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5. PUBILIC HEARING (Cont'd) <br />Hr. Wiggins: that there might well be a demand in the future for transient <br />(Cont'd) housing occasioned by the Century Center. Now, this is a ways <br />down the line; it may or may not happen, but the change is <br />projected here to accommodate it, should it happen, so that <br />this could be brought about without going through this same <br />process at a later time. So, we are incorporating not only <br />the changes that are required, but the changes that prudence <br />dictates may possibly be expected. <br />4r. Amaral: Didn't prudence dictate the expectation of transient housing <br />when this project first was developed and when the bid speci- <br />fications were issued? <br />Wiggins: It did, and there was a problem, at that time, that a part <br />of the HUD requirements are that a survey must be made esta- <br />blishing a need. The survey was made; the survey did not <br />establish the need at that time. Consequently, we would <br />have not been in the position..,we possibly could have gotten <br />a change... but we could not have awarded, and possibly, even <br />today, we could not award the change to actually construct <br />such a unit. However, some things have happened in the <br />interim period: 1) The LaSalle Motor Hotel, which was in <br />existence as a motor hotel at that time, no longer is a <br />motor hotel, which substantially changes the amount of avail- <br />able transient housing units in the downtown area. The <br />other thing that will affect it, and couldn't be a part of <br />it, was that, at that time, the Civic Center was a projected <br />kind of thing, and, to this degree, it is still under the <br />process of construction, but when the Civic Center is finally <br />completed and is in operation, then it will create a substantial <br />demand. This is the future. <br />. Amaral: I understand. Is the proposed revision based on a new Study, <br />as required by HUD? <br />. Brownell: No. The Study... <br />Wiggins: No, the Study... go ahead. <br />Brownell: The fact is that, at any time that we sell land acquired with <br />money from HUD, we have to have a Feasibility Study if the <br />land is being sold for a hotel, motel, or a'motor hotel. <br />Now, we had a Feasibility Study that came out negative, and <br />so we could not sell it today for that use without a new <br />Study. <br />Amaral: One other question: At the time the bid was awarded, wasn't it <br />common knowledge that the LaSalle was going under? <br />Brownell: I don't know whether it was common knowledge, or not. I ... can't <br />answer it; I don't know. <br />M�. Wiggins: Well, it was common knowledge, I guess, that the National Bank <br />had acquired a majority interest as a result of, -I guess, a <br />- 7 - <br />