Item A: Downtown Financing Strategy

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community economic development. No formal action was taken; however, council did express interest in talking about desired downtown outcomes prior to resuming discussion on the various tools available for achieving those outcomes. April 13 & May 27, 2009: Council completed an initial review of possible local stimulus actions on April 13. On May 27, council approved actions on three economic development related items: 1) sale of surplus City real estate for identified development projects, 2) initiation of amendments to extend the expiration period for approved land use applications, and 3) consideration of an amendment to the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan. [On November 9, council approved extending the life of approved land use applications to help projects that may have stalled during difficult economic conditions. The ordinance provides a one-time, automatic three-year extension for certain land use applications that have already gone through a public process and been approved by the City. Council received a memo on strategies for the sale of surplus property dated December 3.] January 2009: Council unanimously approved a City of Eugene Mayor and City Council Economic Development Statement. PART II – Summary of Public Involvement on Downtown Revitalization February 2010: As of February 25, the Vibrant Eugene website had 852 visitors. The Vibrant Eugene online discussion board has 8 discussion topics posted for community input. January 2010: Staff held two open house events to share information and gather feedback on the potential projects (January 6 and 7) and gathered additional feedback through an online survey. The LCC project received the most support. The downtown parking improvements project received the least amount of support. On January 28, ERAC considered the projects and supported a priority ranking of LCC, Business Assistance & Housing, VA Clinic, and Safety, as the top four projects. Staff also presented the projects to the Sustainability Commission on January 20 and attended the January 21 Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting to provide an update on council’s progress. November 2009: Vibrant Eugene website and surveys were promoted at First Friday Artwalk with an incentive of Hult Center ticket drawing for survey respondents. The local KVAL news station held a televised town hall on downtown revitalization and safety. December 2010: ERAC met to review proposed downtown projects. The Vibrant Eugene website added an online community discussion board (http://vibranteugene.activeboard.com/index.spark). October 2009: Vibrant Eugene website (www.vibranteugene.org) was launched providing information on downtown revitalization efforts and opportunities, an on-line survey to collect public input and a Downtown Eugene twitter (http://twitter.com/DowntownEugene). ERAC reviewed the downtown revitalization survey results and the proposed downtown strategies of jobs and redevelopment, safety, parking, and arts and amenities. The Planning Commission reviewed the downtown revitalization public involvement plan and survey results.