Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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parking garage was for the federal courthouse. He exhorted the City Council and staff to “own up to it” and ask the United States government for the funds to build the garage. Gary Wildish , 2424 Quince Street, hoped that the council understood that the no-bid contract was exactly what the City of Eugene did routinely in the selection of an architect or an engineer. He said this process had been used for many years and it had been found that a better project could be delivered at a lower cost and timelier manner using this method. He averred that contractors understood costs. He stated that Lease Crutcher Lewis used a number of subcontractors and every craft working on the project would be required to submit a bid. He thought the team concept was very viable. Terry Connolly , 1401 Willamette Street, spoke on behalf of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce. He reminded the council that a great deal of staff time, Planning Commission time, and council time had gone into the adoption of the Downtown Plan. He said policies need to be more than documents on a shelf. He called this project a chance to take another step forward in implementing the Downtown Plan. He read a portion of the plan aloud which emphasized the importance of being flexible and committed to responding to opportunities. He said the project was in line with the goals and policies of the plan. Danelle Zeghbib , 1618 Villard Street, stated that she was a student of architecture and a graduate teaching fellow in the environmental studies department. She said it seemed like the Whole Foods Grocery might be a step in the direction of having a more vibrant downtown but if the City could afford to finance a parking structure then it should be able to support a sustainable economy and the promotion of environmental sustainability. She felt that by funding a new parking structure, the City was sending a message that everyone should drive to downtown. She averred that this ran counter to the purported goal in the plan, on page 52, that the City would promote and support alternative modes of transport. She proposed that the City balance its non-sustainable actions, such as building parking structures, with sustainable measures such as covered bicycle parking, downtown parks, reduced fees for carpool parking, and awareness campaigns. Julie Rogers , 381 Huntington Avenue, felt that Eugene would lose at least as many jobs as it gained should Whole Foods Grocery open an outlet here, as smaller stores would lose business. She asked what was sustainable about bringing to town a “corporate mega-store” that could diminish the success of numerous smaller stores that had already invested heavily in the community. She felt the money should be spent on the development of an indoor/outdoor market for the Farmers Market. th David Woods , 953 West 8 Avenue, did not believe enough time had been allowed to discuss this item. He said it seemed the council was on a fast track and people did not have enough time to say what they needed to say about the issue. He felt he was hearing from “people talking from their wallets and people talking from their hearts” at the hearing. He did not wish to displace the existing natural foods industry with the Whole Foods Grocery. He asked the council to “really think about it.” Sam Hediger , 3440 McKenna Drive, #9, said everyone wanted to rebuild downtown Eugene and to have it be successful. He offered an alternative proposal which sought to subsidize the increase of public sustainable transit. He averred that doing so would “achieve the benefits of a smooth flow of traffic” and this would increase the livability of the new commercial and residential districts. He wished to create a “laboratory for small business” and/or a permanent structure for the Farmers Market by renovating existing businesses using green technologies. He thought such an endeavor could be managed by a citizen board that included representatives from the business colleges and the City Manager among others. th Paul Nicholson , 1855 East 28 Avenue, asked that the council extend this discussion to the next meeting, given that some people had been unable to stay to give their testimony because of the time. He did not take MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 21 City Council Meeting