Press Room

Aug 29, 2004

Edward Russo for the Eugene Register Guard

Arlie testing proposals to develop 1,200-acre plot

Ever since land dealer and developer Arlie & Co. bought 1,200 acres of rural land near Lane Community College, the Eugene firm has scrambled for ways to begin developing it.

In the past few months, Arlie & Company has invited dozens of local officials to meet individually to hear the scenarios.

Thus far, Arlie executives have met with Lane County Commissioner Anna Morrison, LCC President Mary Spilde, Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey, five of the eight Eugene city councilors, and mayoral primary winner Kitty Piercy. Nonelected officials from Lane Transit District and the state Department of Transportation also have heard Arlie’s presentation.

The company will continue issuing the private invitations into next year, Arlie executives said Friday. Eventually, Arlie will invite area residents, interest groups, and even slow-growth advocates such as Friends of Eugene, to voice their opinions, said Scott Diehl, Arlie’s chief operating officer.

Ever since land dealer and developer Arlie & Co. bought 1,200 acres of rural land near Lane Community College, the Eugene firm has scrambled for ways to begin developing it.

Developers don’t usually meet with such a large number of elected officials prior to formally presenting big plans to those elected officials for a vote - as would be the case with a growth boundary expansion.

Diehl said Arlie used a somewhat similar approach for its Crescent Village project, a 39-acre mixed use development that Arlie proposed and won City Council approval for on Crescent Avenue in northeast Eugene.

Plans for that development were influenced by comments from officials, residents and interest groups, Diehl said.

"What we learned from that is that a developer can’t just decide what they want to build on a piece of property and bulldoze it through the system," Diehl said. "Instead, you have to meet all the stakeholders, both real and perceived, and understand their concerns and desires for that piece of property before you can have a successful development."

Musumeci and his wife, Suzanne Arlie, are among Lane County’s better known land dealers and developers because of their role in some recent high-profile transactions.

Local officials who attended Arlie’s presentations said the company did not try to persuade them to expand the growth boundary.

"There was no lobbying," Councilor George Poling said.

The meetings were relatively brief, officials said. Diehl and Larry Reed, Arlie’s director of planning and development, presented the information.

Afterwards, "We asked what concerns or questions do you have?" Diehl said. "Then we pretty much shut up and listened to what they had to say."