Agenda Packet 4-15-19 Work Session

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Approach The Bethel Economic Development Task Team was a fast-paced, strategic effort to bring together key community stakeholders and utilize their expertise to identify action items that will advance the community vision. The model utilized for this project is a blend of a ‘Blue Ribbon Task Team’ approach and the development model utilized for Eugene’s successful downtown redevelopment efforts: Team, Strategy, and Toolbox. Team City Councilor Greg Evans, with the support of City of Eugene (COE) and University of Oregon’s (UO) Community Planning Workshop (CPW) staff, assembled a Task Team to participate in targeted meetings and discuss economic development opportunities in the Bethel area. The team consisted of public and private partners, including: Eugene City Councilors Claire Syrett and Chris Pryor, Lane County Commissioner Pat Farr, community members, local businesses leaders, and real estate developers. Through focused meetings, the Team identified crucial action items for economic development in Bethel and will act as champions of the Strategy. Strategy The Strategy provides the next steps that create the ‘everything right here’ vision for Bethel. The Strategy serves as a short-term (1-5 years) road map that outlines action items and includes responsible parties, milestones, and alignment with existing policy. This report serves as the Task Team’s deliverable to the City Council. Toolbox The Toolbox includes all the possible economic development and redevelopment tools including funding and incentives that can be utilized to support the Strategy. The toolbox is a crucial component of the project, as financial assistance is critical to support the variety of desired projects, businesses, and outcomes. The Toolbox identifies funding, resources, and incentives to carry out land redevelopment and business development efforts. Deliverables There are three main elements of the Task Team’s work. The first is this Task Team Report, which serves as the plan for future actions. The second is the Building a Better Bethel Map, which visually highlights the strengths and planned investments in the area. The third product is the www. betterbethel.com website serving as a living asset describing current and future projects in the Bethel area and providing a number of resources including: •Meeting Agendas and Minutes •Better Bethel Map and Task Team Report •Redevelopment Site Analysis •Development Tools Technical Memos •Links to current planning projects for community involvement •Links to maps and resource documents 5April 15, 2019, Work Session – Item 1