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<br />e <br /> <br />e <br /> <br />issue of fossil fuel. <br /> <br />The group decided that this was enough discussion on this topic and adjourned <br />for lunch. <br /> <br />After lunch the group took up the issue of downtown. <br /> <br />Miller commented that many forces are now driving the downtown; urban renewal, <br />tax increment; how to use the tax increment district to improve the downtown, <br />how to revitalize the area, and so forth. <br /> <br />Schue wanted to know if the tax increment district could be used for housing? <br /> <br />Miller said that it could be used for infrastructure development. <br /> <br />Gleason said that it could be used to leverage a position with the housing <br />authority. <br /> <br />Ehrman said that she would like to know who all the players are in the down- <br />town. <br /> <br />Bascom noted that she likes the idea of special downtown districts. <br /> <br />Boles said that downtown should be a priority, and that the Council should look <br />at consolidation and have a focusing agency for downtown issues. <br /> <br />Bennett discussed the recently created Downtown Eugene, Inc. and gave a history <br />of his interest in the downtown area, especially with regard to his development <br />project. He feels the downtown is at a cross road now, and what happens now <br />will have a long term effect. The efforts to improve downtown now are piece- <br />meal and perhaps an incremental process is needed to know what to do next. He <br />also said that the streets must be opened to improve access to downtown. <br /> <br />Boles said that the Council needs to discuss the downtown as it is a major <br />issue, and this brings him back to his concern that a central coordinating <br />organization needs to be in place. He also said the Council needs to look at <br />transportation as an issue for downtown. <br /> <br />Miller said that if downtown was an issue, the Council needed to set a goal <br />around it. Part of this goal could be to create a process to integrate the <br />visions for downtown, which at this time, are not clear. Another part of the <br />goal could be looking at how all the components fit together. He also sugges- <br />ted that the Council might use a process session to have a "visioning session" <br />for the downtown. <br /> <br />Rutan said that the Council has deferred to the Downtown Commission and that <br />the Commission has been dOing the nitty gritty work. He suggested that the <br />Council could be more actively involved in the downtown organizations and take <br />an intensive look at what's happening downtown. <br /> <br />Bascom asked about the LTD issue, and felt a need for closure on the matter. <br /> <br />DRAFT COUNCIL GOAL SESSION <br /> <br />PAGE 12 <br />