City councilors emphasize wish list for redevelopment.

Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard

The Eugene City Council on Monday threw its weight behind ideas for redeveloping West Broadway, adding stronger language in hopes of influencing what developers may ultimately build.

City Councilor Alan Zelenka authored the proposals, inspired by the recommendations from the West Broadway Advisory Committee.

The 11-member West Broadway Advisory committee last week presented 123 ideas on everything from the type of businesses that should be in the development, to their design, public space, parking and ways to help existing businesses displaced by the redevelopment.

In several cases, Zelenka took suggestions that urged the developers to "consider" doing certain things and replaced the suggestion with wording that says the developers "shall" do specific things.

But it remains to be seen whether the city will get all of what it wants from the two Portland developers that have been picked by the council to renovate two blocks of West Broadway, in the heart of downtown.

That's because while the ideas may be taken to the developers, the builders may not embrace them. Initial development proposals won't be completed until mid-November, city staff said.

And a short time before that, Eugene voters will have the largest say over the would-be redevelopment project. Voters on Nov. 6 are to decide the fate of the council's $40 million financing plan for downtown redevelopment. Most or all of that money could be used for the West Broadway project.

Under a timeline proposed by city staff, if the developers and the council make progress on key redevelopment ideas, a final agreement could be reached next March.

Councilors Bonny Bettman and Betty Taylor, who oppose the redevelopment plan, voted against the directive.

Zelenka sought to add specificity to several of the committee's recommendations. For example, he took the committee's suggestion that the developer provide "as many residential units as feasible" and changed it to read that the developer provide "at least 300 residential and hotel units."

Zelenka said he partly based his modifications on what he heard from the public.

For example, Zelenka wrote that the developers should build open space or "corner plaza" between one-eighth and one-quarter block in size on the northwest corner of West 10th Avenue and Olive Street, across from the public library. The area should have a "mix of hardscape, greenery, possibly a fountain and public seating areas," he added.

Zelenka said he collaborated on some of the proposals with former councilor David Kelly.

In an e-mail to the council, Kelly urged councilors to be as specific as possible when they ask things of the developers.

"I very much want to see a project on the scale discussed by KWG and Beam happen - and happen soon," Kelly wrote. But he added that voters would be reluctant to support the financing proposal if the city's participation in the project "feels very ill defined."