CC Minutes - 04/13/98 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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space would be lost forever if the research park was expanded. He was willing, however, to accept a compromise that would allow the research park to remain south of the tracks while preserving the area north of the tracks. Mr. Aaron asked the council to adopt Option E. Sylvia Hart, 256 North Grand Street, agreed with previous speakers supporting Option B for the downtown district, particularly the two children who spoke, Robin Carol and Leo Airman. She said that ideally, Eugene would have branch libraries within walking distance of children, rather than attempting to serve them from a main library. She said that historically, half the circulation in libraries is to children under 18 years of age. Ms. Hart encouraged the establishment of branch libraries. Rachelle Depher, 2839 Kincaid Street, said she was the captain of Women's Ultimate Frisbee at the University and supported Option E for the riverfront district. She said that sports fields at the University were inadequate and overused. She said that no other areas on campus were available, so she preferred to see development plans for the area north of the tracks abandoned so new fields could be built. She said that she used the fields every week and the area was heavily in use as an open space by Eugene area residents. Laurel Fisher, 2555 Highland Oaks Drive, supported Option C for the downtown district. She said that the library and Hult Center were the two great stakeholders downtown, and the space between them was what was under consideration tonight as she believed the council was committed to the library. Ms. Fisher said that the area between the two facilities was key to making the community's vision regarding downtown come alive. She said that people needed to see an entire picture of what was envisioned to garner their support. Ms. Fisher called for a development of a comprehensive plan for the area in question. Jan Spencer, 283 North Polk Street, advocated for Option E for the riverfront district, saying that it did not fulfill the definition of blight and was a wonderful resource as an open space. He said that the Growth Management Study results indicated that Eugene residents valued open space and wanted more. He was opposed to the subsidy of private businesses. Mr. Spencer described his own experience viewing wildlife in the area and asked the council to adopt the option so that the area could be preserved for wildlife. Ben Ross, 1366 Lawrence Street, #1, said that the riverfront should be dissolved because the City needed the money for other purposes. In addition, he believed the riverfront was a fragile ecosystem that would be threatened by the expansion of the research park. He supported Option E for the riverfront. Regarding the downtown district, Mr. Ross advocated for Option B to construct a new library. He encouraged the council to keep any proposal for the library simple and to avoid tying the library to the fate of urban renewal, which he believed could kill the proposal. He said that the council should educate the public about the benefits of the proposal in a proactive fashion. Kevin Hornbuckle, 375 Adams Street, addressed statements made by Mr. Tucci regarding The Register-Guard's investment in downtown, noting that the company was receiving a $500,000 tax exemption over ten years for its housing development on High Street. He had been the only member of the City Council to vote against the exemption. He said that downtown developers such as Mr. Tucci have a financial interest in the district. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 13, 1998 Page 13 7:30 p.m.