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B. WORK SESSION: Economic Development Committee Recommendations Mr. Taylor was pleased to introduce the work of the Economic Development Committee (EDC). He commended the committee's hard work and thanked Jim Forbes for his work as chair and Kathy Smith, who assumed the position of chair when Mr. Forbes left the community. He asked Tom Coyle, director of the Planning and Development Department (PDD), to provide the background on the committee's work. Mr. Coyle reiterated that the committee had been an "outfall" of a directive from the Mayor. He said the committee met eight times, beginning in March 2004 and concluding in July. Ms. Smith read the charge of the committee, from page 15 of the agenda packet. She said the report was not a comprehensive strategic economic development plan and the committee was mindful that there was more that could have been done, had there been more time. She highlighted the recommendations that were made. Regarding its first recommendation, Ms. Smith explained that the committee agreed there was a lack of agreement because the committee was uncertain what the true supply of commercial and industrial land in the city of Eugene consisted of. She advocated for the City Council to support a regional buildable lands analysis, consistent with State requirements. Regarding the second recommendation on land use codes, Ms. Smith asserted there was much room for improvement in the regulatory process. She conveyed the committee's recommendation that Chapter 9 of the land use code be made simpler and reviewed annually. Ms. Smith said the third recommendation to fund an "ombudsman" whose role would be to assist in navigating through the permit process would help streamline the process. Regarding the fourth recommendation on the enterprise zone, Ms. Smith stated that the committee acknowledged that such a zone was not the tool to do everything. She shared the recommendation, delineated on page 30 of the agenda packet. Ms. Smith presented the recommendations in support of existing tools, consisting of infrastructure and urban renewal. Ms. Bettman, seconded by Mr. Poling, moved to accept the report of the Mayor's Committee on Economic Development. Ms. Taylor supported the motion if 'accept' did not mean 'adopt.' She expressed her intention to move to thank the committee and to delay any action until after the conference on sustainable development scheduled for September 23. She commended the committee for its work. Ms. Taylor thought Ms. Smith's quote on page 74 of the agenda packet which asserted the report would "frame the debate" for the City Council and the community was appropriate. She agreed with comments made by Brian Obie in which he supported education as an industry with a capacity for growth. She also supported his recommendation that owners of vacant buildings make rental concessions in order to increase tenancy. MINUTES--Eugene City Council August 9, 2004 Page 3 Work Session