CC Minutes - 04/19/10 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing and thanked those who spoke. She recognized that the proposal would not fix all of the problems downtown, but it was a good start and would provide momentum to the other efforts that were already under way. Councilor Taylor thanked those who spoke. She was opposed to expanding and extending urban renewal. She pointed out that urban renewal opened the streets, but it also closed the streets and destroyed many historic buildings. She noted that many speakers were concerned about LCC, but felt its project could be accomplished without urban renewal. She said any extension of urban renewal should be by a vote of the people. She was willing to vote immediately to support LCC to remove any uncertainty about the project. Councilor Clark thanked those who spoke. He was pleased to see so many people in the community support the proposed plan amendment, which was different from previous urban renewal plan amendments. He was enthusiastic and optimistic about the proposal. Councilor Solomon left the meeting at 8:45 p.m. Councilor Ortiz appreciated the comments from a wide range of constituents. She agreed there was no single solution to downtown's problems. She' pointed out that there were other neighborhoods in the community that faced challenges and hoped future conversations could address those issues, but the current focus was on downtown and she supported the proposed urban plan amendment as the right thing to do. Councilor Brown also thanked those who spoke. He said councilors supported each of the projects, but in a different way. He felt they could be accomplished without urban renewal. He said urban renewal had destroyed downtown and wiped out the community's architectural heritage and it was time to let it go. He said if the plan amendment was approved the City would lose $10 million from the General Fund in nine years. He preferred to explore the option of a revenue bond as a financing tool. He felt each of the projects had flaws, although they looked good from a distance, and could not support them in their current forms. He felt the City had adequate finances to move all of the projects forward and taxpayers should be able to vote on the expenditure of urban renewal funds. Councilor Zelenka stressed that the urban renewal plan amendment was not the same proposal presented two years ago. He asked the City Manager to restate the information about financial impacts on the school district. Mr. Ruiz said based on information provided by the Lane County Assessor, and City staff, and confirmed by School District 4J, the district would lose $11 7,000 annually if the urban renewal district was not continued. From a financial standpoint it was to the district's advantage to continue the district. Councilor Zelenka commented that he had requested the analysis because of misperceptions about the fiscal impact of urban renewal on schools. He urged the public not to believe the rhetoric and support the proposal. Failing to support the urban renewal plan amendment would likely eliminate the Willamette Street site's potential for a VA clinic and could j eopardize the LCC project. He said all four projects could be accomplished with urban renewal funds without raising taxes, while the opponents' plan would actually raise taxes and cause financial harm to the school district. He urged support for the plan amendment. Councilor Pryor stated he had served on the school board for I I years and concurred with the analysis of the financial impact of urban renewal on the school district. He pointed out that the school district had confirmed the results of the analysis. He said the plan amendment was a viable means of moving forward immediately with the projects, then sunsetting the district when they were completed. MINUTES Eugene City Council April 19, 2010 Page 7 Public Hearing