05/10/1982 Meeting (2) - Laserfiche WebLink

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e Councilor Obie said he did not believe the council should adopt the proposed amendments unless there is factual evidence of the need for them. Councilor Hamel agreed and said that the proprietors of amusement centers and the parents of children who frequent them should be responsible for dealing with problems at the centers. Mr. Gleason said that, at the request of the Mayor and council, staff would return with information and factual evidence on'the nature of the problems with amusement centers and rewording of the preamble to the ordinance. He said that staff and the City Attorney recommended against separating adult centers from those open to all members of the public, because of the constitutional challenges that could result. Ms. Smith withdrew her request that the two types of centers be separated. I-C. Ordinance Concerning Housing Revenue Bonds (memo, ordinance distributed) e Mr. Gleason introduced Greg Byrne, Department of Housing and Community Conser- vation (HCC). Mr. Byrne said that the Federal Mortgage Subsidy Bond Tax Act, enacted in 1980, had greatly restricted the use of state or municipally issued mortgage revenue bonds. He noted, however, that Eugene's Central Planning District had been identified as an area of chronic economic distress, which would have the effect of reducing the restrictions somewhat in this area. Mr. Byrne said that State law requires cities wishing to exercise their authority to issue bonds to adopt by ordinance standards and procedures for such issuance. He said that the ordinance before the council had been developed by the Joint Housing Committee with the help of the City Attorney's Office. He reported that the Joint Housing Committee unanimously voted to recommend adoption of the ordinance. Mr. Byrne said that adoption will allow the City to issue housing revenue bonds but provides no guarantee that revenue bonds will be a feasible financing alternative locally. Mr. Lindberg supported the ordinance as an appropriate stimulus to Eugene's housing market. Responding to questions from Mr. Lindberg and Ms. Wooten, Mr. Byrne said that, from a practical point of view, the minimum amount for bond issuance would be $3 million to $3.5 million. He said that an application for bond issuance could be made for one major project, for several smaller projects, for a rehabilitation project, or for a project or projects that would combine new construction with rehabilitation. Councilor Wooten asked whether the Joint Housing Committee had discussed adop- tion of similar ordinances by Springfield and Lane County. Mr. Byrne responded that at present only Eugene and Portland qualify for the program, but that there is a possibility that the Lane County Housing Authority could issue housing revenue bonds for rehabilitation. Responding to further questions from Ms. Wooten, Mr. Byrne said that the State regulations governing housing revenue bonds include stipulation that the project be in an urban renewal district, in an area eligible for Community Development Block Grant funds, or in an area in which the assessed value of the land was less than $8 per square foot in 1975. He said that these requirements would aid the program in meshing with City goals for compact urban growth. e MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 10, 1982 Page 5