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stated he would not support the motion and requested more information that was empirically-based, not <br />attitudinally-based. <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey said that a survey conducted of local businesses last year regarding perceptions of the <br />business climate in Eugene listed the top four issues as: <br /> <br /> · Simplify the permit process and dealings <br /> · Relax, revise local government regulations <br /> · Adopt pro-business policies <br /> · Employ economic development strategies <br /> <br />Mayor Torrey said that implementing a moratorium without providing an opportunity for a legitimate <br />process that included a work session and public hearing was wrong and referred to previous action on <br />housing standards as the appropriate approach. He observed that the pressure appeared to be to stop Wal- <br />Mart and not pressure to stop 50,000 square foot buildings. <br /> <br />Mr. Kelly explained that Ms. Taylor's motion did direct the city manager to bring back an ordinance to <br />impose a moratorium and the ordinance would be subject to the usual public input and public hearing <br />process, which was the same approach the council had taken with housing standards. <br /> <br /> Mr. Kelly proposed a friendly amendment to add the language %taff should begin <br /> investigation of possible long-term techniques related to economic issues, such as <br /> impact analysis or formula business regulation, used in other cities." Ms. Taylor <br /> accepted the amendment as the maker of the motion. Ms. Bettman accepted the <br /> motion as the second. <br /> <br />Continuing, Mr. Kelly said a moratorium was a blunt, short-term and temporary solution that allowed time <br />for a more permanent solution to be crafted. He expressed discomfort with quoting the business climate <br />survey because of the 15 percent response rate. <br /> <br />Ms. Taylor remarked that her motion was the same as the one she had made at a previous meeting and was <br />prepared by Mr. Klein. She said all the moratorium did was to provide the council time to think, and if it <br />was possible to stop the current application, she would want to do that. <br /> <br />Ms. Nathanson declared that if the issue was fundamentally about economic development and concern for <br />local business, then the council should ask the Mayor's Economic Development Committee to discuss ways <br />to support local businesses, the possible impacts and unintended consequences. <br /> <br />Ms. Bettman said that she had raised aspects of the issue during economic development and land use <br />discussions and was responsible for the 50,000 square foot limitation in nodes and the 35,000 square foot <br />limitation of a footprint. She said whether the motion passed or failed, it was her intent to move to ask the <br />Mayor's Economic Development Committee to consider not just the economic development issues embedded <br />in %ig box" chain store development, but consider the land use issues as well with respect to efficient use of <br />land within the UGB and impacts on transportation, tax base, and service provision. She said that <br />neighboring communities also had small businesses to protect and grow. <br /> <br />Mr. Meisner thanked Mr. Kelly for his amendment to the motion and pointed out that the motion did direct <br />staff to develop an ordinance for a moratorium on accepting or processing application for retail establish- <br /> <br />MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 24, 2004 Page 9 <br /> Work Session <br /> <br /> <br />