06/09/1980 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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condominium owner who cannot find one in his price range because the new ones are too expensive and none are being converted to allow a lower price choice. He stated he truly believes this law will increase the cost of housing to all of the citizens--renters and owners alike-- ~ and that it is bad business. ~ Boyd Iverson, 2399 West 22nd Avenue, stated that his concerns had been covered by previous speakers, but the decision to give more time is needed in order to think through the ordinance. Wilma Downie, 1630 Patterson, Chairperson of the West University Neighbors, stated the proposed ordinance does not address the need of providing and maintaining low-income housing in the form of coopera- tives. Cooperatives should be deleted from this proposed ordinance. She supports the Neighborhood Housing Resource Center position. Robert Linz, 1321 Pai~e Avenue, member of the Joint Housing Committee, was partially responslble for the letter containing the objections of the Joint Housing Committee regarding the proposed ordinance. Their basic concern was that the ordinance might retard the development of new housing. The Joint Housing Committee feels that the ultimate payment of the $SOO-per-unit tax will be by the buyer of the unit. Most expenses incurred are ultimately passed on to consumers, in the form of the price. The people they hope to help will be the ones to whom the tax will be passed along. The Joint Housing Committee is charged with helping the City decide what kind of housing can be available to various members of the community and to see that every- thing that the City does through the City Council actions adds to the enhancement of the availability of housing. Apartment dwellers or ~ others who would like to buy a converted apartment unit will probably ,., be buying the lowest priced housing unit available in the city of Eugene, and to tax those individuals $500 to buy that unit seems to be counterproductive, according to the Joint Housing Committee. To take the money from the individual and give it to the Joint Housing Committee to build low-income housing seems to be a direct contradiction of purpose. He is opposed to the tax as an individual and as a represen- tative of the Joint Housing Committee. James McCoy, 341 Van Buren, stated he works with the Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation in the Whiteaker Neighborhood and opposes low-income cooperatives being included in this ordinance. There has not been enough time spent to understand how cooperatives would be affected. He would like more time to research this to see what effect there will be and urged cooperatives being excluded. Their particular cooperative would have to request exemptions from the tax. There being no further testimony, public hearing was closed. Mayor Keller stated that noon, June 13, would be the deadline for acceptance of written testimony. 6/9/80--14 -