CC Minutes - 08/13/07 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Piercy called for council questions and comments. Councilor Ortiz also thanked those who testified. She believed she now had council support to make the groundwater pollution issue a City Council goal. She said that she had reached out for assistance to Representative Peter DeFazio. She also expressed appreciation for the media coverage of the issue. Councilor Taylor thanked all those who testified and agreed with Councilor Ortiz about the importance of the groundwater pollution issue. She was particularly grateful for the comments of those who opposed the West Broadway development proposal and suggested that the council was forgetting the mistakes of the past. She feared that the City was about to destroy more historic buildings downtown. Councilor Taylor expressed appreciation for the campaign to be mounted by Mr. McComas. She believed it was an insult to offer only $20,000 to Mr. Bryant to take away the business he took years to build up. Other successful downtown property owners were similarly threatened if the council proceeded. She said a new theater would not take the place of the Bijou Theater, and the development proposal could possibly cause it to go out of business. She did not think the proposal was fair. Councilor Bettman also thanked those who testified. She also expressed concern about the groundwater pollution issue in the Trainsong Neighborhood and requested a legal analysis about the City’s authority in such a situation given its impact on Eugene residents. She also wanted to know what authority the Department of Environmental Quality and Union Pacific Railroad had. City Attorney Glenn Klein indicated the City Manager had asked his office for an opinion. Councilor Clark concurred with the remarks of Councilor Ortiz and Councilor Bettman in regard to the Trainsong groundwater pollution situation. He spoke of a proposal contemplated by Coos Bay to accommodate more containers from foreign countries that would be routed through Eugene on rail to reach Interstate 5. He hoped that as the City worked with the railroad on that issue, it also worked on the clean up of the area. Councilor Zelenka also expressed concern about the groundwater pollution issue and said he supported making it a goal. He also expressed appreciation for the media coverage of the issue, which could put pressure on the railroad. Councilor Zelenka said he cared about existing businesses in downtown, which was why he asked the West Broadway Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for a transition and relocation plan for those businesses and nonprofits. He believed they would all find homes in downtown. Councilor Zelenka pointed out that many of the nonprofits and other businesses were in downtown because it was the low rent district and people were paying very little. He did not think the heart of downtown should be the low rent district. He believed that if the project went forward, as many as 600 jobs could be created without the need to raise taxes. Councilor Zelenka was anxious to put the tools in place that would facilitate what the City eventually ended up with, which would be known only when the advisory committee made its recommendation and the developer responded with a real proposal. The council needed the tools in place to accept the proposal. Mayor Piercy said that a petition might not cause the council to change its minds, but the council appreci- ated the input. MINUTES—Eugene City Council August 13, 2007 Page 4 Work Session