Sold Down The River

The Greenway Guardians guest viewpoint (EW, 7/25) and subsequent conversations on the Weekly’s letters page highlight the valid concerns many in the community have when a public agency (Homes for Good, formerly HACSA) hooks its cart to a horse with a proven track record of not acting in the best public interest (Washington state developer Evergreen Housing Development Group).

Chances are a person-on-the-street interview with someone who lives in the River Road area would be able to tell you something about the dreary job Evergreen did with their ECCO project (expensive to rent apartments). ECCO cost $17 million to build, and Evergreen sold it shortly thereafter for a sweet $31 million.

Well, Evergreen hopes to do it to River Road again, with the help of the city of Eugene planning staff and their proposed Lombard expensive apartment scheme.

Was that the sound of Tom McCall rolling over in his grave?

Rich Suter

Eugene