Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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projects could be done without amending the plan. She noted that Thomas Kemper had spoken before the City Club and suggested that copies of the recording be provided to her colleagues. She asserted that he could not answer specific questions about the project. She reiterated her feeling that people would not be able to testify about a spending limit increase without knowing the details of the project. She noted that Mr. Kemper indicated that collaborating with Beam Development would decrease the housing units projected to be built by almost half. She asserted that Eugene may end up with as many housing units or “only slightly more” than it would have had if it went with the “original Sears pit site.” Councilor Zelenka agreed that the processes were arcane and difficult to follow. He said in retrospect the processes were not designed well. He hoped that staff would work with people to directly contact them in order to provide the information needed, given the short timeline. He wished to clarify that the housing project across from the library was being rolled into the larger project. He noted that Mr. Kemper was planning on 80 to 100 affordable housing units and that while KWG Development Partners would drop some housing units, Beam Development indicated it would add some. Councilor Clark thanked staff for all of the hard work that went into the project. He also thanked all the people who spoke at the public hearing. He thanked Mr. Nicholson for his former service to the City, Mr. Handy for investing his time in the WBAC, and Mr. Monk for the work he did trying to make the City better. Councilor Clark said he heard from several people that without a plan the City had the “cart before the horse.” He understood that this was an opportunity for the City to have a process whereby it could have a meaningful discussion about aspects of it in order to create a plan that had more broad support. He felt there were a lot of good public processes. He quipped that Eugene had “elevated public process to a full- contact spectator sport.” He enjoyed that the citizens of Eugene had this level of civic passion. Councilor Clark observed that it seemed some were speaking of the money as though it were money that the City could or would spend in another fashion on a higher priority. He commented that if urban renewal money was allowed to be spent on street repair it would be something he could appreciate, but he acknowl- edged that urban renewal moneys borrow against the potential future increase in the value of the properties that the City was “dealing with.” He said without the project, the values were not there and there was no actual money. He underscored that it was not as though General Fund dollars were being spent that might be spent on something else instead. Councilor Taylor said she attended the City Club at which Mr. Kemper had spoken. She shared that she had been alarmed to hear him say the development would be “up-scale” and that existing businesses would have to relocate. She asserted that he referred to “the right kind of tenants.” She felt this did not mean every kind of tenant. Councilor Taylor said the situation had gotten scary as the council had moved past a point at which it had become too late. She opined that it now seemed the City could not get out of the situation, that it was a “done deal.” She recalled that she had initially hoped that the City would only work with Beam Develop- th ment for the larger development and with KWG Partners to develop the Charnelton/10 Avenue site. She asserted that the City could have had housing units built at the latter site by now had the larger development not “waylaid” it. Councilor Zelenka said he had made the motion to form the WBAC in order to garner more public involvement. He reiterated that all of the activities related to the urban renewal plan amendments were at the direction of the City Council. He stressed that the council asked staff to bring back all of the pieces that would put the council in the position where it could “say yes.” He urged anyone who wanted to get involved MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 16, 2007 Page 10 Work Session