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Eugene and Churchill. He asked the council to consider redirecting the proposed development to an area <br />with more capacity for growth. <br />Chris Leighton, 2264 Lakeview Drive, He said neighbors did not feel heard at the HPB hearing, which <br />was held mid -day when many residents could not attend because the time conflicted with Gilliam <br />Elementary School's release. He objected to characterizations of neighbors as wealthy elites and noted <br />his own blue collar origins and volunteer community service. Mr. Leighton questioned the amount of <br />debt that the federal government was incurring and asked how such developments were being paid for. <br />He suggested the property be sold to a tax paying entity and the revenues be used for public services. <br />Diana Graff, 2308 Parkview Drive, also felt the neighbors were not heard by the HPB. She asked how a <br />pregnant mother pushing a stroller, perhaps accompanied by other children, was expected to walk four <br />blocks to the bus on a street without sidewalks or street lights. She also believed it was a gross misuse of <br />government funds for a member of the HPB member to suggest residents of Bascom Village could spend <br />their food stamps at Safeway or Albertsons and said those were the highest priced grocery stores in the <br />area. She also questioned how grandparents with custody of small grandchildren were expected to walk <br />that far in the cold to a bus that ran only twice daily. <br />Wally Graff, 2308 Parkview Drive, did not believe the HPB's hearing notice was adequate. He did not <br />think the process was fair because members of the HPB had already made their minds up about the <br />proposal. They did not reach out to the neighbors to discuss the best approach. He said the City needed <br />to include residents in the decision making process. He questioned the size of the proposed development <br />and the location, which was not proximate to grocery stores, bus lines, or other services. Mr. Graff <br />recommended that if the development were to proceed, the City require the developer to construct the <br />infrastructure needed to serve it, including sidewalks. <br />Phyllis Hockley, 220 North Adams, #2, supported Bascom Village because it would help children living <br />there to build relationships and have a sense of community. Children growing up in stable situations had <br />stable lives. She believed a home was a basic need and in the absence of low- income housing, many <br />would not have a home. She commended the low - income housing built by St. Vincent de Paul. Ms. <br />Hockley believed that neighbors to the proposed development had legitimate concerns about schools, <br />traffic, and the need for sidewalks, and advocated that all work together to resolve them to ensure Bascom <br />Village became a reality. <br />Kevin Reed, 3117 River Bend Avenue, anticipated that residents of Bascom Village would need more <br />services than most people but the site proposed for the development was not well served. He estimated <br />that approximately 1,100 multi - family housing units were being developed in the area and nobody <br />appeared to be taking that into consideration. He questioned if there was sufficient infrastructure to serve <br />the new development and pointed out the majority of the added traffic would travel down two <br />neighborhood streets. He believed the City should have worked with the neighborhood to determine how <br />to best serve the needs of all, not just a single group. <br />Lorane Hunt, 2610 Edgewood Drive, suggested that single - family development next to an affordable <br />housing development was a recipe for disaster. She questioned who was responsible for maintaining the <br />quality of life for tenants and adjacent homeowners after construction. She believed that neighbors to the <br />proposed development deserved both an answer and a guarantee the neighborhood would be protected, <br />repaired, and enhanced. She said her disabled neighbor had spent six years addressing the impact of a <br />nearby affordable housing development and had recently received a letter from the executive director of <br />the agency that managed the project saying he was tired of hearing her complaints and informing her that <br />MINUTES— Eugene City Council November 21, 2011 Page 9 <br />Public Hearing <br />