At 5:30 pm Tuesday, Jan. 17, the Eugene City Council holds a public hearing on changes to height limits along East 6th Avenue from 5th Street Public Market to Washington Jefferson Park. Up to 10 stories on the north side, it’s already approved at 15 stories on the south side. This will feel like a canyon going all the way down the avenue. OMG!

Once again I see the hand of Brian Obie and his ilk in this proposed change. He’s taken over that whole 5th to 6th Avenue area that ends at High Street. When is enough enough for this man? And when will the City Council stop giving him everything he asks for — with tax breaks, too?

What I see is a takeover of this small historic older part of town in order to create a glitzy, high-priced tourist trap. Eugene barely has any historic buildings left, and certainly no historic center. Most cities want a historic district. What is wrong with Eugene?

How will downtown shop owners feel about all the shoppers heading over to 5th Avenue and then continuing on to the waterfront area to spend all their money? You think downtown is a hollow shell now?

Eugene, stop allowing the destruction of our heritage for the sake of tourism and ghastly university housing with a shelf life of maybe 10 years. Remind yourselves of the Crapstone complex and what a piece of junk it is. It was supposed to have store fronts along the street, but somehow nobody noticed until it was too late.

Robin Bloomgarden

Eugene

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