B Street closure plan irks opponents.

Byline: Jack Moran The Register-Guard

SPRINGFIELD - Make no mistake - Scott Olson is and always has been supportive of the city's plan to build a new public-safety complex downtown.

In 2004, the civil engineer voted in favor of a $28.65 million bond measure to finance construction of the project. A few months later, he was appointed to a volunteer committee charged with advising the City Council on the justice center's design and relationship to surrounding neighborhoods.

But in recent weeks, Olson has stepped forward as an opponent of the project. He still thinks it's important to build a new police station and municipal jail in Springfield. But he promises legal action if the City Council gives final approval to closing part of B Street to make room for the complex.

"I just think it's inappropriate," said Olson, who lives a few blocks from the affected section of B Street. "I am a believer that the street grid is important to the livability of the neighborhood. They don't need to do this."

Olson has notified officials that if the city formally decides to close B Street he will appeal to the state Land Use Board of Appeals and ask that the panel overturn the city's decision.

Olson's argument against the closure boils down to his belief that vacating a block-long stretch of B Street between Pioneer Parkway and Fourth Street runs counter to several policies and goals in the Eugene-Springfield Transportation System Plan - part of the metro area's official long-range development plan. It's a plan that's long been adopted by the Springfield council.

`I'm disappointed by the arrogance, where the city seems to say that `We don't have to pay attention to our own rules,' ' Olson said.

Olson and other critics of the closure contend the transportation plan favors keeping streets open - particularly downtown - in order to facilitate pedestrian and vehicle traffic.

The City Council already has taken steps toward closing the street. In February, councilors approved a site-design plan for the justice center that involves paving over the block-long section of B Street to build a secure parking area for police vehicles, plus a storage building. The lot and the building would be next to the new police department.

City officials say money lies at the heart of that move.

"Closing the street wasn't our first choice," City Council President John Woodrow said. `But the option we selected is the only one that has a chance to be completed within the ($28.65-million construction) budget. At this point, it's the most logical decision we could have made.'

A variety of other options for creating a secure parking lot were explored by architects hired to design the justice center. But ideas such as underground parking or building a skywalk over B Street to reach police parking pushed the estimated project cost well past what voters approved in the bond measure.

Springfield Police Chief Jerry Smith said the project must include secure parking next to the station. Besides needing a safe place to store police vehicles, Smith said it is vital that officers responding to an emergency can get to their patrol cars without having to cross B Street. Also, under the plans the city favors, part of an ancillary building with storage space for evidence and legal documents would sit on part of the closed-off section of B Street.

`If (the lot) is unattached, the security is almost nonexistent,' Smith said.

Olson isn't the only person opposed to the street closure.

Councilor Anne Ballew, who represents much of downtown and the nearby Washburne historic district, said she hopes city officials eventually come up with a plan that provides the security police need without paving over B Street.

`I'm not supportive of (the street closure),' Ballew said. "That's one of the best arterials in the city. Closing streets, particularly downtown, is contrary to the theory of connectivity."

Olson argues that the metro area's transportation plan includes guidelines that speak against closing a thoroughfare such as B Street. The plan's goals state that the road system should be interconnected to allow easy access for all modes of travel, and should consider impacts to residential areas.

That's another reason why Ballew disapproves of the closure - it would push more traffic onto a section of C Street lined with homes and an apartment complex.

Washburne resident Maren Tomblin serves alongside Olson on the city's advisory committee, and has concerns similar to Ballew's.

"It doesn't create a very cohesive city when you start closing streets," Tomblin said. "I think it's a bad idea that will impact the neighborhood's sense of place."

Olson and Tomblin both said they believed that the advisory committee had little choice in the siting decision when the architect's plan was unveiled.

"It didn't feel to us that it mattered what we recommended," Tomblin said. "It was conveyed to us that the City Council was only going to approve the most practical and cost-effective scheme."

Olson said he "was pretty disappointed with the process" because discussions "ended up getting stacked against the neighborhood's concerns."

The committee favored a more expensive design plan that would have involved purchasing and demolishing two privately owned buildings just east of the city property on which the justice center will be built.

The panel also recommended that the City Council explore alternatives to closing B Street, if the cheaper option was selected.

The city planning commission last month approved a zoning change and discretionary use permit that allows construction to begin on the city block now occupied by the police department.

The City Council is not expected to make a final decision on the B Street closure until this fall. If the council approves that aspect of the plan, Olson could proceed with an appeal.

The city is expected to begin building the justice center early next year. By that time, city officials will know if a 100-bed jail will be part of the project. Springfield voters in November will consider a tax levy that would provide funding for jail operations. The 2004 ballot did not include operating funds.

If voters reject the November ballot, the project's footprint could change. Ballew said she believes that failure of the ballot measure could result in the city not needing to close B Street to make room for a secure parking area.