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Kevin
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Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1075
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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 Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:39 pm Post subject: Rally Against the Whole Foods Garage Giveaway |
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Tuesday, March 7, 2006, at 7pm in the EWEB Training Room
(500 East 4th Ave, right by the Willamette river)
Provisional Program
7:10 Welcome and Intro – Kevin Matthews, Friends of Eugene Pres. (5 min)
7:15 Stephan Meyer, the Permaculture perspective
7:25 Mark Gillem, Assistant Professor, Depts of Architecture and Landscape Architecture University of Oregon (10 min)
7:35 Gavin McComas, owner, Sundance Natural Foods (10 min)
7:45 Paul Nicholson, former City Councilor and owner Paul's Bicycle Way of Life (10 min)
7:55 Betty Taylor, Eugene City Councilor (5 min)
8:00 Audience Questions, Comment, and Discussion (20 min)
8:20 Downtown Issues and Parking Summary – Kevin (10 min)
8:30 Testimony Technicalities – David Hinkley, FoE Board Member and NLC Co-chair (10 min)
8:40 Audience Questions (10 min)
8:50 Closing - Kevin |
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Kevin
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1075
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:44 pm Post subject: Notice of Intent for No-Bid Contract for WF Parking Garage |
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City of Eugene
NOTICE OF INTENT
Pursuant to Eugene Code 2. 1425, the City of Eugene intends to consider an exemption from the competitive selection/bid process and directly negotiate a contract for the developer-related services and construction of a public parking garage and commercial retail space located on the corner of 8th Avenue and High Street in Eugene, Oregon, for Broadway & High Associates, LLC and Gerding/Edlen Development Company, LLC ("Developer"). The contract shall allow the Developer to directly select and contract with the general contractor, Lease Crutcher Lewis. The project would be completed in conjunction with the proposed Whole Foods Grocery Store development. The project cost is estimated at $6,700,000.00.
A public hearing will be held at 7:30 PM on March 13, 2006 in the City of Eugene Council Chambers located at 777 Pearl Street, Eugene, Oregon 97401. Interested parties will have the opportunity to present comments on the City's draft findings for the exemption at the public hearing. City Council will consider the draft findings, any comments or testimony presented at the public hearing, and may approve at a subsequent council meeting the exemption as proposed or as modified by the response to the comments received during the public hearing. Copies of the draft findings are available at the City of Eugene Purchasing Office located at 100 West 10th Avenue, Suite 400, Eugene, OR 97401. No. 8842026 - March 4, 2006
Legal Notices - The Register-Guard - 03/04/2006 |
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Kevin
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1075
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 5:46 pm Post subject: Eugene Weekly - No Free Parking |
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No Free Parking
Downtown garages are costly, questionable and avoidable.
BY ALAN PITTMAN
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2006/03/02/news3.html
"Gateway Mall has 3,757 parking spaces. Downtown Eugene has 15,254 spaces. But city staff and a council majority say that's not enough. They want to spend about $25 million of taxpayer money on building two new parking garages downtown to subsidize developers.
"The city has proposed a $9 million, 260-space garage for a Whole Foods development project on the east end of downtown and a 455-space, roughly $16 million garage on the west end of downtown to subsidize developers Tom Connor, Don Woolley and the Opus corporation (CWO).
?But opposition to the garages is growing. Opponents of the Whole Foods garage plan to rally at 7 pm, March 7 at EWEB in preparation for a March 13 hearing on the "garage giveaway."
"With the high costs and questionable need of the proposed garages, the city has better options, a look at the projects and studies by parking experts show."
Read the whole story online at:
http://www.eugeneweekly.com/2006/03/02/news3.html |
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Kevin
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1075
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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joe
Joined: 11 Oct 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Eugene, Orygun
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| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 10:10 pm Post subject: |
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hey Kevin, not sure where you fall on this, but I am not really happy about the proposed destruction on several significant buildings to make way for this grocery store. The IHOP is an American icon which is quickly disappearing across the landscape. The IHOP building is one of the last of several functioning Googie building in Eugene. The three houses, which are currently office space, are fine examples of 1920s residential architecture.
As for grocery stores, we have plenty in Eugene. Unfortunetly, Eugene has a reputation for destroying history. Preservation is not a priority. Redevelopment to cover up bad planning decesions of the past and keeping developers happy seems to the order of the day. |
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Kevin
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1075
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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| Posted: Tue Mar 07, 2006 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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I'm so glad to hear you say that! I would very much regret the loss of those historic buildings - which the city seems to think are chopped liver - and the land swap for the garage would also block the most likely urban-repair senario for saving city hall, with a spiffy and compatible new city office building across the street (8th).
How do we help the community discover and express its regard for these older structures downtown, before "progress" sweeps them away?
http://www.greatbuildings.com/buildings/Eugene_City_Hall.html |
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Kevin
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 1075
Location: Eugene, Oregon
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joe
Joined: 11 Oct 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Eugene, Orygun
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:45 am Post subject: |
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Kevin, it sounds like you are plugged into what's happening in Eugene.
I am in the process of establishing a local chapter of Atomic Age Alliance, a preservation group geared towards educating folks and preserving Mid-Century Modern signage and architecture.
http://www.lottaliving.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=4907
Right now, the biggest obstacle is sheer ignorance. Nobody out there is looking out for buildings such as City Hall, an AIA award winning masterpiece by architect John Stafford.
One of the first projects I want to see happen is to develop a list of buildings of concern and educate the public with a series of public forums, earned media, and other educational opportunities.
There is a lot of history on Franklin Blvd. After seeing the Universities master plan to urbanize the whole thing, I felt it was time to move forward with Atomic Age Alliance. |
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joe
Joined: 11 Oct 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Eugene, Orygun
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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| look what's happening in the Oakway area... it's scary. Buildings come down, buildings go up. The Oakway mall, once a fine example of Modernism, is now a contemporary POC. Hideous. No longer "blends" into the surrounding neighborhoods. But then, the city wants to obliterate those neighborhoods with zoning changes to encourage redevelopment anyway. What a legacy! |
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elan
Joined: 08 Mar 2006
Posts: 1
Location: Eugene
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 7:51 pm Post subject: |
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Why was the Oakway Center remodel a bad thing? The mall was basically dead before the change. Many Eugene residents now work and enjoy the Oakway center that previously did not.
Also, as for the Whole Food's controversy: How is having more healthy organic food choice bad for Eugene? Increased competition can help keep food prices low for healthy minded yet financially strapped citizens.
Also, I challenge anyone reading this to look at press on Whole Foods Market online. You will find that they are extremely progressive in their management style, including treating employees more as part owners by sharing profit with team members and providing living wage jobs. This is not your average big box outfit. As a community dedicated to healthy living, we should be embracing new choices, not reacting without doing the due diligence nessesary to understand a project that goes against our standard way of thinking. FREE YOUR MIND NEO! |
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joe
Joined: 11 Oct 2004
Posts: 6
Location: Eugene, Orygun
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| Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2006 11:06 pm Post subject: |
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hmm... I didn't realize there was a shortage of organic food markets or progressive managed businesses in Eugene. 
elan, you've missed my point entirely. I speak from the view point of architectural preservation, which has nothing to do with particular grocery chains or new strip malls.
elan: "why was the Oakway Center remodel a bad thing?"
how about horrible design? I am not against improving a particular structure for better use, I just find most contemporary design horrific and dishonest. |
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