Item 2A: Approval of City Council Minutes

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Candace Nelson , 361 Lombard Lane, opposed the proposed East Broadway parking project. She asked that Eugene citizens be allowed to determine the atmosphere of the downtown rather than business interests. She related that Friends of Eugene held a rally on March 7 at which many people voiced their opposition to the project. She wanted the City to be proactive rather than reactive when planning. She averred that the people wanted the City to plan and develop a downtown that reflected their common values. She asserted that the council was considering transferring money from other sources and that using taxes allocated for other things to build a parking garage was “wrong.” She opined that using public funds to build a garage and to pay for other infrastructure changes in order to entice a private business was unfair to other self- supporting private businesses. She wished for mixed-use development in the downtown area with residential development first. Jenny Gosset agreed that the downtown area could use improvement. She thought mixed-use development would revitalize it, but she opposed the proposed parking garage and its connection to the Whole Foods Grocery store. She thought the City should supply money “of the sort being discussed” to local businesses and then Eugene would become “a sustainable model to the world.” She suggested that money should be given to enhance public transportation. She predicted that the parking garage and the development of Whole Foods Grocery would make the City of Eugene gentrify and become just like “Anywhere U.S.A.” Mayor Piercy closed the public hearing. She called for council questions and comments. Councilor Bettman asked how much parking the Government Services Administration had requested. She also asked if ODOT had weighed in on the project and whether they had taken a stand on ingress and egress. Continuing, Councilor Bettman asked staff to look into Mr. Poticha’s assertion regarding the County structure and its ability to accommodate more levels of parking. Councilor Bettman said some people had testified that there would still be competitive bidding. She asked staff to determine if this would reduce the amount of money the City would give to Gerding/Edlen. In response to another question from Councilor Bettman, City Manager Taylor indicated that the debt cap would not have to be raised for this project. Councilor Bettman asked where the money would come from if there were not enough agency funds to pay back the City through the Urban Renewal District. Councilor Ortiz thanked everyone for testifying, calling it a definite show of force. She said it was interesting to see how powerful it can be when people get organized around an issue. She commented that she would love to have people get behind other issues such as child abuse and domestic violence with such a show of force. She reiterated her thanks to everyone for coming and to the councilors for staying to hear everyone speak. Mayor Piercy thanked everyone for staying and for their testimony. The meeting was adjourned at 11:39 p.m. Respectfully submitted, MINUTES—Eugene City Council -- March 13, 2006 Page 25 City Council Meeting