Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Ms. Taylor agreed that the business could locate without City assistance and she did not see reason to assist Whole Foods. She did not think there was a great need for a new source of organic foods as there was abundance of such foods. She suggested that a local organic foods store could locate at the site. She questioned the size of the grocery store being proposed, as it was rather large to serve downtown residents. Ms. Taylor was opposed to spending money on the project unless there was public need and desire for a parking structure. She thought it was great that Whole Foods was providing its own parking but questioned why the City had to suddenly decide it must build a parking structure. She suggested the City could accommodate The Shedd’s desire to add a music school by exchanging City property in a separate transaction. She also requested another work session as well as a public hearing. Ms. Taylor said even if she thought the proposal was wonderful she would want to wait and see what happened with the Oregon Research Institute. She suggested the City put more thought into how it used that space downtown and consider other uses. Mr. Papé was excited about the project and its implications for downtown. He hoped the council did not “blow it,” as it had a short window of opportunity to determine how downtown looked in the future. He feared that if the council missed the window, conditions in the downtown would continue as they were. Mr. Papé hoped the City moved forward with the project to the degree finances were available. Mr. Papé concurred with Ms. Bettman that the development should be commended for the proposed parking. Mr. Papé asked about other potential projects in the district. Mr. Sullivan said there was a lot of discussion about potential redevelopment on various properties but no clear indication of what would happen. The financial analysis did not take into account any increment generated by those uses. City Manager Taylor indicated that staff hoped the development could be a catalyst for further development of the type envisioned in the Downtown Plan. Responding to a question from Mr. Papé about the use of the Library Debt Service Fund, Ms. Cutsogeorge said that the money was originally from the General Fund and not part of the urban renewal financing for the library. Mr. Papé asked if the City could condition the use of money from the Facilities Reserve on repayment from the Urban Renewal District. Ms. Cutsogeorge indicated that was staff’s intent and would be included in the materials the council saw on February 22. Mr. Sullivan added that it was possible the sale of City property could generate some funds for that purpose. Mr. Papé asked if systems development charge revenues could be used on the project. Public Works Director Kurt Corey said no. Mr. Papé asked if the City considered building a pedestrian structure off the northeast corner of the parking structure across Mill Street to serve the federal courthouse. Mr. Sullivan said the idea had come up. The City owned the corner across the street and there would be an elevator in that garage that would obviate the need for a ramp. Mr. Papé suggested that a pedestrian structure could spur federal financial participation. Ms. Solomon, seconded by Ms. Ortiz, moved to direct the City Manager to negotiate a land transaction between property owned by the City and property owned by The Shedd Institute for the Arts, LLC for the purpose of participating in the Whole Foods Development Project, and to bring back final terms for council approval. Mayor Piercy called for comments on the motion. MINUTES—Eugene City Council February 8, 2006 Page 6 Work Session