07/13/1987 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Brawner-Jones sa i d the Lane Transit District (LTD) is excellent and continues to meet challenges to accessibility. The hub of the system is e adjacent to the mall and enables many people to get to the mall. She said opening Willamette Street to vehicles would increase traffic around the buses. She said the City should continue to be a leader in extending opportunities to all citizens. Robert Brownsley) 476 East Broadway) said Willamette Street should not be changed. He said City funds should be spent to help mentally sick people in the mall. He said the central fountain should be eliminated and an entertainment stand constructed so that talented people can perform. He said public rest rooms should be provided and the City should not hire consultants from out of town. Nancy Hayward) 974 Lincoln, said she and her husband have 1 i ved in the downtown area for seven years. She said Ya-Po-Ah Terrace) Olive Plaza, the Eugene Hotel Retirement Center) and Washington Abbey provide downtown living for older people. She discussed how older people use the mall and said it is their neighborhood. She said vehicles should not be permitted in the mall. Joseph Dehn, 5340 Saratoga, said opening Willamette between 8th and 10th will make it harder to get to stores and parking spaces. He said the urban renewal financing process changed economic development from a business to a political issue and is a failure. Tax funds are not used for the general benefit of the community. Planners use them to implement the latest fads. He said there is room in Eugene for stores both on streets and in pedestrian malls. He said property owners in other parts of the city will be hurt if businesses move to the downtown mall and businesses in the mall that like pedestrian access only e will have to move if vehicles are permitted on Willamette between 8th and 10th. Mr. Dehn recommended elimination of the urban renewal district. He sa i d private property owners should control economic development. Tax funds should not be used. Mike Schwartz, 2390 Lariat Drive, said he is a downtown retailer, property owner, and investor. He said 22 property owners asked him to present their names in favor of the Planning and Downtown commissions' recommendations. He said those owners own over 50 percent of the valuation in the downtown development district. Mr. Schwartz sa i d the downtown needs conti nui ng development. In 1984) reported sales were $92 million. In 1985, reported sales were $85 million. In 1986, reported sales were $78 million. He said Skeie's Jewelers had a 30 percent increase in sales, the McDonald and Schaefer buildings have been renovated, and the Downtown Athletic Club is thriving after Willamette was opened to vehicles between 10th and 11th. He said those improvements would not have happened if the street had not been opened. Mr. Schwartz said Willamette between 8th and 10th should not have been closed. The mall is too big. Successful downtown malls have access, visibility, good security, and convenient shopping. He recommended that the Design Advisory e MINUTES--Eugene City Council July 13, 1987 Page 16