11/06/1989 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Penny Harrison, 81 East 14th Avenue, spoke on behalf of the League of Women Voters. She requested delaying expansion of the original Downtown Urban Renewal District until completion of the Metro Area Commercial Study. She opposed the intrusion of streets in the downtown mall (specifically, the opening of Olive Street). Ms. Harrison encouraged the council to act with fiscal responsibility and accountability by living with the mall as it presently exists. Dick Briggs, 1401 Willamette Street, spoke as the Governmental Affairs Coordinator of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce in support of urban renewal and tax increment financing. Used appropriately, these tools facilitate public investment and growth. He suggested that tax increment financing may be a way to assist wetlands mitigation in west Eugene, to stimulate needed visual improvements along Highway 99, and to assist in providing infrastructure for low-income housing projects. Mr. Briggs emphasized the importance of the public's trust in the council's decision and urged the council to avoid sacrificing the public's confidence for flexibility and responsiveness. He considered a clear vision of the type of downtown desired to be a vital component of a successful urban renewal plan. Glen Rea, 32260 Highway 34, Tangent, Oregon, supported expansion of the Urban Renewal District and said many projects in the expanded area would benefit from a public parking facility. Ruth Miller, 2460 Malabar Drive, represented the Friends of Downtown. She maintained that the redesign of the central plaza at Broadway and Willamette e streets should be a higher priority than the opening of streets. She urged the council to settle the issue of opening Willamette Street soon and said that any proposal to open any of the mall to traffic should be submitted to the voters. Arthur Shapiro, 2742 Bowmont Drive, spoke against the concepts of tax increment financing and urban renewal which he said have led to an unholy relationship between the City of Eugene and private investors. He claimed that the proposed Pankow project involved a greater investment by the City than by the developer. Mr. Shapiro maintained that the same people could not fairly serve as city councilors and as the Urban Renewal Agency which he said represents the interests of a single neighborhood. He urged that urban renewal end and that the council discontinue social planning. Mr. Shapiro advised Eugene to emulate San Francisco and Seattle which he said lack urban renewal. Richard Miller, 2460 Malabar Drive, spoke on behalf of the Downtown River Corridor Group which urges the council to expand the Urban Renewal District to include the property bordering the Willamette River. This would enable the City to provide public parking to serve expansion and new businesses. He considered the expansion area to be under-utilized and blighted. Mr. Miller supported the City's partnership with the private sector to provide public benefits and amenities. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council November 6, 1989 Page 6