This is a quote from the Hud.gov site, regarding the section 108 grant given to Eugene in 2005.

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS: The city of Eugene, OR, will receive a BEDI grant of $2 million and a Section 108 Loan for $7,895,000 to fund a loan pool that will assist with financing, infrastructure, land acquisition and public facilities necessary to attract private investment to brownfield sites in the downtown area. Potential development partners include Whole Foods, Oregon Research Institute, McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center and an as yet unnamed developer of a multi-block mixed-use complex.

I think it’s worth noting here that two of four projects failed to materialize. Whole Foods pulled out. In part due to complaints from the community about “too many parking garages,” whatever that means, and a belief among others that the IHOP restaurant is an historical landmark. IHOP on Franklin is historical in the sense that it hasn’t been updated for decades. It’s not a historical landmark to most of Eugene however. That I am sure of.

McKenzie-Willamette is interested in the Delta Ridge site, but there appears to be a considerable amount of delay there. How the Delta area counts as a Brownfield is not clear, unless the original intent was to acquire the EWEB waterfront property. Also, since EWEB provides some of the best jobs in the City we can’t really call EWEB a brownfield either. Maybe it’s the “brown field” behind EWEB?

The fourth, “as yet unnamed developer of a multi-block mixed-use complex” is either Broadway Place or the broadway reopening.

What’s unclear is where the $6 Million in grants will eventually go.

These BEDI grants are designated for renewal projects but the city is sending its leaders to Washington to discuss ONLY sustainability issues. Nobody is opposed to sustainability, but the rhetoric of sustainability needs to include “economic sustainability” as well.

City Council minutes for April dedicate zero time to discussing this plan, or the council’s and mayor’s intent for these grants. Will this money remain in place for Eugene indefinitely? What is the Mayor’s and Council’s follow-through plan regarding BEDI grants?

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