TO THE EDITOR
Farmers Market.
So many solutions in one neat little pack-
age. Opportunity knocks but once, Eugene.
Franklin Vandermeer
Eugene
CALL TO ARMS
Responding to Jerry Diethelm’s article,
“Inner Rewards” (1/25), was a call to arms for
us. We are students in professor Mark
Gillem’s urban design studio at UO and are
engaged in researching, analyzing and devel-
oping alternatives for the much deliberated
Franklin corridor, stretching from Glenwood
at the eastern end to the Park Blocks (i.e.
Saturday Market site) on the west end.
The newly constructed U.S. Courthouse
stands in an opportunistic position, as Jerry
touched upon, located between the down-
town core and the Willamette River, with the
Millrace canal running adjacent to the prop-
erty, and several sites that are prime for de-
velopment (including the recent Whole
Foods site). A landmark building, such as the
courthouse, in a growing urban environment,
such as Eugene, can be utilized as a stepping
stone in an inspirational leap towards a bright
future.
If development standards are initiated for
surrounding properties, if public open space
and waterways around the courthouse are de-
signed, and if the public helps direct this
process to meet the specific needs of
Eugene’s unique social and recreational
lifestyle, the city can work towards a vision
for a more integrated and celebrated commu-
nity environment for Eugene along the
Franklin corridor.
Visit www.franklincorridor.org for more
information.
Carl Liebhardt
and 13 other UO
architecture students
RUNNING OUT OF LAND
In response to the EW article “Teetering
on Sprawl” (1/25), sprawl can come from
you or toward you. Eugene is simply choos-
ing the latter. Ironically, forcing young fami-
lies to the outlying areas (Eugene is one of the
few school districts with declining enroll-
ment) increases sprawl because larger cities
typically develop at higher densities.
Mr. Pittman wrote: “Since 1950, Eugene’s
population density has declined 29 percent due
to urban sprawl.” The accuracy of the state-
ment depends upon what is being measured.
The number of persons per household has de-
creased significantly since 1950 — reducing
density. Eugene has more open space and set-
back requirements today — reducing density.
However, average lot sizes have decreased sig-
nificantly and more people are living in multi-
family units, which increases density.
The 1993 Legislature required that juris-
dictions exit periodic review with a 20-year
The Perfect Valentine
supply of residential land. We began period
review before that bill took effect, thereby
avoiding the state mandate. A periodic review
that should have taken seven years took 14.
We are now exiting periodic review with less
than a nine-year supply of land, a land study
that is based upon 1995 data and an inventory
that is increasingly constrained. We are
scheduled to run out of land about the time
we begin our next periodic review. However,
it takes about 10 years from beginning a new
land study to the creation of building lots.
We have a problem. We can choose to ig-
nore it or we can employ good planning prin-
ciples and deal with it.
Roxie Cuellar
Director of Government Affairs
Home Builders Association of Lane County
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UNMENTIONABLES
Yes, over 3,000 Americans have been
killed in Iraq and how many Iraqis? How
many innocent men, women and children? To
me what is even more despicable are the
numbers unmentioned, uncounted, the many
maimed or almost killed both from this coun-
try and in Iraq who will never have a full life
or any kind of proper care to speak of. The
silent and forgotten many who don’t seem to
count by those who add up the dead without
concern for the horrific numbers of almost
dead, the appalling toll climbing on a daily
basis.
I weep for these forgotten many and count
them by multiplying the dead tenfold.
I hang my head in shame to be from a
country with a leader who has too much pride
to admit defeat or the possibility of mistake.
Rheychol Paris
Yachats
RIM EACH OTHER
Once again you have shown that this
paper has gotten away from what it should
be. Your paper at times has some good arti-
cles, written not well but at least it gave the
community something other to read. This last
issue (1/18), I am totally disgusted. How can
you justify putting a picture of young kids on
the front and on the back put in such disgust-
ing writing. I refer to “Savage Love.” This
idiot who is not qualified to write anything,
and for sure is not a professional. A slime ball
who can only write porn, and you print it.
WHY?
This community deserves better than a
piece of garbage. I will do whatever I can to
stop this. I am sending a copy of the article to
the Attorney General’s office and to the pros-
ecutor here in Eugene, and anyone else I can.
If this is the type of crap you want to put in
your paper and give it away free so every kid
has access to it then I believe you should
move your paper out of town. At least The
Register-Guard prints news.
You spout your paper as an alternative; is
FEBRUARY 8, 2007 5