Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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favored the WG Development proposal at this time because it was a local proposal, because of the UO’s involvement, and because she thought it could result in more public open space. Mr. Zelenka identified the future of the area, the aesthetics of the development, and the financing of the project as major criteria he considered when thinking about the issue. The City would be offering major subsidies to the development and he wanted more information about what was involved. He thought the WG Development proposal was more in line with what was called for in the Downtown Plan and the vision identified by the WBAC, but he had been concerned about the financing. That had been addressed by WG Development’s response. He acknowledged Opus NWR Development’s extensive experience. Mr. Zelenka anticipated that the subsidies for the two proposals would be about the same. The issue for him came down to character and type of development and he thought the two proposals were quite different from each other. He suggested a downtown dormitory with transient residents would be different from an office space with apartments. Mr. Zelenka suggested the council also needed to consider the revenue that resulted from each development and what kind of other uses they would stimulate downtown. Mr. Zelenka suggested that the council could delay its decision and get more information. Mr. Pryor found both proposals to be interesting and thought the staff evaluation of the factors taken into consideration was appropriate and it was up to the council to consider some of the more philosophical factors to the decision. He had not found the Opus NWR Development proposal as compelling as the WG Development proposal but thought student housing could work downtown. He thought it was likely both proposals could succeed. He said he liked the WG Development design. Mr. Pryor also thought it would be good to have more information about financing and what the City was expected to contribute. His inclination, if forced to choose that day, would be the WG Development proposal, but if more refinement occurred he would be willing to look at both proposals again. City Manager Ruiz believed it was important to maintain some process momentum. He said that the WG Development proposal was attractive in that the agreement that would result was relatively simple while the Opus NWR Development proposal was more of a “moving target” and he could not predict the timing of the proposal. In regard to the question of City subsidies, he believed there was a relatively significant difference in the amount to be provided. He said the City would work with both firms to negotiate the level of SDCs. He thought more information was needed in regard to the question of off-site improvements related to the Opus NWR Development proposal. He agreed it was important to support local firms wherever possible, but suggested it was not a “make or break” issue. City Manager Ruiz thought the Opus Development proposal tied in nicely to the transit system serving the UO and Lane Community College. Ms. Ortiz thought that both proposals could work and initially did not have a favorite. After further consideration of the issues and listening to community input, she was now thinking of what the community wanted in its downtown. She thought the critical mass created by 500 students would be good and was not disturbed by the fact school was not in session during the summer as she believed there were ways to fill the spaces. However, she was unsure that the community wanted a building where people came and went or a building that primarily served permanent members of the community. Ms. Ortiz was unsure of which proposal to support at this point. She questioned whether selection of the Opus Development project represented a subsidy of UO student housing. Mayor Piercy indicated she would be looking at both proposals for good architecture such as that found at the Eugene Library. She wanted more in the way of public space. She liked the mixed-use nature of the WG Development proposal and the fact that the firm had a major tenant lined up. She pointed out that students were often in the community for four years or more. Mayor Piercy said that students currently MINUTES—Eugene City Council July 14, 2008 Page 5 Work Session