Urban renewal is not just for big cities. Even smaller towns have their issues with areas that were once developed badly, or just got blighted over time. Count the city of Phoenix in Jackson County among those smaller towns.
The creation of a pair of one-way streets to carry Oregon 99 through the heart of town created an area often called "the hole" by locals. The hole is about to be filled with new buildings and a re-sculpting of the land that is meant to be environmentally sensitive.
Our guests are Jim Sharp, Executive Director of the Phoenix Urban Renewal Agency, and Phoenix Mayor Jeff Bellah.