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April 15, 2019, Work Session – Item 1 <br />EUGENE CITY COUNCIL <br />AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY <br />Work Session: Highway 99/Bethel Urban Renewal District Meeting Date: April 15, 2019 Agenda Item Number: 1 Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Anne Fifield <br />www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5451 <br />ISSUE STATEMENT Councilor Evans polled for a council work session on a Highway 99/Bethel Urban Renewal District in order to address questions about how the creation of a Tax Increment Financing district could enhance economic and community development in the area. At this council work session, staff will present information on how Urban Renewal districts can be used to achieve economic development goals, the potential for an Urban Renewal district to generate revenue for reinvestment in the area, and the steps to establish an Urban Renewal district. This work session is for informational purposes only. <br />BACKGROUND The Bethel area is Eugene’s largest neighborhood with over 12,000 households. In 2014, City staff led an effort to identify economic development-related actions in the Bethel neighborhood. The Bethel Economic Development Task Team’s efforts led to the 2015 Building a Better Bethel, a five-year plan that identified actions that the City and others could implement over the subsequent five years (Attachment A). The Task Team found that there has been significant community-building progress within Bethel. The Task Team, however, determined that Bethel is often misperceived as a less desirable area, and that misperception is reinforced by the under-utilization and under-development of property along Highway 99. Additionally, the Task Force found that Bethel is under-served by food businesses, such as restaurants and produce markets. Since the completion of the Building a Better Bethel plan, the City has addressed some of the identified actions. The Planning Division is working to bring the Clear Lake Road area into the Urban Growth Boundary. The Community Development Division is working to retain and grow the food sector industry, primarily by supporting the Food and Beverage Sector Strategist in partnership with Lane Workforce Partnership, Lane County, Eugene Water & Electric Board, the City of Springfield and the private sector. The City has also worked to expand workforce development partnerships, in coordination with Lane Workforce Partnership and Lane ESD. The City has used its Brownfields Assessment grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency for site predevelopment in the Bethel neighborhood These actions, identified in the Building a <br />Better Bethel plan, benefit the Bethel area.