monday’s commission meeting suggesting that those bus rides be made free to fans.
However, once in the Autzen area, the plans take a controversial turn.
Three options focused on bus staging areas — places where the buses would discharge fans before the games and pick them up post-game — are offered in the TDM Plan. Two of the choices are on University property, either along Leo Harris Parkway or in a lot just northwest of Autzen.
The third alternative — and the one that both University officials and city planners prefer — would be situated on city property currently leased by the Willamette Science and Technology Center.
Two potential wrongs are attached to this third plan and we all know about the “two wrongs” cliché.
Firstly, WISTEC has for the past several years been generating revenue by selling season parking spaces to football fans; under this option that money may evaporate and WISTEC will suffer.
Secondly, the bus staging area as designed could affect East Alton Baker Park, a habitat for native vegetation and wildlife. The park is situated close enough to the bus area such that diesel fumes from idling buses and general noise pollution might impact the environment and disturb park-goers. (Yes, people do engage in other activities not related to football on game days.)
University and WISTEC officials both say that they would like to negotiate a fair deal in regards to the parking lot issue. City Manager Jim Johnson has met with both the University and WISTEC to help hammer out a deal, although the two principal parties have yet to sit down and discuss matters.
We have not seen nor heard any information to the contrary, so we expect the University to be fair and just in its meetings with WISTEC. The Autzen Stadium expansion plans already suffered one major public relations disaster when Nike CEO and President Phil Knight withdrew his financial pledge to the project; we don’t need another negative situation to occur.
We also strongly recommend that the University reach out more to members of the East Alton Baker Park Citizen Planning Committee, the organization in charge of park maintenance. At Monday’s meeting, at least one committee representative said he thought school officials could do more in fully understanding the issues surrounding Alton Baker Park.
In general, there is not much opposition to the city granting the University’s request for a parking code amendment, which goes before a public hearing on Sept. 25. And as far as bulky, official documents go, the TDM Plan is easy to follow and heads in a direction that the community-at-large should embrace: less dependence on automobiles in getting fans from Point A, home, to Point B, Autzen Stadium, to cheer on the Ducks.
Along the way, however, University officials should make certain to stop, look and listen to all those involved in the party planning.
This editorial represents the view of the Emerald editorial board. Responses may be sent to [email protected].