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they did a better job of expressing “what Eugene was about.” She urged the council to oppose the no-bid contract and the supplemental budget. Walter Hunt , 2745 Spring Boulevard, spoke in support of downtown development. He said the parking structure had been talked about for approximately ten years. He hoped the City could “pull it together” downtown. He expressed concern that the City did not have a “plan B” in the event that the Whole Foods Grocery failed. He acknowledged that there was a lot of support in Eugene for the local merchants. He noted the two holes that had been left undeveloped in the downtown area and did not want more holes. He wished to move forward with the project but remained concerned. Tom Slocum , 1950 Graham Drive, expressed disappointment that some business owners expressed such pessimism about another business moving in. He noted that Jerry’s Home Improvement maintained a positive attitude when Home Depot moved into town. He thought the food industry in this community could also step forward and make its way. He did not want others to limit his shopping options. He had been to Whole Foods Groceries in two cities and had found them to be wonderful stores. He thought it would be a welcome addition to the community. He felt the real issue was whether or not the City would get started on revamping the downtown in Eugene. He opined that the community was in disrepair and “really needed some help.” He said without a big increase in the assessed valuation in the community Eugene would not be able to pay its bills. He looked at the project as the cornerstone to the downtown redevelopment. Eric Gunderson , 86840 Dukhobar Road, commented that he heard many people say this was a conversa- tion about development versus livability. He had heard this debate for over 30 years in the community and had found that the City often ended up choosing neither one. He thought sustainability should embrace both. He opined that Whole Foods Grocery and a parking garage and the accompanying density would make the downtown a sustainable place. He said he embraced the people who came to the downtown. He believed parking to be a complement to mass transit. He embraced the developments of residential housing downtown, both the low-income and otherwise. He favored both projects. David Hoffman , 2790 Madison Street, opposed transporting food over long distances. He felt it posed food security risks as well as reduced the nutritional value of produce. He believed Whole Foods Grocery to be akin to Wal-mart. He thought it would drive local markets out of business and would restrict the city’s food supply. He opposed “wasting time and revenue” on this. He opined that the City should be talking about giving the Farmers Market more space. He averred that the Whole Foods Grocery would take money from the community and send it elsewhere, while local growers kept money in the community. Joseph Young , 3045 Harris Street, believed the project would do nothing but take money out of the community and drive local businesses to failure. He felt it made no sense to give money to a large corporation. He did not think money should be thrown around in a “haphazard” manner. He echoed concerns that the hearing had been rushed through. He thought the process should slow down. He related that he ate locally grown foods almost exclusively and he felt this had greatly reduced his allergies. Athena Yemaya-Perkins , 311 Merrill Court, recalled ten years earlier when a major magazine declared Eugene to be one of the ten best places to live in the United States. She attributed this to having both a big city and a small town feel. She felt that part of the small town feeling was due to the number of small natural food stores scattered around the area and Eugene’s resistance to national corporations. She opined that this supported the community and decreased its dependence on fossil fuels. She did not believe a centrally located downtown grocery store was needed. She opposed the project. She opined that money and MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 24 City Council Meeting