10/19/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

e seeking input from the Library Board and the Friends of Our Library Committee; these groups will help process the issue. Ms. Schue said staff should not assume the Library Board members favor the project in this form; they feel there are many unanswered questions. She added that many members of the public do not favor this site for the library. Mr. Bennett asked about the possibility of holding an executive session to expedite the discussion of this issue. He said the council needs to spend time on the issue now, so the opportunity will not be lost. Mr. Gleason did not feel an executive session would be possible. Mr. Holmer said the library finance committee should be aware that there is not a $6 million limit on the tax increment bond. In response to a question from Ms. Wooten, Mr. Gleason said staff does not have a plan for processing this issue publicly. He said the difficulty of coming up with a plan is that no deal has been made yet. Critical to making the deal will be whether enough leases can be sold. Mr. Gleason said the cost of the project would be covered if Pankow developed an 18-story building. Pankow is only proposing 13 stories, however, and this affects the amount of increment available for financing the library. Mr. Gleason said another difficulty is that the longer deliberations hold up Pankow's development process, the more development will occur in suburban areas rather than downtown. e Mr. Gleason said staff will probably look to the Council Committee on Library Financing to devise a public process and bring a recommendation to council. He suggested dividing the decision into two parts: deciding whether to buy a portion of the building, then deciding what to do with the space. Mr. Gleason said there are several options, including subleasing the shell to other developments or consolidating City office space at the site, until a decision on the library is possible. Ms. Wooten said the City must find a way to process this issue publicly because the public cannot be excluded from a decision this important. She added that it is imperative that council members and the public be kept informed about staff's ideas regarding this project. Mr. Gleason felt the Pankow deal must be closed within the next three months or the opportunity will be lost. He feels there will not be a better chance to fulfill the downtown objective of mixed-use and retail development while simultaneously completing the library. Ms. Wooten said she would like to have a process recommendation from the library finance committee. She felt the process will have to include the public in spite of the risks. Ms. Wooten asked staff to make it clear to Pankow that if the library is part of the development, the public will have to be given a chance to participate. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council October 19, 1988 Page 6