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ORDINANCE NO. 20564 <br />AN ORDINANCE ADOPTING AN AMENDED URBAN RENEWAL PLAN <br />FOR THE DOWNTOWN URBAN RENEWAL DISTRICT. <br />The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that: <br />A. The Downtown Urban Renewal Plan (the "Plan") was initially adopted on July 3, <br />1968, by Resolution No. 257 of the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene (the "Agency"), <br />and on December 19, 1968, by Resolution No. 1609 of the Eugene City Council. The Plan has <br />subsequently been amended, most recently on May 24, 2010, by Ordinance No. 20459 of the <br />Eugene City Council. <br />B. Starting in December 2015, the City Council considered downtown improvements <br />with the desire to foster a vibrant downtown, provide near-term economic stimulus, and prepare <br />for the 2021 World Track and Field Championships in a way that results in long-term benefit to <br />the community. The City Council considered different funding mechanisms, including urban <br />renewal, for funding those improvements. <br />C. In March 2016, the City Council, acting as the Urban Renewal Agency Board of <br />Directors (the "Agency Board"), decided that, as an option for funding the desired downtown <br />improvements, the public should be provided an opportunity to comment on whether the Plan <br />should be amended and, if so, what projects should be included. To meet the timelines for a <br />possible adoption, the Plan would include four possible projects, with the extent of funding for the <br />possible projects to be determined after the public has commented. In accordance with the <br />provisions of ORS 457, in March 2016, the Agency Director prepared an amended Plan (the <br />"proposed Plan") which included a range of options with the maximum being: <br />(1) Increasing the maximum indebtedness by $48 million, to a total of $96.6 <br />million, to cover the specific projects itemized in Finding D; <br />(2) Continued annual review of tax increment projects by a community member <br />panel (the Expenditure Review Panel); and <br />(3) Expanding the boundary by 10% (7 acres) to incorporate the East Park <br />Block area and the City Hall block. <br />D. The four possible downtown projects are consistent with the outcomes set forth in <br />Finding B above, and the proposed Plan included these projects: <br />(1) High -Speed Fiber. Creation of high-speed fiber network downtown will <br />reduce costs and increase telecommunications speed to support existing businesses and <br />new businesses. High-speed fiber supports employment growth and attracts new <br />Ordinance -- Page 1 of 4 <br />