Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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at an idea that had proved to be a failure. He said the free market was not a reality in this area, saying “location, location, location.” He hoped the council action regarding the West Broadway redevelopment did not threaten the gas tax, which was a tax he supported. Greg Bryrant , 2173 Alder Street, noted his receipt of a general notice regarding the money he could receive for relocating his business, which was for up to $20,000. He averred that he and his volunteers had put more than $1 million in sweat equity in his business, and termed the offer absurd. He said that staff had assured the council no jobs would be lost due to the redevelopment project, but he believed jobs would be lost and people’s lives destroyed. He noted his attendance at his high school reunion, during which people who had moved away had commented about the talent and interesting projects that Eugene had lost. He attributed that to an institutional lack of respect and said that the City should not be bulldozing projects that people put their hearts into. He called the proposed remuneration woefully inadequate and asked the council to pass legislation to require full compensa- tion. th Paul Nicholson , 1855 East 28 Avenue, objected to the course of action the City was contemplating as it had failed in other places as well as in Eugene in the past. He agreed with Mr. Byrant’s remarks, saying there was something fundamentally wrong with a situation where government harmed some and protected others and collected taxes from some while exempting others. He asked the council to rethink the proposal and consider using public funds for truly public purposes for a project that brought the public together instead of dividing it. Zachary Vishanoff , a resident living on Patterson Street, asserted the City was in collusion with the UO and University Foundation to get money from Phil Knight. He hoped to ferret out the many ways that was occurring, and wanted conversations to occur about eminent domain, the Fairmount neighbors’ rights and the ability to appeal the rezoning of the bakery site. He objected to the fact a UO planner sat on the Historic Review Board and participated in historic reviews of “very important” buildings of cultural significance, such as the Joe Romania building. He thought that person should recuse them self from such decisions as they were effectively a “double agent” working for the UO. He said the City should remove the UO’s ability to exercise eminent domain and to influence the Historic Review Board. William Ivanoff , 1810 Harris Street, called for conversion of one-way streets in the city to two-way streets to facilitate travel by visitors unfamiliar with the community. He said such streets created more accidents, some of which he had personally witnessed. They also created anger and frustration for motorists. Drix spoke to the subject of the kids on the mall and said that the kids were always different kids coming from other communities to Eugene because it represented a “new way of thinking.” The kids were learning the street. He did not know what to do about it but thought it was interesting. He expressed pride for the undeveloped holes in downtown Eugene, calling them a metaphor for Eugene as their fate was in the hands of the citizens. He suggested new names for the sites, the ‘A’ hole and ‘S’ hole. Cathy Saranpa , 3015 Friendly Street, chair of the Crest Drive Citizens Association, said the Crest Drive Community Team was working on designs for the streets in the area. The team was seeking permission for nine- foot travel lanes for certain parts of the street system. The association passed a resolution in support of nine-foot travel lanes, which she shared with the council. st Scott Landfield , 29 West 31 Avenue, owner of Tsunami Books, shared a petition with the council signed by 300 people calling for urban renewal funds to be spent on affordable housing, helping local businesses, and building public institutions such as the library. The funds should not be spent to subsidize non-local retailers who would compete with local businesses. Decisions regarding the use of urban renewal should be made with public input for specific proposals. MINUTES—Eugene City Council August 13, 2007 Page 2 Work Session