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Mr. Gleason said that if the development had occurred elsewhere, it might not have occurred in the city at all. He said that unique things happen in a e downtown core--activities that are crucial to the strength of the regional economy. He said that if a region's core is losing strength, those activities will not move elsewhere within the region; rather, they will move to cores in other regional economies. Mr. Gleason added that, contrary to claims that are often made, Eugene is not a high-tax city; it is a high property tax city, but Eugene's overall taxes are low relative to those paid in other cities. G. Public Versus Private Sector Office Development Ms. Bascom said that in his June 22 memo to the Mayor and council, Mr. Holmer discussed the amount of downtown office space being rented by governmental and public agencies and implied that this was somehow less valuable than if this office space were being rented by the private sector. She said she disagreed with this implication, because having a governmental center is one of the important goals for downtown. Mr. Holmer said his point had been in response to a claim that downtown occupancy has been increasing. Although downtown office occupancy by the public sector has increased by about 30,000 square feet, occupancy by the private sector has decreased by about 13,000 square feet in the last 18 months. He said this is somewhat disturbing--and the council should keep it in mind when considering whether to expand and continue the Urban Renewal District--because public sector offi ce development generates no tax increment. H. Updating the Plan and Other Development Districts e Ms. Wooten said that in the same way that the City must set priorities in its capital budget and general fund, it also will have to set priorities in the way it finances various projects and activities. She said perhaps the council should consider not beginning the Riverfront District if the City is still midway in the urban renewal project. Mr. Holmer said that he supported both of these projects, and that downtown deserves the special focus discussed by Mr. Bennett. However, Mr. Holmer's concern was why the City needs to rewrite the Urban Renewal Plan and expand the di stri ct before deci di ng about the future 1 i bra ry , about Willamette Street, and about the location of future parking structures. He said that to do this would be to act prematurely. He said the tools of the existing Urban Renewal District are still available to be used to the full extent allowed by law. In response to a question, Mr. Gleason said the existing Urban Renewal Plan has no termination date; the proposed updated plan has a 20-year termination date. 1. Expansion of the Urban Renewal District Mr. Hibschman said the thrust of the proposal to expand the district is to improve the expansion area's infrastructure, to provide loans, and to provide parking for future development in the area. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council September 30, 1987 Page 10