downtown

Five developers or community groups have submitted proposals to fill the eyesore Sears pit and adjacent parking lot on the half block across from the downtown library.

The proposals to the city include a six-story student apartment building, a five story office/apartment mix, a green housing and transportation center, a hip hotel with 105-120 rooms and a community/art/housing center.

The Eugene Redevelopment Advisory Committee will review the proposals from 4:30 to 7 pm Thursday, June 19, at the Sloat Room in the Atrium Building downtown. The City Council plans to consider the proposals at a work session July 16. For the complete proposals, surf to the city website.

Here’s a rundown of the pit proposals:

• Opus — six-story student apartment building

The $40-million, 200,000 square-foot Opus project has 60 parking spaces embedded on the ground floor and a coffee shop with apartments for 472 students above. The developer says it will pay the city $482,360 for the half-block site. Opus wants the following city subsidies/actions: a 10-year property tax break, closing and selling a public alley, expedited permits, bulk leasing of 100 spaces in the Broadway Place Garage across the street, capping of permit and development fees at $100,000 and two reserved curbside spaces for ZipCars, a car sharing service.

Opus wrote that the project will “activate” the retail area downtown with new residents. The students will be “relying heavily on bicycles and busses for their daily commuting.”

Opus said a market study it commissioned and recent news stories show high demand for student housing in the area. Opus wants to start the project this year and finish it by the spring of 2010. “The timing is critical.”

Here's a look at the Opus ground floor, about half parking:

The ground-level of the west side of the Opus apartment building largely presents an unfriendly blank wall to pedestrians:

• WG — five-story office/apartment mix

Local developers Wally Graff and Nathan Philips propose two floors of offices topped by three floors of apartments. The $28-million, 200,000 square-foot, mixed-use project includes 83 apartments and 65 embedded parking spaces. Pacific University, which offers teacher education in Eugene, intends to occupy a “significant portion” of the office space, according to WG.

WG wants the following subsidies from taxpayers: give the half-block to them for $1, parking rental agreement for Broadway Place, reduced development charges, 10-year tax break, pay for alley and any off-site improvements, consider below-market loan, consider brownfield grant or loan, assistance with market analysis, expanded policing downtown and any potential environmental mitigation of the site.

WG wrote the project will “enliven” the area and increase “eyes-on” security. The building includes a police kiosk, small café, wide-sidewalks, street trees and a “quasi public urban plaza” with event space towards the library. The project may offer bus passes and “could meet” LEED Silver status for green building, according to WG.

The local developers say they have backing from banks and $10 million from unnamed investors for the project. If a planned market study shows lack of demand, WG said it may take a “phased” approach, building only half of the project first.

WG has parking underground in the pit and embedded on the groundfloor, which also includes a plaza facing the library:

Here's another view of the five stroy building from the library:

The west side of the WG project is also not pedestrian-friendly:

• Jim Wilcox — Green Housing Transit Center

Local resident Wilcox proposes an environmental and community-oriented “Tranovation Center.” The proposal has many green elements including: solar powered electric vehicle charging and parking; electric vehicle sales and service; a “BikeStation” with secure bike parking, repair, rentals and changing rooms; a car sharing service; a theater/community education facility; green housing; an indoor/outdoor farmers market; and an environmental transportation R&D center for UO and OSU engineers. The passive and active solar facility will generate as much power as it uses and offer car-free living, according to Wilcox.

Wilcox writes his proposal “lacks many technical requirements” the city asked for. He wrote: “This will not be a simple project. It will require participation by the City of Eugene, LCC, LTD, the U of O and OSU, private investors, downtown citizens and business owners. The City can make an investment by procuring an initial fleet of electric vehicles that could be charged in this location.”

• Canterbury Group — Hip hotel with 105-120 rooms

Canterbury proposes to build a $10-million, “lifestyle” hotel for the “Aloft” unit of the large Starwood Hotels chain. The Aloft vision includes a “lobby with a lively communal setting and a bar” and a futuristic, luxury “loft-inspired design and free flowing energy.”

The proposal includes the following taxpayer subsidies: no property taxes; city help with permitting and no delays; and land subsidized so that the developer will pay only $175,000 for the half block.

Canterbury said the project will enliven the area with an architectural landmark, use green building materials, attract redevelopment and create tax revenues.

