07/13/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pamela Miller, 1959 Harris, said she likes the pedestrian atmosphere in the downtown. She does not have to worry about automobiles injuring her children. e She said the plaza is the center of Eugene and should not be moved. It is a natural place for people. She said people will have to compete with cars and there will be noise and pollution if cars are permitted on Willamette between 8th and 10th. Ms. Miller said downtown tenants appropriate for a pedestrian mall should be recruited, tenants who need vehicular access should be located elsewhere, merchandising should be coordinated, and many of Don Mi1es' recommendations, such as reconstructing much of the mall to match West Broadway, should be implemented. She said opening Wi11amette to vehicles between 8th and 10th will damage the amenities. Del Stephens, 575 Coburg Road, said he has worked in the downtown for several years. He said the downtown has a visibility problem. People are used to streets that cross and help them find places. Some people drive by businesses in the downtown and do not recognize them. Some people do not know what businesses are in the mall and they drive around trying to find parking spaces. Mr. Stephens said retailing in the downtown has not been successful but business is picking up. He said the improvement is due to the reconstruction of Broadway and vehicles being permitted on Willamette between 10th and 11th. He sa i d the ma 11 is too large and it is difficult to recruit businesses. Businesses could work off each other if the mall were smaller. He said Willamette Street should be opened to vehicles, the awning program should be expanded, and other changes are needed. e Heidi Sachet, 2040 Monroe, said she was speaking for herself and Ginny Petico1as, 2829 Olive Way. She said they do not have business interests in the downtown. They are concerned citizens. She said Willamette Street is the main street of the city and the intersection of Willamette and Broadway is not a plaza because a plaza or town square is surrounded by streets. She said fountains should not be in the middle of intersections or there should not be a hole in a main street. Ms. Sachet said a main street should be very visible, everyone should have access to it, and people should be able to be dropped off and picked up along it. She said people coming into Eugene should be able to enter and go though the downtown to view the city. Now, people have to circle the downtown. She said traffic at all hours in the downtown wi 11 amel iorate the security problem. She said Willamette Street should be opened to traffic. Steve Hamaker, 1027 Willamette, said he is a partner in Skeie's Jewelers. He said opening Willamette to vehicles between 10th and 11th was successful. He said the downtown was the heart of the city for many years and a mistake was made in the 1960s when people tried to make the downtown into a retail mall. Activities shifted to the edge of the city center and the downtown lost its vitality and mix of people. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 13, 1987 Page 10