Council advances University Boulevard corridor plan after amendments; members press for displacement metrics

Council staff presented chapters 9–12 of the University Boulevard corridor plan on Dec. 2, covering community facilities, historic resources, burial‑site treatment, racial equity and social justice (RESJ) measures, and implementation details. The planning staff and the Planning, Housing and Parks committee recommended multiple edits and clarified next steps for tracking outcomes.

Several council members pushed to add displacement monitoring and indicators that track generational wealth and homeownership changes in the plan area. Planning Director Jason Sartori cautioned that tracking at the individual occupant level is limited by available administrative data, but staff and council agreed to add metrics or proxy indicators that can signal displacement trends and be reported publicly.

The council also considered language changes related to bus rapid transit (BRT) lane configurations and other technical amendments; a proposed deletion of a prescriptive sentence on dedicated bus lanes was accepted to avoid locking project details before CIP and T&E committee decisions. After limited debate and several friendly amendments, the council took a straw vote to advance the plan, with the motion passing by majority; final action is scheduled for the council meeting on Dec. 9.

What changed: staff will incorporate explicit language on monitoring displacement and publish user‑friendly progress reports tied to RESJ goals. The fiscal impact statement accompanying the plan remains as filed, with staff noting some cost elements will be revisited as plan details and design decisions are refined.

Next steps: staff will post the amended resolution for public review and prepare the final materials for the Dec. 9 action meeting.