|
Record of Decision Attachment C -Agency Comment and Responses
<br />ECONorthw~st
<br />': ECONOt+11C9 ..HNANGE PLANNING
<br />aara~.(ut) wn-oas£ suan~m rnraro~~
<br />GAK-(~v41) 3M-A.l~ '. 93 \V, i0tl, MMnw Ft+Wrd~(COai RS240&-~
<br />~nvewnwmn '.~ene,aw~+gr~uraari seasrn.(zoe)en-23d.,
<br />9 Februacy 200L
<br />1'd Slrl:cSullivan
<br />FROM: 'Ed [i'hite#aw
<br />8TSI3.lECTs,.)3UGk;NE)]O~VN`I'01VNVISIOMNG:
<br />THE F:CONOMIC5 0J= REGIONAL L~~;GILITIES
<br />BACKGROUND
<br />N CONorthwosb has a crontYact with ttia City of Eugene to provide an economic context fur
<br />li:o 3evelopment of vieiona of possibinfutures For'.the Eugene: Llowntuwh. In Apri1.2(Hl0 EC;O
<br />prepared n presentationfor the VisioningCommit(¢eon Uie current econorrriu letaalth of tFie
<br />27,rpano Downtown.
<br />:L~, ~ he 5nal task of riot contTaat, you asked EGabfor a short m®morandum xddreatting the
<br />~: r~omics of regional facilities: EGO Lroveced several of these iesuesin'a pzo9entation Tnst
<br />}
<br />w,q but did nut prepare u nreinorandum euininarizing'ourconc}uaione: Now you. want th,,r
<br />memorandum: in part tai have a record of L~`CO`s work on the Visioning Pro)avtt, and iupo r t
<br />bracauae the federal govamment yvill sc~• h , ~ak* t 3 nt~;^ . ,:: , it the sitingeifa e ~irrt, I
<br />cou:~tJrouae~-exactly the type of region i.~:a~th_t ,.,.,~, -aJin,~.irprevioua
<br />presentation.;.
<br />CITIES A:i GEF:TR:ai_ r LiiCES: A L1 i 7'Lf TtiEUtiY
<br />I'vataughttrzndri andundergxadtiattvoursesonurbanec I_'nia~_r~ityo.`
<br />Oregon forovcir 30 years. I've usedseveraltx:zts, itnd aevern7 ¢drtronn•uFthoae t~~.~;. ! c...
<br />any ivith confidence thatxhe basic thp¢ry oFurban dovelupcnent--Hliy and whe.-c citin~.,,r
<br />Antral places develop; bow they grow;and to what si¢a, andthe factors i,at m..uancc i''.r
<br />'looationdeciHionsofhowseholdsandFirms-hasiemainedvirtunilyunc3,~,r; ~aur:r:;~tka~t
<br />ii = c. v; In sum znary: '
<br />1. Cities forrn because. people Have found that fLey cxnbettar sawsfy tlreirderaanda fot`'
<br />goods and services by t+eing claee insteadaf being epiead out. In the !argon of
<br />economics, theefficiencies of concentralioea (clusteriii,~ a„gtornaratian,'senle; xcapej
<br />and speciaiizution allow us to buy and hell. gotids andsecvicxe much mare cheaply.
<br />2. Cities form in regione that havo comparatiue adc~antnges~And once they've f,n in•,;1,
<br />theythemsolvas--or, mare accurately; thoy and theivmfratstruoture-Irac>ifz~o
<br />comparative ativantagrs.'Lhelmpllcxtiona are'.attsightforwar3:inost ecnntiri,ir.
<br />nccivitiea, whether gubiic orprivate, and their customers enjoy }tigher rever;uc::,
<br />lower costs; or both'rfthoy locate in a mtyrnther fhnn outside A city. Thixkq;;c
<br />frequently carries'ovar to t}redownfowne of most central cities.
<br />~,,
<br />3 Thagoods andeervicea Ehet hueineae and govarimn~,t pmvida in citSes,d¢pond on
<br />thei eanomiea of seaIo andacope relative to thede rn .~~rl barge urban ttmsa provide
<br />specialised cultural, finacicial, govainmeaatal, legal, medical; and vther'eetvicoethat
<br />aronot available in amalturhan areaa.In shorE, sam¢facilitiea Qnd actavities{a
<br />n;vnc,.m stn arena, x specialty store, a large Irnv tirm, a vourthouaej need a large
<br />p„p~,iLati ,n t}~.at offers enough domand to acplwrt them, en~thay ma$C'thotnapIvo;?
