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agreed that the hospital would decide where to go but pointed out the City could decide the level of <br />assistance it wanted to provide. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka acknowledged staff’s hard work and creativity in developing the proposal, which he supported. <br />He supported expanding the district. He acknowledged much work remained to be done but he thought a <br />hospital in downtown would be a great thing for downtown and a great thing for Eugene. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman agreed the hospital would decide where to locate. She thanked staff for taking a proactive <br />approach by identifying a site and making a proposal to the hospital. It did not mean the hospital would <br />choose it, but it was a site supported by the community and would provide services south of the river. The <br />council would not be prejudicing the outcome of any process by declaring its support for the site, and she <br />did support it. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman believed that the use of district dollars were best leveraged for a large public benefit and she <br />thought the hospital satisfied that goal and the use of urban renewal dollars dedicated to a hospital use <br />justifiable. <br /> <br />Ms. Ortiz also supported the site and noted it was used as a small community hospital in the past and that <br />the hospital’s loss had been mourned. She thought it would be good to return the site to its original roots. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy also supported the proposal. While she thought there were still “sizable mountains” for the <br />community to climb, she thought it worthwhile to move forward. <br /> <br />Mr. Pryor, seconded by Ms. Bettman, moved to support the proposal for McKenzie- <br />Willamette Hospital as described in Attachment B of this report, and to locate a full-serve <br />th <br />hospital in Eugene at the 13 Avenue and Willamette Street redevelopment site. <br /> <br />Mr. Clark was willing to support the motion to see a hospital sited within Eugene. He had some concerns <br />about the impact of the proposal on adjacent businesses, and businesses within the footprint, but with those <br />reservations would support the motion. <br /> <br />Mr. Poling also supported the motion due to the interest shown by the hospital and because there were other <br />sites upon which the City could fall back. He was also concerned about the impact of the proposal on well- <br />established businesses in the community and reiterated an interest in establishing a threshold number. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman expressed enthusiastic support for the motion. She pointed out that every site had challenges; <br />some were complex and could not be overcome. This site had challenges, but she thought the council could <br />move through those and meet the timeline as provided by staff. She thought compared to other options, the <br />site compared favorably. <br /> <br />Mayor Piercy supported meeting with affected businesses as soon as possible. <br /> <br />Mr. Clark said there were other properties that could be moved forward on a quick timeline. He noted that <br />one of the businesses involved was the oldest in Lane County, and he hoped the City dealt with it appropri- <br />ately. <br /> <br />The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 28, 2008 Page 3 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br />