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reached a critical mass, would be a highly desirable place to visit and live in but that had to be done <br />correctly. <br /> <br />Mr. McLaughlan said there was demand for a downtown that was an entertainment and cultural center, a <br />center for government services, special retail, nonprofits and a diverse environment. He said in many <br />respects creating diversity created its own demand. <br /> <br />Ms. Tate said there was room downtown for more law offices close to the courthouse, more space for the <br />insurance industry, specialty retail, and restaurants. She said the location of government offices downtown <br />was also very important, but was concerned about who would build and pay for what was necessary to <br />achieve critical mass without a master plan. <br /> <br />Mr. Gaydos agreed with Mr. McLaughlan's comments as it would be difficult to anticipate future demands; <br />it was important to celebrate the diversity that existed and create greater diversity. He encouraged the <br />creation of public/private partnerships to foster revitalization of downtown and urged that those efforts move <br />forward soon. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor liked the Oakway Center but did not want it downtown. She agreed with Ms. Tate's comments <br />about the difficulty of filling commercial space. She emphasized the need to protect existing businesses, <br />which contributed to a vibrant life downtown at night. She asked how those businesses could be protected <br />and also whether it was appropriate for the City to buy property downtown and then work with potential <br />developers. <br /> <br />Mr. Bowerman agreed it was critical to protect current businesses. He said the concept of a single developer <br />should incorporate a component to include current businesses in the finished product so they had equity and <br />ownership. He thought the City could form a partnership with a developer to establish those standards. <br /> <br />Mr. Diethelm cautioned against large-scale projects that made it impossible for small businesses to stay in <br />downtown. He suggested the City could buy some key properties to break up an ownership monopoly and <br />demonstrate the effectiveness of a public/private partnership. <br /> <br />Mr. Prichard also encouraged establishing a performance pathway. He said both Salem and Corvallis had <br />good examples. <br /> <br />Mr. Zelenka said the council had to address the difficult question of how much public investment was <br />appropriate on a particular project. He said some people in the community wanted no public investment and <br />others wanted a project done, regardless of the amount of public investment. He asked if there was a sense <br />of what the balance for public investment might be. <br /> <br />Ms. Tate said the City should ask developers who were willing to undertake a project what they would <br />require in terms of public investment and then choose among those projects. She did not think the City could <br />superimpose its preferences on a developer. <br /> <br />Mr. Korth encouraged a financial analysis to demonstrate the benefit to the community of any public <br />investment, regardless of the size of the investment. <br /> <br />Ms. Tate pointed out that the property on which Tate Condominiums was built was previously owned by the <br />City and was now part of the tax base. <br /> <br /> <br />MINUTES—Eugene City Council April 16, 2007 Page 5 <br /> Workshop <br /> <br />