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Attachment F <br />Draft Section 108 Individual Project Application <br />for the West Broadway Land Acquisition Project <br />DRAFT <br />Section 108 Individual Project Application <br />City of Eugene, Oregon, West Broadway Land Acquisition <br />(Ten basic questions) <br />1.Project Description <br />a. Background <br />The City of Eugene proposes to utilize a combination of federal and local funds to support the <br />redevelopment of properties along two blocks of West Broadway (the Redevelopment Area). <br />The Redevelopment Area is approximately 5.2 acres. West Broadway historically served as the <br />commercial center of downtown Eugene. However, at present, the area is characterized by <br />significant vacancies and deteriorating buildings, parking lots, and excavated building sites. The <br />Redevelopment Area was selected due to its strategic importance for commerce and opportunity <br />to create sustainable models for living close to employment, retail, and services. A critical part <br />of the vision is to create more opportunities for people to live in high density, location-efficient <br />residences, quality jobs and services, and to better utilize alternative modes of transportation to <br />reduce overall impacts on the environment. <br />The Redevelopment Area is surrounded by community assets that make it the ideal location for <br />urban infill and redevelopment. The intersection of Willamette Street and Broadway, located at <br />the eastern edge of the Redevelopment Area, is considered to be the very center of Eugene. <br />Downtown Eugene is occupied by businesses and government offices that employ over 11,000 <br />people. Residents and employees within downtown Eugene already have immediate access to <br />alternative travel modes including the Lane Transit District Downtown Transit Station, <br />comprehensive bike path system, and pedestrian facilities. Access to retail, parks, and cultural <br />facilities also make downtown Eugene an attractive location for additional development. <br />Over the past ten years, the City of Eugene and other private entities have attempted to support <br />the development of portions of the Redevelopment Area. The challenges of downtown <br />development and fragmented ownership have thwarted previous efforts for a more <br />comprehensive redevelopment approach. In April 2006, the City of Eugene started to explore <br />ways to assemble the property and commenced negotiations with the property owners within the <br />Redevelopment Area. At this time, the City holds purchase options for all of the properties <br />except one, which is currently under negotiation.Property options will start to expire in <br />September 2007, leaving a very small window for acquisition. The City of Eugene seeks to <br />acquire five properties (nine tax lots) in the Redevelopment Area with $7.895 million in Federal <br />Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program funds and $2 million in BEDI grant funds (Section <br />108/BEDI Properties). See Exhibit A. <br />In December 2006, the Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Eugene (URA) issued a Request <br />for Qualifications (RFQ) for a development team with the capacity to redevelop properties along <br />West Broadway. The RFQ specified that development concepts must be compatible with <br />