City Council should commit financially to riverfront redevelopment.Byline: GUEST VIEWPOINT By Steven Korth For The Register-Guard The news that McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center is considering relocating to the Eugene Water & Electric Board's current site alongside the Willamette River Willamette River River, northwestern Oregon, U.S. It flows north for 300 mi (485 km) into the Columbia River near Portland. Oregon's most populous cities are in its valley. The Fremont Bridge, a steel arch with a main span of 1,225 ft (373 m), crosses the river at Portland. near the Ferry Street Ferry Street (Chinese: 渡船街) is a street between Ferry Point and Mong Kok Tsui in Kowloon, Hong Kong. The street was on the shore of old reclamation before the new West Kowloon reclamation in 1990s. Bridge has generated considerable interest on the part of the Eugene City Council and others. Interest should be at least as great among those of us who would like to see more productive and beneficial use made of the river as one of Eugene's greatest assets. Whether it is a private hospital or some other taxpaying entity that replaces EWEB EWEB Eugene Water and Electric Board (Oregon) , everyone in Eugene should be excited by the prospect of a greater diversity of uses along the river - not to mention more taxpaying development within one of Eugene's longest-standing urban renewal districts. But to make this happen, the city of Eugene must be prepared to leverage the future tax increment To add a number to another number. Incrementing a counter means adding 1 to its current value. generated by such private development to assist in the relocation of EWEB as a necessary condition for making this happen. Don't misunderstand mis·un·der·stand tr.v. mis·un·der·stood , mis·un·der·stand·ing, mis·un·der·stands To understand incorrectly; misinterpret. me - Alton Baker Park Alton Baker Park is located in Eugene, Oregon, United States, near Autzen Stadium. It features duck ponds, bicycle trails, and a dog park, and directly touches the Ferry Street Bridge. , Skinner Butte Skinner Butte (also called Skinner's Butte) is a prominent hill on the north edge of downtown Eugene, Oregon, United States, near the Willamette River. Skinner Butte is a local landmark and the location of Skinner Butte Park, a municipal park. Park and the bicycle path bicycle path n → camino para ciclistas bicycle path n, bicycle track n → piste f cyclable bicycle path n provide terrific public enjoyment of the river. However, in its current site EWEB has done precious little to bring the attention or the presence of the public to the river from the core side of the city. Developing that site for a large entity - one that draws in the public - or a mixed-use commercial and residential development would go much further toward capitalizing on one of Eugene's most beautiful and distinctive features for the benefit of a broader section of the community. Just think of the wonderful combinations of private development near the Deschutes River Deschutes River may refer to one of these U.S. rivers:
The urban renewal district encompassing this area is one of the keys to making this possible. Such a district relies primarily on tax increment financing Tax Increment Financing, or TIF, is a tool which has been used for redevelopment and community improvement projects throughout the United States for more than half a century. to fund infrastructure and other development. That is a device whereby the increased property tax revenue generated by new development within the district is dedicated exclusively for use within that district for up to 20 years. This allows bonds to be issued to pay for infrastructure improvements and other inducements for further development, making it possible to self-finance development in an area that otherwise is or may become subject to blight. Public libraries, federal courthouses and even university basketball arenas may be great community assets, but by themselves they don't produce the tax increment necessary to make an urban renewal district succeed. A private development can. The challenge to the city of Eugene is to creatively use this and its other resources to facilitate a relocation of EWEB to a more appropriate site so that a better use of this prime location next to the river can be accommodated. For too long, the state's budget battles have placed local governments in the position of scrounging for pennies instead of leveraging their dollars for the long-term benefit of the community. This encourages jurisdictional jealousies rather than cooperative problem-solving and collaborative creativity. For example, as important as road maintenance and pothole-patching are for our area, we should see the potential relocation of EWEB and redevelopment of its current site as a great opportunity for a city-county effort to significantly improve the transportation connections to and across the river, specifically as it relates to the federal courthouse and current EWEB sites. Much was made of the relocation of the federal courthouse to the former Agripac site, but that project is just the first step toward the vision of a greater east downtown. The key is to gain access all the way to the river. The relocation of EWEB, particularly with the utility's willingness to discuss the possibilities of a move, is an opportunity that doesn't come around very often. Wouldn't it be great if the Eugene City Council could broaden its vision to make this happen and create a more inclusive and more productive use to the Willamette River as Eugene's signature geographic feature? All it takes is imagination and vision, two hallmarks of our community's past. It is time to make them the bedrock of Eugene's future as well. Steve Korth is a member with McKay Investment Co. LLC (Logical Link Control) See "LANs" under data link protocol. LLC - Logical Link Control , which recently completed the redevelopment of the Oakway Center in Eugene. |
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