Item C - Chase Garden Node - Laserfiche WebLink

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On Country Club Road, inside a 58,000 square foot building, adjacent to another 58,000 square foot building, and just a few hundred feet from several other substantial office buildings, there is a deli (Garden Deli). One would think that the density of office workers in the area would ensure a small deli's success. In fact, the deli has changed hands several times over its life, and it subsists not on the traffic in and out of the office buildings, but on catering for business meetings. This very limited attempt to create a mixed use commercial node in the context of one Eugene's highest density office neighborhoods has been unsuccessful. I understand the neighborhood's desire to have a grocery store in the MLK area. The perspective of the potential tenants, unfortunately, doesn't support this desire. None of the many grocery store operators to whom we have presented the Chase Gardens node have expressed an interest in this location. Based on their analysis of the neighborhood density, demographics, and traffic patterns this location was not of interest. The life of a retailer is challenging. What retailer would locate where they did not have a reasonable expectation of being successful? If driving is an option, people will shop where they can get the best deal. The better deals come from larger retailers, who are located further away, leaving the neighborhood retailer to struggle. There is another example of the economic challenges facing known, successful businesses when considering new locations. Newmans Fish Market is by all definitions a successful business. They have thrived in Eugene for many years. They have had numerous opportunities to find 2nd or 3rd sites in Eugene and have declined because of the financial risks involved. They have finally agreed, only after two years of consideration, to lease an 800 square foot storefront in The Pavilion, on Coburg Road. Coburg Road is a first rate location for retail. If it took Newmans years to make this decision, and they are taking only 800 square feet, there is an inherent message about the risks involved, even in one of Eugene's premier retail locations. So how does this relate to your development project on MLK? I think you need to be very careful when considering including retail space in your project. I believe that to include more than one storefront, that perhaps provides a deli/coffee/specialty convenience store, is a mistake. I do not believe that the density, or the buying habits of people, would ensure the success that a small retailer needs to take the financial risk. The kinds of businesses that one would want and expect in a neighborhood shopping node, such as restaurants, dry cleaners, salons, and clothing stores simply could not survive in a