<br />uvailnLh~. u~ t^.e mo:a ocople LhGy eank,y locat. r,~ iu the a_ntcr of their rvi;tomor~--in
<br />tD.e ~tia~4a7 cicti~.
<br />4 'lire +alc:_ vt pro"u iriq• to t'hE centraldocatlon 18 refleotE^1 in the value of Inzd d,erF~~
<br />i,'~ hrgirer than valuoa ui roost oilier places. Land valuos ire iugher in dovmtownar
<br />L,~.~ nue¢ many oronomic activiticsaro willing to pay for the central locution: for the
<br />,~J: ~ es it gives Both to the forger region and to tho many other typos of 6uaineasaa'
<br />that levatedowntown beenuao they too value that acegss<Liigher laadvalues
<br />I n ~ i ra*~ the pttree*'veeeas' eF th¢ downtown for activities that serve an'sntira region.
<br />,. 7'hc c~rormm;c n e~r,v for tl c cxistonce oFany given downtown change Over timer
<br />T}ns~ are dozaira of examples ofdea;lvzing andgmwing cities that illustrate therole
<br />eonontiia chango, For'Eugene, and homy other central vitiea, the story is one'of A
<br />e! ~..I t from cantral biduatriil and rotuil activit}aa to eervieasP. eapeviallg'government
<br />„nd profaasional eervicru;:ECO's work on the DownWwn Va3ioaing 8tut~y revealed"a
<br />downtown in trirneition;butf~r frwn d¢ad; fromd998.1994;Eugene'a do•v i,Vw, n
<br />errcployment increased about AO%; sinco 198G, offieo space ihthe dovvnto ~n
<br />inereusedalwut8i!°.o;60%oftoday'soiTi~u~p_: einEugeneiainth~•d~w;no:,vv. 1'n„r
<br />basaoEprofeseionalemploynrentsnpfx ~t~ of ac~~ilizeddowntownret:il, w'ulc crc oIJ
<br />T rd; t x,, retail in no•x Erredanin antsy nenl ir. ram ;xnd big bore: ou(t-ids ti.a
<br />h. '1'Lrn . ~ tnauy masons ia. • i~ ;•ort thr. .,tSn u,.1 v ia.nic i:•nul(}. of dou:,t: ~>>.r
<br />u=!ro amtmglnfrastructiira _Ld tran }:. d,.timr Car ilrtir~a u11 ~ natty ~, reQu~.ing dve
<br />pruwth in vehicle miles ttgveled; prnviding a hubfor ite:v ts~ r _l.{;'eel r . -.:,,.n ,
<br />o r o siding a'hedge againetthe huge piste that cities hdv t i n cnrrr,d wn c n tl r o
<br />duwntawnfailevictim Io disiuvestinent; creating a place inr ~r -4ti ~a ~ ~,r..r=r
<br />apecialirad activities; and'.gmviding thu community living rcri --a tone ~ o: pL~a.
<br />1NHAT DOES ANY OF THISHAVE TO Db YVffHTHE CfJURTHOUSE?
<br />Eugenoisandhasalwuyebeantheoentrai;placeoftheaouthern5tiillsmuucFnl, Tiii.v.o;
<br />course,hashad implications for the f:ugerre`downt¢wn. 'For hiatoriCnl reasonsth,u ds nor
<br />make much i1iETerence now; aucceed2rr~geharations ofbuaiuesa people andgovy:r .. •ut '
<br />i'- ialatvave investedin the Eugene duwnttwn, both rcihforoing andbenefitiag iavm
<br />Fn~,nretsinleasacen£ralplaoe.
<br />-.r,r ng the facilities that have been in the Engene dnwnWwnfor a loci; time iF, ~~~~• 1 oderal
<br />C`~ nrrliouse, which aorvex`nRofOrogon except Portland.`There are wrwinly oLh, r ylnoaa-
<br />the courthouse could have Gears located. somo mom reoaonalite arson orlrci :~. 1',od toeatioris
<br />would Gave be¢n at the periphery of Oregon's geography or population aoncennationa: fro
<br />example, nn the Oregon coxat or in eaetern tit southern Arogo~ ~. L'wnd r.~ ~ mare central
<br />;.location;hut 9046 of Oregon's popu)¢tion is'in the Willamotto.~rr~lky Sra_o)i'nrfSand alzaady
<br />has it? own rvui thouae, anothaz7ar 0 Ci tntho Wia:uncctc Vallvv south ui Yortisrd le c
<br />B ty ~ ,
<br />
|