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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2012)
In total, Duncan said that a high-end estimate for cost of acquisition of 2.5 acres in total along the 4-mile route would be about $4 million. LTD spokesman Andy Vobora told EW that the cost includes parking reconfigurations and the scenario in which LTD would have to buy the Adult Shop completely, but not billboard movements and other perceived damages. Vobora said, “The property purchases and modifications would be fully funded by funds from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA), which yesterday notified LTD that it has been named in the president’s fiscal 2013 budget for the first $19 million in funding. A total of $75 million in project funding has been identified by FTA to complete the West Eugene EmX project.” Three ODOT-owned sites were proposed for complete acquisition, but Duncan said ODOT has indicated it would donate them for the EmX project. Other properties would require smaller modifications, like the Red Apple grocery store, which Duncan said probably has some parking in the public right of way. The Mini Pet Mart at 6th & Blair would need to have a non-structural wall extending from the building removed. Duncan said the property owner has indicated that would not be a problem. The analysts were tasked with minimizing parking impacts by identifying trouble spots and planning reconfigurations or WEST EMX UPDATE: PROPERTY IMPACTS West Eugene EmX might have a bigger effect on your sex toy habit than on most West 11th businesses. As LTD’s West Eugene EmX Extension continues its early planning stages, real estate analyst Richard Duncan presented to City Council this week an overview of effects the bus rapid transit project would likely have on properties on the route, along with suggestions of how to minimize effects on properties and avoid code issues. Duncan’s firm identified the two properties that would be the most impacted: the Adult Shop at 720 Garfield St. and King’s Asian Market at 2100 W. 11th Ave. Both would have net parking losses, and the Adult Shop would require changes in its sidewalk and billboards to maintain code compliance. A change in West 11th’s median structure could potentially mitigate the parking loss for King’s Market. biz beat Send suggestions for Biz Beat items to editor@eugeneweekly.com with “Biz Beat” in the subject line. 6 FEBRUARY 16, 2012 EUGENE WEEKLY BIOFUEL SUBSIDY IN FLUX Every year producers and distributors of biofuel cross their fingers and wonder whether an extension of a federal subsidy of biofuels will pass, and this year they drew the short straw. The Federal Excise Tax Credit (FET) on biofuels expired in January. The FET was created in the late 1990s to PESTICIDE PROTEST The shores of Triangle Lake are surrounded by clearcuts that have been sprayed with toxic pesticides. On Saturday, Feb. 11, almost 100 people came out to the rural community to speak out against this chemical trespass, according to pesticide rally participant Day Owen of the Pitchfork Rebellion. The rally, which was organized by several organizations including Eugene-based Beyond Toxics and the rural groups Forestland Dwellers and Mothers of Triangle Lake, also included representatives of Occupy Eugene, who pledged to help the group in their fight for environmental justice, Owen says. The speakers at the rally shared information about how pesticides cause breast cancer in women, Owen says. He says, “Several dozen people came up to the open mic and shared testimonials of how aerial-sprayed pesticides have harmed them.” “Three mothers shared that they had experienced miscarriages that they believe were directly related to the sprays,” he adds. The residents of Triangle Lake in Lane County’s Coast Range have been fighting the pesticides sprayed by private timber companies such as Weyerhaeuser for decades. Owen demanded in his speech that the state of Oregon ban aerial spraying of pesticides next to homes and schools. He says that despite at least five formal complaints to PARC, the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s Pesticide Analytical Response Center, about sprays that took place on April 8 and 19 of 2011, and despite the testing done by a doctor contacted by the residents that showed evidence of pesticides in their urine samples, the state has not investigated the complaints. The complaints were filed almost a year ago, he says. The current state investigation into pesticide sprays in the area is not retroactive to the April sprays, Owen says. “This is not just a typical pesticide complaint,” he says, “but one with scientific research and proof.” — Camilla Mortensen PHOTO CREDIT BOBBI LINDBERG New downtown business is the topic of City Club of Eugene at 11:50 am Friday, Feb. 17, at the Hilton, lobby level. Main speakers are Tony Stirpe of Crumb Together and Katie Griffin of Kaleidoscope Clothing. See cityclubofeugene.org Starting this week, Falling Sky Brewing is now open for lunch daily at 11 am, serving locally sourced food, at the Brew House, 1334 Oak Alley, near the shop at 30 E. 13th. See fallingskybrewing.com We hear olivejuice, the naughty gift store and gallery at 543 Blair St. in the Whiteaker, has closed, but might be reopening somewhere, sometime, maybe even soon, according to the olivejuice Facebook page. We’re not sure where to go now locally to get our candy G-strings and tiger tattoo tights. LBass Cosmetics and Skin Care is a new store in Eugene that held its grand opening this week. Owner is esthetician Lisa Bass and location is 260 W. Broadway downtown. “We believe that Eugene’s downtown area is about to see a major turnaround and we wanted to be part of that,” says Bass. See lbascosmetics.com or call 485-2277 or email lisa@fth-inc.com The big Luxe Bridal Event will be from 6 to 9 pm Thursday, Feb. 23, a the Hult Center downtown. Salon DeLange of Eugene is one of the local promoters and plans to showcase live models, hairstyles and make-up. General admission at 6 pm is $12; VIP admission at 5 pm is $35 and includes a “loaded swag bag.” See luxbridal event.com ODOT is sponsoring a new Small Business Management program for ODOT contractors at the LCC Small Business Development Center, beginning at 6 pm Monday, Feb. 27, through Tuesday, May 29. Each class is devoted to how to bid and do business with ODOT, understanding ODOT-specific issues, and peer group discussion. Businesses can also receive one-on- one confidential sessions with an experienced advisor at no additional cost beyond the $200 registration fee. Contact Suzanne Penegor at penegors@lane.edu or call 554-1922. Centro Latino Americano has a new board president, Shonna Butler, taking over from Juan Carlos Valle, who will stay on the board and executive committee. Butler is a graduate of the UO Graduate Program in Public Administration and is a financial consultant with Mutual of Omaha in Eugene. Cascadia Wildlands Executive Director Kate Ritley will be leaving the nonprofit in April after seven years. A search for a new director is now under way. See cascwild.org other mitigations. Along the 4-mile route, 54-66 spaces had the potential to be impacted according to the analysis, but reconfigurations and reducing stretches of sidewalk width (within the city code’s 5-foot minimum) would cut that number to 20 spaces, 13 of them at the Adult Shop and King’s Asian Market. Vobora says those mitigations would be legally binding once the environmental assessment has been approved. Councilor Pat Farr asked about impacts to Gray’s Garden Center at 6th and Monroe, which uses parking for large vehicles hauling loads. Duncan’s analysis indicated that no net parking reduction in size or in parking type (compact vs. standard) for that site. — Shannon Finnell WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
