The Eugene City Council is proposing a new downtown urban renewal district of $50 million over 19 years. I strongly oppose this, again. The council’s had numerous versions over decades already. There is a whole city out there, and all they do is support downtown. When will they put some urban renewal money to other blighted areas?
Three needy areas come to mind: Hwy 99, the scenic gateway to our city from the airport. Really? That is one blighted area.
Another is West 11th Avenue way out. A concrete freeway that screams for workforce housing, parks, way more trees, motels, a large event venue, you name it. There is no residential cohesion that I can see.
Both West 6th and 7th avenues, starting from Chambers to over the railroad bridges, are also very needy.
They say they are willing to cut $1 million to save money. Jeeze, that’s very generous. But that $1 million will go back into the general fund? Why not a new urban renewal district, pitiful as that amount would be? You could even pull more from the downtown fund and add to the pot.
Downtown urban renewal has gone on too long. Between that and all the downtown tax deferments (MUPTEs) they give away, it’s no wonder they are having budget issues. Let contractors pay for what they build and for the infrastructure they need. I think downtown will always have big holes, no matter what you do. Enough already.
Robin Bloomgarden
Eugene
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519
Comments are closed.