11/28/1988 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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e to that in downtown Portland; (5) the downtown office vacancy rate has steadily declined since 1986 from about 20 percent to 12 percent (nationally, the office vacancy rate is about 19 percent). In response to a question, staff indicated that the assessed value of the entire city has increased over the past few years, unlike the assessed value of the Urban Renewal District. Mr. Schwartz briefly reviewed the history of the various downtown advisory, policy, and service-providing bodies. B. Discussion Mr. Schwartz said one of the commission's goals is to improve communication and cooperation between the two bodies. He said the commission and council need to work toward achieving some kind of agreement. He did not want the commission to develop a recommendation that the council would eventually dismiss. Mayor Obie said a lot of energy has been spent on the core of downtown (Willamette and Broadway), but there are other important parts of downtown that should not be ignored. Mr. Schwartz said the commission may have a general vision for the greater downtown area, but practical considerations have confined its focus to the taxation districts in the cHy.s core. Ms. Bennett added that the publicly e owned developm.entsites are in the downtown core. Councilors indicated that they have been discussing the possibility of expanding the Urban Renewal Oistrict to the northeast, or perhaps forming a new district for the northeast portion of downtown (the district expansion recommendation from the commission was to expand to the northwest). Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts said the commission has not had an opportunity to discuss in detail the options being considered by the council. Ms. Ehrman said many of the Downtown Plan goals have been met. She wondered if the remaining goals are still the priorities that the City has for downtown. She added that a lot of time was spent discussing the proposed Willamette Street opening, which was not one of the plan's priorities. She said one of her goals for downtown is an improved economy. Mr. Bennett expressed concern that the City does not have a clear sense of direction regarding downtown. He was concerned that downtown progress may be losing momentum. For example, downtown's retail anchor base is weakening, thus jeopardizing the economic health of an area where the City recently made a large capital investment (West Broadway). Mr. Bennett said the physical configuration of the core does not work effectively; the current mall is not conducive to economic vitality. He said multi-tenant office space, mixed-use developments, restaurants, and housing all need vehicular access in order to succeed. He said the fundamentals of downtown development--access, circulation, visibility, and security--are not being adequately addressed. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 28, 1988 Page 2