12/19/1988 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e M I NUT E S Eugene City Council Sousa/Bloch Room, Eugene Conference Center December 19, 1988 7:30 p.m. COUNCILORS PRESENT: Cynthia Wooten, Ruth Bascom, Robert Bennett, Debra Ehrman, Freeman Holmer, Jeff Miller, Roger Rutan, Emily Schue. The regular meeting of the Eugene City Council was called to order by His Honor Mayor Brian B. Obie. 1. PUBLIC HEARING: LIBRARY MIXED-USE PROJECT AND UTILITY USER'S TAX Mayor Obie reviewed the history of the library project. Four years earlier, the community had indicated that the need for a new or expanded public library should be included in the Eugene Agenda. A lay committee was appointed to develop recommendations to the council. The council has spent several months addressing issues of library size and location and public e meetings on the issues have been held recently. Mayor Obie said the public hearing was to address two issues before the council: whether to move ahead with the development and capital construction of a new library at the 8th Avenue and Olive Street site, and how to fund the operation and maintenance if that development occurs. Planning, Development, and Building Department Director Abe Farkas presented the staff report. The mixed-use project, proposed for a half-block site at 8th Avenue and Willamette Street, would develop 175,000 square feet in office space, approximately 106,000 square feet for the library, and about 50,000 square feet of below-grade parking. The office would have completely separate entrances from the library. The library would occupy about 17,000 square feet on the ground floor with the remainder of the library space on the second and third floors. The project would combine six components: an office tower, the library shell, library interior, the land, a parking facility, and various public improvements. The total range of costs for the entire project is between $33 million and $38.5 million, with $20 million of the total being private sector money focused on the office tower. Mr. Farkas recommended that the City be involved in short-term financing for the initial construction of the library shell, the parking structure, and some of the site improvements. A $9 million loan at three percent is proposed for a period not to exceed 24 months. The City is applying for e MINUTES--Eugene City Council December 19, 1988 Page 1