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
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