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Mr. Weinman underscored that this was a public hearing on amendments to the Riverfront Research Park Urban Renewal Plan and that the council had discussed it six times during 2003. Mayor Torrey opened the public hearing. Betty Thompson, 1644 West 19th Avenue, commented that, at present, many taxpayers were almost being taxed out of their houses. She said this also impacted renters as the landlords passed tax increases on to them. She asserted that, since the district would not produce revenue, it represented excessive spending in this time of recession. Ms. Thompson expressed concern that the project would exacerbate traffic congestion on Franklin Boulevard. She attributed the closing of stores in the downtown area to urban renewal and opined that urban renewal was not necessarily a good thing. She asked if the urban renewal district would raise property taxes and, if so, to what degree. Carlis Nixon, 1556 Willamette Street, remarked that it was difficult not to see this development through the "filter of the research park development" and opined the development had not been an enrichment to Eugene. She asked that all possible care be taken to ensure the natural area adjacent to the river not be environmentally damaged and that unnecessary development of open spaces and natural areas be kept to a minimum. Charles Biggs, 540 Antelope Way, requested the record be left open for an additional seven days. He asserted that the Riverfront Research District had been conceived of 20 years ago. He questioned whether the debt and the projections made regarding in the district the present proposal were being truthful to the public. He thought it could take 60 years to achieve the full build-out. He questioned the merit of taking the revenue from the schools and the City. Jana Rygas, 2476 Nixon Street, was concerned about the removal of some of this land from the tax rolls which support the things the community needs such as fire, police, and aquatic facilities - all supported by the General Fund. She averred that, should the land be taken off the tax rolls, there needed to be accountability and that the City should be able to reliably predict that this move would benefit the community in the long-run. She suggested that there had been a "mixed track record" in the City of Eugene and some projects had worked well and some had not. She felt there were not enough safeguards in place. She disputed the language that referred to "blight" in the neighborhood, stating that though there were parking lots there was also a substantial natural area along the river. Ms. Rygas alleged that the plans called for a road to be situated next to the river. She opposed this, as the Willamette Greenway should be protected. She urged the council to build in more control "up front" to guide very specifically which projects should go forward and which priorities should be adopted. Mayor Torrey stated that, barring objections from staff and the City Council, action on Agenda Item (9) would be deferred to a later meeting due to time constraints. Terry Connolly, 1401 Willamette Street, spoke on behalf of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. He called urban renewal districts one of the few tools that a city had to help with redevelopment and revitalization. MINUTES--Eugene City Council February 9, 2004 Page 12 Regular Meeting