06/16/1986 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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-~--- II. PUBLIC HEARINGS e Mayor Obie recessed the meeting of the Eugene City Council and convened a meeting of the Eugene Urban Renewal Agency. A. Downtown Commission1s Recommendation Concerning Broadway Improvement Project (memo, background information distributed) City Manager Micheal Gleason introduced the public hearing on the Broadway Improvement Project. Development Director Abe Farkas gave the staff report. He said the public hearing is on proposed improvements on Broadway from Charnel ton Street to the west side of Willamette Street. He said the improvements are part of a comprehensive downtown revitalization effort that ;s proposed in the Downtown Plan and that harmonizes with the Downtown Management Program and other planned improvements. He said no substantial improvements have been made to the mall since it was created in 1971, in spite of a national trend to update malls. He said the Tax Allocation Fund will finance the improvements, which will result in a better environment on the mall, private improvements on the mall that can be measured, new businesses on the mall, increased tax revenues, and increased sales on the mall. Jan Bohman of the Development Department referred to project designs that were on the wall. She said the improvements will result in two merchant zones of 18 feet, a central activity zone of 18 feet, and a delineation zone on each side of the central activity zone of six feet. She said ten feet of the merchant zone must be an open walkway, but eight feet of the merchant zone can e be used for merchandising. She said the central activity zone will include a play area and moveable seating. The area will be open so that people can see the rest of the mall. She said street lights and street trees will be in the delineation zone. Ms. Bohman said the Downtown Commission recommended that the council approve the entire project ($462,000) and that all the improvements except relocating the restrooms and postal station be completed this summer. She said alterna- tive sites for the restrooms will be sought, and they can be relocated next year. She said final council action on the proposal is scheduled for June 18, 1 986. If approval is granted, construction should be finished by mid-November. Ms. Bohman said the Centralized Retail Management (CRM) Program will advise staff on establishing fees for merchandising and other activities in the right-of-way and enforcement of regulations. CRM is also working on related issues, such as uniform business hours. She said the City will monitor the business activity on the mall after the improvements. Michael Schwartz represented the Downtown Commission. He said the retail community, the Eugene Downtown Association, professional people, Lane Community College, and the public support the Downtown Commission and the proposed improvements. He read several sections from the Downtown Plan which apply to the project. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 16, 1986 Page 3 ~ -