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About What's happening. (Eugene, OR) 1982-1993 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 5, 1987)
MPARS * CYCLHS Mountain Biht SpuMietl 1753 West 18th Ave. 687-0288 Effective 1/26, hours are noon to 10m-5 am Sat. .-Fri. « askes ste Larry Weinstein, L.Ac. announces the o of his new acupi ‘ office at 260 E. 15th Sti Suite A Eugene, Oregon 9 ire P w D, 344-5882 LUNCH IS NOW... FAST, AFFORDABLE with the same GOOD TASTE Sandwiches, Hearty Soups From $2.95 Leah's Wine & Company 7th a Willamette Across from the Hult Covered Parking 484-4041 KEYSTONE CAFE NIGHTS * Enjoy Real Food at Reasonable Prices from our New Expanded Menu X ► Featuring Mexican, Vegetarian and Burger Dinners 2205 W Sth Av * NOW OPEN 7 AM-9 PM 5 O 20° 7) • Quality women's resale clothing & accessories • Consignments by appointment 941 Pearl St. 11-5:30 Mon. Sat. 485-6634 Hand-d ntine palates peand , wonderful! We ship. •-*— jr ■— Fentoj Lee 15. STEP OUT IN STYLE with qualify resale clothing! r 1 THE THRIFT & GIFT SHOP A Eugene Tradition For 31 years Eugene's finest clothing and gift resale shop. 2839 Willamette St. (use our Southtowne side— APe Oak St. parking lot) Ei Open M-S. 10-4 LEAGUE Supper at Southtowne Light dinners from 5-8 pm, Monday through Saturday. Music from 6-8 on Friday nights. JOIN US! Southtowne Shoppes 28th St Oak Eugene The COFFEE CORNER Ltd. ■COMMUNITY Public Hearing: Condo Conversions1 i- • • A* 1 s I Edited by Lucia McKelvey Late last week What’s Happening learned about an upcoming public hearing on the important issue of Condominium Conversion. It will be held on Monday, February 9 at 6 pm in the City Council Chambers. Hoping to inform readers about this local controversy that especially af fects the elderly, we asked the Coali tion on Condominium Conversion for information. The following is their position paper, edited for publication, and represents the Coalition's point of view. We hope it will stimulate questions and generate opinions and testimony at the hearing on Monday. The recent holiday season was dis comforting for several hundred older Eugene residents . . . most of them women who live alone in apartments which could be converted to condo miniums for sale if the City Council accepts recommendations which were forwarded by the Planning Commis sion just before Christmas. The re commendations would make it possi ble for owners to sell apartments and evict the tenants if they didn’t want or couldn't afford to buy. Many can af ford the rent, but can’t afford to buy. The Planning Commission pro posals would allow those evictions to take place routinely, on conversion and sale of an apartment even if there were no comparable units available. Under the present ordinance, older people, and low-income, or handi capped renters can't be moved from their apartments when their units are converted unless there are “com parable” units elsewhere. The law was enacted nearly eight years ago. Until the City Council takes final action, older Eugeneans, especially those in three of Eugene’s “high rise facilities," are wondering “how much they count,” and many, unable to buy . a condominium, are chronically sleepless. They thought they were protected against a forced move. With the protection of law, those people have settled in, made plans, arranged their retirement financing, and looked forward to long-term resi dency without disruption. According to Gail Nicholson, a well-known Eu gene widow who lives in one of the high rises that owners seek to convert, “Many of us residents came to these buildings with husbands ... but are alone now.” All of a sudden, some apartment owners, especially of high-rise facili ties, see the possibilities of substantial profits, if only the City Council will act in their behalf! Among those apartment owners is Rob Bennett, who moved this month from membership on the Planning Commission, where he led the way and participated actively on this issue, to membership on the City Council. He, and other developers, seem to be looking for a “first-time” debate on the topic of whether or not private landowners should have “the freedom” to convert apartments to condominiums without government restraint and regardless of impact on older tenants. That issue was debated, and decid ed in Eugene eight years ago when the Council voted to protect older resi dents from eviction and passed the “condo conversion” ordinance. The issue now is whether or not City Hall will break the promise of security which was assured older renters several years ago. Many