Council Packet 4-10-19 Work Session

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April 10, 2019, Work Session – Item 2 large public meetings, tours and three surveys, the City engaged over 3,000 people in the discussion of what the Park should be. Staff and project consultants heard clearly that the community wanted an urban riverfront experience that acknowledges history, cares for the environment, brings people to the river, and provides an inclusive City-wide destination for everyone. Last year, the City officially took ownership of the Park site from EWEB and finalized the concept design. Key design features include: • Extensive riparian habitat enhancement; • Construction of a new shared use riverbank path as a multi-modal pathway separating wheeled and pedestrian path users; • Viewpoints reaching out over the river bank providing views up and down the river as it bends north; • Integrated interpretive elements addressing themes of energy, ecology, industry and culture on the site; • Vibrant landscape design and native planting landscapes; • Public art, including a pavilion that is both art and a setting for various artforms; and • Site lighting, benches and other park furniture. In order to effectively meet the schedule for park opening by 2021, project construction has been broken into two phases both of which will be completed before the park opens. The first phase concentrates on riparian enhancements and moving of utilities away from the river bank this summer; the second phase follows with construction of all new riverfront park amenities listed above and is scheduled to be completed by 2021. The concept design for the park is in Attachment A. More information can be found at the Downtown Riverfront Park website (https://www.eugene-or.gov/3917/Downtown-Riverfront-Park). The estimated construction budget for the Park is $14 million. The draft FY 2020 – 2025 Capital Improvement Program as recommended by the Budget Committee includes $5.5 million funding secured from a combination of parks system development charges, transportation SDCs, the 2018 Parks and Recreation Bond, and the 2017 Street Bond in the first two years to fund park development. An additional $3.5 million was previously appropriated for this project. The Park currently has a $5 million gap. Downtown Riverfront Park Plaza (one acre) The one-acre Park Plaza is in the heart of the Downtown Riverfront redevelopment and envisioned as an urban park amenity. Preliminary features include an interactive fountain, nature playground, viewing hill and open plaza space for programmed events. This project is anticipated to be constructed in a future phase of development following the three-acre Park project. The draft FY 2020 – 2025 Capital Improvement Program as recommended by the Budget Committee includes $3 million in initial funding identified from Riverfront Urban Renewal in the second year. The FY20 Unfunded Needs Assessment will include an additional $1 million. This equates to an initial request of $4 million of Riverfront Urban Renewal funds, a portion of which will pay for the Plaza’s share of the costs of infrastructure assessed through the Local