07/16/1990 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Mr. Bennett voiced concern that the council must decide whether there is a great enough demand for housing downtown to ensure that a housing project could be competitive on this site. In light of the limited financial resources that the council has to invest in downtown, Mr. Boles said that the council must set priorities on its proposed projects downtown. Ms. Ehrman voiced concern with the time commitment which has already been invested in the innovative and industrialized housing initiative project. Mr. Boles agreed and requested a written report from staff on the timeline and payoffs for this project, as well as expectations for the commitment of public funds. Mr. Bennett said that he strongly supports the notion of housing provision for very low-income individuals and indicated his interest in exploring the possibility of using revenue-backed general obligation bonds to help finance housing projects. Mr. Boles noted that because the council has a variety of financial mecha- nisms which it could use to fund its projects, it should decide during its policy discussion what types of financing should be used for what types of projects. Responding to a question from Mr. Green, Mr. Boles said that as a result of the Retail Task Force's (RTF) public forum on its recently released recommen- e dations for downtown redesign, a decision was made to create two committees: a subcommittee to choose a design consultant and a Design Advisory Committee responsible for selecting members of the design group. Mr. Green expressed support for the RTF's report on design recommendations, but voiced concern with the amount of time being consumed in its implementa- tion because of the extensive subcommittee process. Ms. Ehrman voiced concern with allowing laymembers the authority to choose a design consultant. Mr. Gleason noted that after gathering input from the committee, staff has the final authority to choose the design consultant. Ms. Bascom highlighted the importance of making a timely decision on Lane Transit District (LTD) station siting. Responding to a question from Ms. Schue, Mr. Gleason said that it is his belief that the council and the LTD Board have equal authority on the final station siting decision. Mr. Bennett observed that the preservation of the Tiffany Building as a historical structure is very important in the community. He suggested that if for some reason the proposed project for this site does not work, the Urban Renewal Agency consider purchasing the building. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 16, 1990 Page 4 Dinner/Work Planning Session