CC Minutes - 03/17/99 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mr. Meisner moved, seconded by Ms. Nathanson, to approve the proposed scope of work and charge for the Subcommittee on Street Improvement Funding, as modified by Mr. Kelly's suggestion. The motion passed unanimously, 8:0. IV. WORK SESSION: RIVERFRONT RESEARCH PARK PROJECT AND URBAN RENEWAL DISTRICT Mayor Torrey asked members of the council to briefly state their positions on the issue and then allow a motion that has been requested by the University. Mr. Kelly said he was pessimistic about how the park would measure up against the City Council's goals. He believed it to be a land use issue and asked the council to spend time discussing the broader issue of urban renewal districts. He said he hoped for an up or down vote on Option 2 in the staff summary, saying he would support that option if it were modified to include a broader representation on the joint effort and if it stipulated that no capital dollars would be spent until the study had been reviewed by the council. Mr. Pap~ agreed that it was a land use issue but said the problem was "this was not our land." He suggested that the University be compensated for any land set aside for County or City parkland. Ms. Taylor said she could not agree to any plan that did not guarantee saving the land at least north of the tracks; that the park has harmed downtown; that the river front area is a real treasure, and ways should be found to preserve it. Mr. Rayor agreed that it was a land use issue but said that the problem was that the conditional use permit issued in 1988 was valid for 20 years and there was no provision for drawing it back for reevaluation. He pointed out that the permit allows parking for 2,500 vehicles and building designs unlikely to be appreciated near the river. Mr. Rayor said he was very concerned about the research park drawing businesses away from the five other industrial parks that "actually pay taxes to the City." Mr. Lee reminded the council that the issue was actually urban renewal funds, noting that the specific amount was small. He said the community needed to understand that urban renewal was just a tool. Mr. Lee expressed concern with jeopardizing the City's relationship with the University over a small line item. He noted that the land in question was State-owned and the only thing the City had control over was urban renewal funds--one of the small budget items that "gives life to the research park." Mr. Lee concluded his remarks by saying he believed in former University President Paul Olum's vision, given that the region was transitioning from a agricultural/manufacturing economy to an information-based economy and "we needed tools (such as the research park) in this community to help" in that transition and "it provided University of Oregon students a future and the emerging workforce an opportunity to gain the kind of experience necessary to compete in a world market, and an opportunity for closing the gap on the per capita income deficit." Mr. Fart said it was difficult to envision what the research park would look like when completed. He called the park invaluable in attracting clean, high-paying businesses and incubating new homegrown industry, adding that it was an integral part of the City's economic future with the right kind of support. Mr. Fart said the City has done a commendable job in reclaiming unsightly areas and the riverfront is no exception. He asked the council to leave open the prospect of developing north of the tracks. Minutes--Eugene City Council March 17, 1999 Page 3 11:30 a.m.