02/22/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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_ .It>..", ~ Ms. Wooten asked if the following is a correct paraphrase of the ECO Northwest report: since there is not empirical evidence that shows opening a mall to automobiles will increase economic activity, the consultants have had to rely on economic theory to provide a model. That theory is based on the fact that a sense of access will foster investment in downtown Eugene. Mr. Whitelaw said there is overwhelming evidence that access and visibility lead to increased economic activity in downtown areas. What is missing is a case study of a city similar to Eugene that has experienced a mall closing or reopening to traffic. Ms. Wooten asked if the consultants looked at cities where malls are working well. Mr. Whitelaw said they did, although the key question is whether there would have been economic activity in absence of those malls. He said it is difficult to find other cities where malls occupy as much downtown space as the Eugene mall does. e Ms. Schue asked if there are other cities that originally designated a large portion of the downtown to a mall. Mr. Whitelaw said Eugene is atypical in that sense, although not unique. He said the issue is difficult to measure, in part because 20 years have passed since the mall was first constructed. He said the Portland downtown is unusually successful at retaining employment and activity partially because the city blocks are half the size of those in a city such as Seattle. He said this leads to an increased amount of interaction and activity. Ms. Schue noted that Portland, unlike Eugene, has strongly encouraged its citizens to utilize mass transit. She said there might be a difference between mass transit access and automobile access. Mr. Whitelaw said transportation modes such as buses and taxis are substitutes for automobiles. He pointed out that in Eugene those substitutes are less available. City Manager Mike Gleason said it is his impression that, with the exception of a few cases, construction of malls is dropping off. He said there are also malls such as the Tacoma mall that are being radically altered or eliminated. Mr. Whitelaw said one of the principal reasons for a decline in urban renewal is because of perceived unfulfilled expectations of what downtown malls and urban renewals could have brought to cities. He said the issue for Eugene now is how much more downtown economic activity there will be if the mall is reopened. He repeated his impression that there will be more, although it is difficult to guage. Ms. Ehrman said she appreciated the objectivity in Mr. Whitelaw's report, and thanked Ms. Bascom for requesting the ECO Northwest study. e Mayor Obie said the issue before the council may be if the mall can be MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 22, 1988 Page 3