Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 23, 1981)
Emerald Vol 83, No 36 Eugene. Oregon 97403 Friday, October 23,1981 Photo by Bob Baker Just one small step. . . The University's Army ROTC unit was out in full force Thursday practicing rappelling off the west side of Skinner's Butte About 30 members of the unit, ten of whom were women, perfected their rappelling techniques under the expert guidance of an ROTC instructor The University, one of four state schools which offer a ROTC program, currently has 58 students enrolled in its program Students on ROTC scholarship — there are seven at the University — are provided with tuition, books, fees, some equipment and a $100 per month living allowance. Zoning changes aim to preserve housing By STEVE HOOKS Ol th* Emerald The city wants to preserve West University Neighborhood residences — but some medical officials fear proposed zoning changes would close the door on new clinics in that area Students would benefit by the zoning changes, says Dave Lesser, off-campus housing director. Medical facility expansion in the neighborhood involves clinics buying houses normally rented by University students and reducing the availability of low-rent housing, Lesser says According to a draft of the West University Refinement Plan published in April 1981, 65 percent of the neighborhood residents are students A main feature of the refinement plan restricts further medical expansion in the neighborhood, says city planner Jody Miller Doctors associated with Sacred Heart Hospital, located in the neighborhood, tend to establish practices nearby, Miller says. At present 35 clinics already are located in the area, she says Miller says if the R-3 zoning plan passes, no new clinics would be allowed in the six blocks stretching from 14th to 19th Avenues and bounded by High and Hilyard streets Clinics wanting to locate in the area along 12th Avenue from the hospital to downtown, zoned R-4, will be required to obtain a conditional use permit, Miller said She says this requirement applies to new medical facitlties as well as expansions on exis ting facilities Medical officials from Sacred Heart Hospital and associated medical facilities oppose the zoning proposals The officials want to expand in the area because residential land is cheaper than commercial land, Miller says. Officials also say restricting expansion will hurt both Sacred Heart Hospital and the local economy. Miller says the West Universi ty Neighbors supports the zon ing proposals because residents are wary of continued medical facility expansion. Mickey Duke, executive director of the Lane County Medical Society, says the city and the neighbors are "unduly worried” about the possibility of expansion. He says the medical community is not concerned about expansion in the R-3 area, and the city "must be able to accomodate clinic growth" in the 12th Avenue corridor between the hospital and downtown. “We're not at all comfortable with any kinds of restrictions," Duke says. “Our position is that existing zoning is very appro priate and handling the problem just fine Duke says the zoning changes would create red tape and discourage new doctors from locating in the area He added that Sacred Heart has grown into an important regional facility, which now has specialized patient care New doctors are needed so the hos pital can continue serving the region effectively, Duke says Although the city has done studies, Duke says, the studies weren't detailed and failed to tie the facts together He said his organization did an independent study and found only three acres of residential area were suitable for expansion In determining land availabili Continued on Page 2 Rebate checks total $117 million in 1981 More than half a million property tax relief checks are in the mail this week The Oregon department of revenue mailed checks totaling $117 million to qualifying home owners and renters Under the Homeowner and Renter Relief Program, 450,000 checks, to taling more than $109 million, went to low- and middle-income families In addition, about 70,000 checks were sent to renters who had incomes of more than $17,500 These separate Renter Relief checks, totaling $7 8 mil lion, represent 4.7 percent of the individuals’ 1980 rent How ever, the maximum payment under the program dropped from $400 to $212 this year, according to the revenue department Most of the checks will be received within two weeks. Residents who filed HARRP or Renter Relief claims this year can contact the revenue department if they haven't received their checks by Nov. 2 Oregon residents who have moved since filing for the refunds should leave a forward ing address Some residents may receive reduced refunds or no refunds if they failed to pay their state income taxes The 1981 Legislature authorized the revenue department to withhold these relief payments because the programs are funded by state income tax collections.
