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

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Jennifer Gleason, 1031 West 10th Avenue, asked the City Council to adopt Option E relative to the riverfront district. She said that arguments that might apply to downtown were not relevant to the riverfront. She believed it made sense to retain funds that might otherwise go to the State and County to build a new library. However, Ms. Gleason said that the community needed more open spaces, particularly along the Willamette River. She did not think it was a community goal to cover the riverfront with development. She said that many people used the riverfront for recreation and want to protect it. Ms. Gleason referred to Oregon Revised Statute 390.330, and said it allowed local governments to apply to the State for matching funds to purchase land within the greenway. She asked that the council terminate the district and use the funds freed up as matching funds to purchase the land from the University for a park. Doug Quirk, 212 Pearl Street, said that the library was a high priority for residents and he supported Option B. Regarding the riverfront district, Mr. Quirk supported Option E, and said that the funds should be directed to restore lost recreation services. He acknowledged the loss of tax dollars to the State and County but said that if the funding was retained, it would go toward developing an area many did not want to see developed. He believed that the General Fund would realize $2 million over time if the riverfront district was terminated. Mr. Quirk said that the Eugene Celebration could be funded in part with those revenues. Paul Holbo, 2090 Broadview Street, termed urban renewal a "political incubus" for the City of Eugene and suggested that its association with past ballot measures had doomed them to failure. He favored Option B for downtown. Julie Aspinwall-Lamberts, read a motion adopted by the Mayor's Library Committee regarding urban renewal: "Ms. Aspinwall-Lamberts moved, seconded by Ms. Donahue, that since the objective of the Mayor's Library Improvement Committee is to develop a plan and funding mechanism for improved library services and facilities, which may include a new library in the Downtown Urban Renewal District or outside the district, the committee recommends to the City Council that an option to fund such a facility using urban renewal revenue be maintained. The motion was adopted unanimously, 9:0." Dan Tucci, 251 Spyglass Drive, termed downtown the heart of the city and said it had the highest density and highest concentration of tax revenues in the community. He said that he had developed several downtown properties and had found several challenges to development in downtown. Mr. Tucci said that projects such as the Tiffany Building had been made possible through urban renewal loan programs, and the loan was nearly repaid. He said that many projects downtown were made possible by urban renewal. Mr. Tucci supported Option O Mary Ann Holser, 2620 Crest de Ruta, supported Option E for the riverfront district. She said she did not think the riverfront district was meeting the goals established for it. She said that much of the research being done in the park was not applied research but was basic and so the park was not attracting new companies. Ms. Holser asked the council to preserve the last open space in the area for public use. Regarding the downtown district, Ms. Holser indicated support for using urban renewal funds to construct a new library as outlined in Option B. She believed that residents would support a subsequent operating levy. Frank Drysdale, 912 Van Buren Street, asked the council to terminate the riverfront district, or Option E. He said that the district was formed using a political, not environmental process. MINUTES--Eugene City Council April 13, 1998 Page 9 7:30 p.m.