public bodies elsewhere have passed laws, similar to Eugene’s exist ing ordinance, which protect certain renters against evictions caused by condo conversion. Some form of ten All of a sudden, some apartment owners ... see the possibilities of substantial profits. ant protection for residents under going conversion has been enacted in to state law by 25 state legislatures, with at least three of those states offer ing special protections for aged rent ers statewide. The key protection in the present ordinance provides that “comparable” housing must be available if a renter is forced out of a unit that converts to a condo. Planning Commission members could not come together on the issue of comparability and have left it, with all of its deep and troubling impli cations for people in high-rise fa cilities in particular, for City Coun cil action. The half-finished recommendation from the Planning Commission re commends that apartment owners be allowed to convert but, as one Com mission member said, “the com parability question is at the heart of the matter and we haven’t come to terms with it.” There are only three high rise, pri vate, non-subsidized apartment build ings left in Eugene which have not converted to condominiums. If all three were allowed to convert, as many of us believe they will, there would be no comparable apartment units left in the area. For the several hundred residents of Patterson Towers, Lane Towers, and Eugene Manor, it’s hard to imagine something which is comparable to an elevator! If they’re forced to move, they move to very different units. In the minds of many older, settled Eu geneans, the “elevator buildings” are their safety and security, and those are the buildings which are most likely to convert if the Council puts profit for a few above security for many. The trauma of moving for older people is well documented by 20 years of conclusive research which in dicates that involuntary relocation triggers illness and debilitation. In creased dependence on others is often the result. Costly, long-term nursing care often becomes the only alter native. FUTONS & FRAMES Bed Frames and Couch Frames starting at $95 Futons starting at $85 Example: We have double bed or couch frames with futon for as low as $205! May be seen at our new Elmira Showroom. 935-7348 Open by Appointment Only VISA, MasterCard Deliveries Available All three privately held high-rise apartments could convert to condos immediately if the Council gives the owners this option. All three are re ported to have financial difficulties: re-possessions, defaults, bankruptcies and sheriffs auctions characterize their recent history and present status. How is the public to perceive the continued actions of Councilman Bennett, who has an owner's finan cial interest in one of those three high rise buildings? Although the City Attorney has said that Mr. Bennett can participate in ac tion of the Planning Commission because he doesn’t plan immediate conversion, the Coalition perceives a severe conflict of interest, and is shocked by his continued participa tion. Our handsome City Hall and the three high rise buildings at the heart of the condo conversion discussion surely can’t be described as chicken coops, but the vision of a fox at work is overpowering for those who watch. Who will the City be helping if it allows conversion of apartments to condos? Is the public to believe that the Council is comfortable with “cozy" actions? Does the majority of the Council think that the present need to support our business community also includes specific “personal favor” votes for three friendly apartment owners? Do the people of Eugene think it’s all right for the City to switch the rules and allow older per sons to be evicted, or left in perpetual state of anxiety about their living unit for those reasons? Most of all: what about those broken promises? nn L Published Every Thursday Publishers Elisabeth Lyman Lucia McKelvey Sonja Ungemach Editor Lucia McKelvey Advertising Manager Elisabeth Lyman Production Manager Sonja Ungemach Office Manager/Production Sheri Longobardo Assistant Editor Deborah McGee Cover Design Melanie Pratt Advertising Representatives Susan Brokaw Ken Hof Martha Wagner Garde Wells Randy Yost Contributing Writers Deborah McGee Jim Stiak Michael Sussman Lois Wadsworth Martha Wagner Photographer David Stein Distribution Daybreak News Co Typesetting Prototype Camera Work Graphics Unlimited Printing Springfield News 335 West 20th Avenue Eugene, Oregon 97405 (503) 484-0519 Copyright 1987 What’s Happening. All rights reserved.
