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direction. Elaine Stewart, of the Development Department, said the Downtown Plan contained policy direction for the Urban Renewal Plan, which contained e more specifics about land use and funding priorities. Responding to Mr. Rutan1s question, Mr. Hibschman said an eventual termination of the Urban Renewal District was a goal. Mr. Rutan asked whether a tax increment district was the most desirable alternative. Mr. Gleason said because of the 6 percent Oregon property tax limitation, a tax increment district was required to receive income from an increase in assessed value. Mr. Rutan asked how tax increment financing affected the average citizen. Mr. Gleason said any increase in assessed value resulting from tax increment district development would be returned to the assessed tax value of the community, and total taxes theoretically would be lowered. He added that a fundamental requirement of the Urban Renewal law was that core district value must be decreasing relative to values of other areas. Mr. Gleason said decreasing district values theoretically would increase rates in other districts. Ms. Ehrman asked whether the'debt service of $2.2 million could be paid off and ended. Mr. Gleason said it probably could not. Mr. Rutan asked how the core district differed from other commercial areas. Mr. Gleason said zoning requirements in other commerci a 1 areas included provision of private parking, rather than public facilities. He said less dense development required more infrastructure support, and land reassembly also occurred in newer areas. Ms. Bascom noted that if the tax increment district ended and tax rates were lowered, voters might override the 6 percent limitation on the tax base. Mr. e Gleason said he did not think any impact would be significant in an election. He said staff would attempt to meet the timeline for termination of the district. Mr. Rutan suggested changing the name of the plan to the Urban Development Plan. Mr. Gleason noted the need for some intervention, such as improvements to right-of-ways, to ensure the continued vitality of downtown, which he said provided about 11,000 jobs. Mr. McKinley showed a map illustrating boundaries of the Tax Increment or Urban Renewal District, of the Downtown Plan, and of the proposed expansion of the Urban Renewal District. A. Proposed Redesign of Willamette Street Mr. McKinley noted that the proposed redesign of Willamette Street was part of the Urban Renewal Plan Update. He said five options had been developed and would be presented for public comment. He said the Urban Renewal Plan would include one option, and actual design of any improvements would occur once the project was funded. He added that the earliest possible implementation could occur in 1987. Mr. McKinley said all redesign options were based on the mall design concept that had been recommended by the Eugene Downtown Public Spaces Study and which included merchant and central activity zones. He said the study had not been - MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 10, 1986 Page 3