Ordinance No. 20564 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

commitment to downtown and to develop parks and plazas in alignment with the community's vision for public space in the heart of the city. The City founders understood the importance of public space; the Park Blocks are a living legacy of their forethought and civic spirit. The design, appearance and function of the Park Blocks are a critical component of Eugene's identity and economic health and the long-term location for two beloved organizations, the Saturday Market and the Lane County Farmers' Market. On a direct path to the Willamette River from downtown, the Park Blocks are also a key part of the Willamette to Willamette Initiative. For the three other public spaces in the Plan Area, Broadway Plaza, the Hult Center Plaza, and the new City Hall plaza, improvements are needed to benefit the public in terms of the safety, health, and welfare of residents through the removal of blighted conditions, improved amenities and attractiveness of these spaces as well as their impact on existing and desired adjacent uses. However, tax revenue funds shall not be used to pay for construction of a new City Hall building, nor to pay for a parking lot on the block bounded by Pearl Street, 8th Avenue, High Street, and 7th Avenue. With the needed improvements in place, these downtown spaces will have the potential to more fully support the emerging downtown neighborhood and to provide an inviting urban open space in the core of the city for the entire community. A focused, strategic investment in the amenities, design, and character of these spaces strengthens the conditions for increased desired uses and development downtown. The Lane County Farmers' Market operates multiple times per week during the spring, summer, and fall on a portion of the Park Blocks on 8th Avenue. The Farmers' Market continues to encounter difficult issues with that location, such as inadequate electrical service, uneven, unpaved, and inaccessible surfaces, and lack of a permanent shelter. Reincorporating the Butterfly Parking Lot into the Park Blocks for the Farmers' Market would re-establish the original Park Blocks and support a cornerstone of downtown activity and one of the most significant public event venues in the city. For the past few years, the Farmers' Market has expressed a need and desire to expand its offerings to maintain financial viability and potentially operate year-round. The Agency will improve the Park Blocks in order to make that location more attractive and functional for the Farmers' Market and accessible, safe, and inviting for the public. If that location is not feasible, the Agency may improve/purchase another location within the Plan Area. The Hult Center is a community asset with an underutilized and awkwardly configured plaza that will benefit from community engagement and subsequent system planning and/or improvements. The Agency assembled the land and donated the property to the City for the Hult Center development. In 1978, voters supported an $18.5 million General Obligation bond to finance the Hult Center construction. Since its grand opening in 1982, the Hult Center has been charming audiences with popular performances in the Silva Concert Hall and the Soreng Theater. However the outside of Report on the 2016 Amendment 10