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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 2007)
BY MARY O’BRIEN Upside Down City’s needs have priority downtown W hen I wanted to build a straw bale house in southern Utah a few years back, I hired an out-of-town architect who had built some conference yurts and energy-efficient homes. I wanted a small (800 sq. ft.) house; he wanted to de- sign a bigger house. I wanted a simple loft; he wanted to design a second story with a cupola. Finally he suggested I look for another architect. “I don’t do low-income houses,” he explained. I thought that was pretty funny —and looked for another architect. “I like small houses,” said Moab architect Susie Harrington. “You tell me what you want. I’ll give my best advice, but it’s your house.” So I have an 850 sq. ft., south-facing, single story straw-bale house, several triple-pane windows, and a great Harrington-signature curved roof. It’s warm with- out any heating on most below-freezing winter days. It’s cool most of the 100 de- gree-plus days of July and August, needing only a couple of swamp cooler hours a day. It was fun working with Harrington and it’s our house. Unfortunately, in the case of West Broadway “urban renewal,” Eugene’s City Council committed to Portland developer KWG before we, as a community, had de- cided what we wanted to build. Now supporters of Measure 20-134 ask us to pro- vide an unclear number of tens of millions of dollars in subsidies to an as-yet un- specified KWG development on two downtown blocks. As for what we might want, we’re basically left with whatever City Council “recommends” to their already-se- lected developer and then guaranteeing KWG a 13 percent profit on what KWG de- cides to build. That’s not a good position to be in. If we defeat Measure 20-134, we can hire a developer who wants to work with what we want and how much we want to spend on two downtown blocks. For instance, let’s think about “the park issue.” From the beginning of public (as opposed to city staff) discussions about re-developing the West Broadway area, a sizeable sector of citizens, urban designers, and architects have repeatedly urged the creation of a park across from our fine, public, urban renewal Eugene City Library. Also from the beginning, the city’s selected developer Thomas Kemper of KWG has dismissed the idea of incorporating a park into KWG’s plan. He has re- peatedly said that if we want a park in the area, we’ll have to pay for it separately, i.e., in addition to whatever we will pay KWG for its as yet not-revealed plan. Most of the West Broadway Advisory Committee, uncommonly afraid of scaring off KWG, proposed 15-foot wide sidewalks in front of (and serving) the KWG devel- opment’s businesses as its primary “open space” option. The WBAC’s second pro- posed “open space option” is to maintain and enhance alleys for pedestrian access as well as service vehicle use. The third is for the city (not KWG) to “consider changes” to the existing sterile and uninviting Broadway Plaza. The last proposal is for “extra deep sidewalks” or a “small corner plaza” across from the library, “less than 1/8 city block.” In the face of growing, vocal public resistance to, among other problems, the lack of assurance of a public-amenity park in this $40 million Measure 20-134, a City Council majority tepidly changed the near-library plaza proposal from “less than 1/8 city block” to “not less than 1/8 city block.” One-eighth of one city block amounts to 6 percent of the two block, publicly subsidized West Broadway devel- opment. But remember Tom Kemper’s warning: Even this tiny “corner plaza” would cost city money additional to subsidizing what KWG builds. A nd that’s just the park. We’re in the same, weak position with regard to whether a big grocery store will be built near Kiva; a mall-size movie the- ater will be built; and/or another large parking garage. The WEBAC devel- oped a long list of non-prioritized recommendations for the area; the City Council tinkered a little with the recommendations; and off they’ll go to KWG. Then KWG will tell us what they want to develop. And then we’ll guarantee them a 13 percent profit. When I realized my out-of-town architect wanted me to build a larger, more ex- pensive, different house than I wanted, we both realized it was time to part ways. I figure it’s the same way with KWG. If we defeat Measure 20-134, we can hire a developer who wants to work with what we want and how much we want to spend on two downtown blocks. We can find our community’s equivalent of a Susie Harrington who will say, “I like building with communities. You tell me what you want, and I’ll give my best advice, but it’s your community.” Mary O’Brien of Eugene has worked as a public interest scientist since 1981. She can be reached at mob@efn.org 4 OCTOBER 25, 2007 TO THE EDITOR SOMETHING SENSIBLE Eric Stillwell (letters, 10/4) misses the point with the looming downtown calamity before voters, as did the majority of members on the West Broadway Advisory Committee (WBAC). The additional $40 million in urban re- newal district funds Eugene voters are being asked to approve is just the tip of the iceberg. This shell game is stacking up over $69 mil- lion of public monies to subsidize a private developer’s guaranteed 13 percent profit. The lack of fiscal discipline from the majority of WBAC members in making recommenda- tions gives cover for the developer to drive the cost of this boondoggle for taxpayers even higher. Meanwhile, $87 million would be diverted from schools and other essential government services over the length of this funding scheme. Yes, we should do something downtown — something sensible. Eugene has the funds and the ability to develop downtown without any increase of the spending limit or exten- sion of the Urban Renewal District ending date. The city has proposals for several proj- ects that would build 106 housing units, with 5,000 sq. ft. of retail space on the Sears pit site; reclaim the historic Centre Court and Washburne Buildings; and redevelop the Aster pit site. That combination of projects can be developed with currently available funds and without amending the Downtown Urban Renewal Plan. This approach is within our budget, pro- vides downtown housing, protects local mer- chants, reclaims historic assets and makes good sense. Join me in voting no on 20-134. Rob Handy West Broadway Advisory Committee RE-BUTT-AL Responding to Sue Kupka (10/11), I do apologize to any and all persons that I inad- vertently annoyed with my exuberant danc- ing at the Oct. 2 Jethro Tull concert. I was simply carried away by thrill of seeing the great, incomparable Ian Anderson, Dave Barre, Duoane Perry, et al from my front-row center seat. I was simply unable just to sit still the entire time. Yes I did make a couple sashays up the aisle, but those only lasted a fraction of the total show time. Yes the security did let me get away with a little bit more than the average, but I really did try not to push them too far. Yes, I did do a unique style of dancing in my seat, but I thought my legs in the air were preferable to my whole body blocking more of the view of the people behind me. I do take exception to one point specifi- cally, your assertion that I was not wearing any underwear: I was wearing a pair of panty- hose, a thong bikini, plus a pair of fishnets over the top. I was also wearing a bra/slip. Judging from the overwhelming majority of the responses that I heard from various men and women during the intermission and after the show, I was their heroine of the night. No one expressed or vocalized dismay or ire, on the contrary they greeted me with big smiles and high fives. If anyone had complained, I am the type of person that would have listened to them and modified my behavior. So Sue Kupka, I apologize again, but as Oscar Wilde once said, The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” P.S. I may be a hoyden, but I am not a “ho”! Catherine Swanson Springfield aka The Lady in Red THE BIG SIPHON I agree something needs to happen down- town. Two years ago, the city of Eugene was ready to sign a contract with Thomas Kemper, the K in KWG, to build 106 housing units with retail space in the Sears pit, and with Beam to refurbish the Centre Court and Washburn Buildings. Those projects were af- fordable without raising the urban renewal district by $40 million. If the proponents of Measure 20-134 think this big and expensive approach to redevel- oping two blocks downtown is such a great idea, why don’t they give it to the voters in