• Energy Village — community center/housing

Energy Village is a “grass roots” group of local progressive people proposing a community/education/art center and housing project with a broad spectrum of community-based tenants. The proposal is “exploring design concepts” including possible: modern art museum; rooftop gardens; public park space; education programs, youth programs; childcare; music lessons; jazz jam space; artist workshops and classrooms; and sustainable clothing workshops, classrooms and boutique.

The Energy Village proposal states, “We are currently engaged in a capital campaign for private investment, which we then hope to match with public funds.” The proposal says it will help revive downtown with “creative class” people and provide jobs while providing “truly affordable housing,” learning opportunities and a “vibrant, inclusive” community center. The proposal, “embodies the philosophy of creativity and independence that Eugene is known for and plays it forward in a way that is edgy and truly progressive.”

To email the mayor and council with comments on the proposals, click here.

The new McKenzie-Willamette hospital could be built on a widely-supported downtown site centered on the Eugene Clinic under a proposal sent to the hospital this morning, May 21, by Eugene planning director Susan Muir.

The site centers on the medical clinic at 12th and Olive streets and its surrounding surface parking lots as well as adjacent largely underutilized downtown real estate. A similar downtown site was once proposed as an alternative to moving PeaceHealth to Riverbend by a coalition of progressives opposed to urban sprawl.

Muir wrote that the site offers the wide support, size, easier approval, lower cost, quicker construction and high visibility that the hospital has said it needs. The downtown location "will be of maximum benefit to all parties, build upon our existing assets and continue to create a vibrant, economic center within our city and our region," Muir wrote.

The city council has expressed "unanimous support" for a downtown hospital and the clinic site has "very strong support across broad spectrums of our elected officials, as well as our community," Muir wrote. Muir said the city has approached PeaceHealth to talk about the city purchasing an option for the clinic property or selling the property directly to McKenzie-Willamette.

The site, adjacent property and nearby room for medical office buildings totals about 22 acres spanning over up to a dozen downtown blocks, according to Muir. That’s larger than the 13-acre UO Riverfront Research Park that the hospital recently expressed interest in.

Muir described the regulatory approval process for the site as "minimal." The clinic site "is in the heart of our city and already planned to accommodate the type of trips your hospital would propose," she wrote.

With the help of city urban renewal funds, the site can be made "shovel ready" within the price the hospital has said it is willing to pay, Muir wrote. The downtown location requires less spending on new road and other infrastructure, she said.

A hospital could be finished at the clinic site within the preferred four-year time frame expressed by McKenzie-Willamette, according to Muir. PeaceHealth has said it will vacate the clinic not later than the end of 2010. Before then, McKenzie-Willamette will have time to work on building plans and approvals.

The centrally located site has high visibility and is easily accessible, and near the bus station, downtown library and BRT line, Muir wrote.

If the hospital chooses the site, Muir said the city will offer substantial help and subsidies. The city will pay for a new 500-car parking garage for the hospital by expanding the downtown urban renewal district, vacate parts of 12th and Olive and public alleys and give the land to the hospital, pay for or waive regulator fees and assist with the acquisition of land for the project.

Here's a link to a Google map of the proposed hospital site. Not all
the identified potential land/buildings may be used for the project.

Now that the big development scheme for downtown Eugene has failed, park advocates are talking options. New parks in Chico, California and Vancouver, Washington have reinvigorated those cities' downtowns. Both large parks cost less than a third of the price of just one new downtown parking garage in Eugene.

Here's Chico:

Here's Vancouver, Washington:

The Bus Project’s monthly Brewhaha political debate in cahoots with Eugene Weekly is happening from 6 to 8 pm Wednesday, Nov. 28 at Davis’ Restaurant on Broadway downtown.

Last month we debated the pros and cons of ballot measures, and this month we’re looking at “What the (Bleep) Happens Next with Our Downtown?”

The list of speakers is still being finalized, but regardless it promises to be a lively discussion, looking at both lofty visions and practical possibilities.

Tonight (Tuesday) the City Council is meeting with developers to talk about various options now that the big project is off the table. So Wednesday’s Brewhaha should be a good opportunity to get up to speed on “what the (bleep) happens next.”

Urban Renewal Defeated
Local vote upsets scheme to divert taxes to developer subsidies

By Alan Pittman

The city of Eugene’s controversial urban renewal plan to subsidize downtown developers with parking garages and other handouts totaling more than $40 million was rejected overwhelmingly by voters on Nov. 6.

