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Report, "City Position on Courthouse Square" Committee. You will note the staff conclusion: "Based on staff s analysis of the three proposals, staff believes that the Senator site is the best location for development of the Salem Transit District Downtown Transit Mall" On November 7, 1995, a joint public meeting of the `Salem City Council, Marion County Board of Commissioners, and the Salem Area Transit Board was held to discuss the concept of a joint development of the Senator Block by the County and Transit, named Courthouse Square. On December 11, 1995, following a request by the Transit Board for the City's response to the proposal for Courthouse Square, the City staff prepared a repo~t for the Council (Attachment "G") which "...recommended that Council endorse development of the Senator Block using the Courthouse Square concept." The City Counci! adopted the staff recommendation and, on the same date, wrote a letter to Luis Caraballo, President of the Transit Board (Attachment °H"). Three key points were made which bear on this issue: 1. "Council endorses the selection of the Senator Block as the preferred site for locating a downtown transit center." 2. "Council endorses the proposed Courthouse Square concept for the development of the Senator Block." 3. "Council hereby grants the requested (3 year) extension" on relocating the existing High Street Transit Facility. The letter condudes, "On behaff of the Council, I congratulate the District on its selection of a site and development concept. We look forward to working with you tawards its successful completion." It is signed by R~ger Gertenrich. Mayor. Attachment "I°, a letter from City Manager Larry Wacker to Randy Franke and Luis Caraballo, dated November 27, 1996, informed the County and Transit that the City Council had acted "To approve reaffirmation of City's support (fo~ Courthouse Square) subject to the following three conditions..." Condition 1 will be provided when the Courthouse Square design is finalized; Condition 2 was resolved by Measure 50; and, Condition 3 has been completed. Attachment "J" is a staff report to the City Council, dated April 28, 1997 recommending approval of "...the City-initiated vacation for the alley in Block 5, Salem..." to accommodate the development of Courthouse Square. The alley vacation was approved by both the Planning Commission, April 8, 1997, and the City Council, April 28,1997. Attachment "IC' is a letter dated July 11, 1997, from William Healy, Director of Community Development for the City, to R.G. Andersen-Wyckoff, General Manager of the Transit District. In it, Mr. Healy states, "The City's support of transit is exemplified by City Council's expressed desire to pa~ticipate financially in development of the new transit facility currently under construction in downtown Salem. Lastly, Attachment °L" is taken from the City of Salem's FY1998-99 through 2002-03 Five Year Forecast released December 8, 1998. As it indicates in paragraph 2, "For FY 1998-99, there are two major projects that need funding in the Riverfront/Downtown area. First, the City Council has committed, through the Property Tax Management Plan, to set aside $800,000 for projects related to Courthouse Square. ($400,000 was set aside in 1997-98; 5800,000 was agreed to be set aside in both FY 1998-99 and 1999-2000)." ~ • Page 3