In unofficial final results, 64 percent voted no on Measure 20-134.

The defeat came despite proponents outspending opponents by more than a two-to-one margin. Much of the $49,085 proponents raised came from property owners that hoped to cash in on the city’s offers to buy downtown buildings for two to four times their assessed real market value and from construction companies that stood to get contracts for the project. Opponents raised only $20,452, much of it from local businesses threatened with displacement or subsidized chain store competition.

“We were completely outgunned,” said Councilor Bonny Bettman, a leader in the campaign against the measure.

The defeat also came despite strong backing of the measure by The Register-Guard in editorials and, critics say, slanted news stories.

“For this campaign they abandoned all semblance of objectivity,” Bettman said. “It was not just the editorial stance, it was the news stance,” she said. “They basically took the proponents' talking points and reiterated them.”

The R-G repeatedly stated without attribution in news stories that the measure would not raise taxes. But both city finance staff and the county tax assessor wrote that the measure could result in a small tax increase to make up for revenue needed to pay off some existing bonds and levies. Opponents also pointed out that the measure would likely result in larger tax increases as other government services sought to make up for revenue diverted to urban renewal.

The measure’s defeat also came despite the claims of proponents, including all the members of the Eugene 4J School Board, that it would not hurt schools. In fact, about 34 percent of the developer subsidies would be money diverted from state school tax revenue. Statewide, a total of about $165 million a year is diverted for urban renewal.

“I was very disappointed in the school board,” said Councilor Betty Taylor, a former teacher. School board members shouldn’t be arguing that it’s OK for developers to take money from state school funding, she said. “It’s terrible, it’s disgraceful.”

Bettman said it was “scandalous” for the school board members to push to give away school money. “If the school board members think the schools are so flush with money” that they can afford to give it to developers, Bettman said, “they sure shouldn’t have students out there hustling money with candy and wrapping paper” fundraisers.

Taylor said voters saw through the proponents' misleading claims. “It was deceptive, but I think Eugene voters are intelligent.”

The strong vote against tax diversion for developers here could change the future use of urban renewal in Eugene and statewide.

Bettman and Taylor said the city should sunset its existing urban renewal districts downtown and along the riverfront.

Gavin McComas, owner of Sundance Natural Foods and instigator of the 20-134 referral vote, said the city “absolutely” needs to have a vote whenever it expands its urban renewal plans. “I question whether we need to continue with our urban renewal districts.”

Ending the districts could throw a wrench into schemes by city, EWEB and UO staff to use urban renewal tax diversions to subsidize a new City Hall building and massive development of the riverfront and Franklin Boulevard.

Bettman said the city and school district should lobby for a state bill to allow schools and other impacted taxing districts to opt out of having their funding diverted by urban renewal.

“I wish urban renewal statewide could see the light of day,” Bettman said. Describing how the “smoke and mirrors” funding diversion is “bleeding money from schools and essential services,” Bettman said, “urban renewal does not stand up to scrutiny.”

State Rep. Paul Holvey wrote an email just before the election calling for legislative reform of urban renewal.

Lane County Commissioner Peter Sorenson said the county is working on a legislative proposal to allow counties, which lose money from diversion, to get a vote on urban renewal. “We’re optimistic we can get a bill,” Sorenson said.

As for what the city will do now after the defeat of 20-134, Bettman and Taylor said the council should immediately move to approve the Beam Development proposal for remodeling the Center Court with an addition in the adjacent pit and remodeling the Washburne building. The councilors said the city should also move on the T.K. development proposal for condos and retail across from the library and discuss adding a park adjacent to the project. The three projects “would have a big impact,” Taylor said.

The fight for the urban renewal measure has left some lasting damage. The city was “absolutely crazy” to spend $345,000 on now mostly useless options to buy property at unrealistic prices, Taylor said.

Bettman said proponents' false campaign rhetoric that downtown is unsafe will hurt efforts to bring more people downtown. They were “creating their own bad PR,” she said.

But McComas said proponents should “set aside their differences and come together” with opponents to create a “more locally oriented and fiscally responsible way” to improve downtown.

A version of this story was also posted on the Eugene Weekly website here and will appear in the printed paper on Thursday.