Agenda Packet 4-24-19 Work Session

Home Browse Search

April 24, 2019, Meeting – Item 1 Proposal Development and Community Outreach Over the past few months, the team has brought in architects, engineers and other experts to assess the building’s potential, met with community stakeholders, and explored financing strategies. The team partnered with the City to complete a public outreach and engagement process earlier this year. Through these efforts, City staff and team representatives: • Released an online survey, receiving over 900 responses (see Attachment D); • Spoke to over 350 people at First Friday Art Walk and Asian Celebration; • Held an Open House, attended by over 140 people; • Spoke to several groups including UO students, Downtown Neighborhood Association, and local business networks; • Promoted engagement efforts over multiple social media platforms; and • Received press coverage via KVAL, KEZI, KLCC, KUGN, the Register Guard, and the Daily Emerald. The team has also met with City staff and Williams/Dame to discuss their vision and how it could best complement the rest of the Downtown Riverfront redevelopment and the Riverfront Park. An interdisciplinary staff team also reviewed a draft of their proposal and provided feedback to the development team. Proposal The team proposes to save and adaptively re-use the Steam Plant, transforming it into a “vibrant mixed-use center that maximizes public participation and enjoyment.” The ground floor would look out to the river, drawing the public in for art, music, food and drink. This includes a tap room with local products, with micro-restaurant spaces and micro-retail units. The team looks to integrate their design with the Riverfront Park, offering an outdoor seating area and transforming the existing water intake structure on the riverbank into an overlook. The proposal includes dedicated flexible and adaptive space for the arts that can accommodate temporary art exhibits, installations and performance events. The upper levels of the building would include office spaces that would provide the fiscal foundation to make the redevelopment feasible. This would include space for co-working, community and university classes, venture incubation for start-ups and anchor tenants. The team is also in early discussions with the University of Oregon about a multidisciplinary leadership institute in the Steam Plant. The team intends to pursue listing the building on the National Register of Historic Places and are working with historic preservationists to curate their design around that assumption. The proposal preserves the exterior of the older two-thirds of the building, and reconstructs the newest third, which was constructed using asbestos-bearing transite panels. The building would maintain its existing footprint and prominently feature the use of cross-laminated timber in the interior spaces. The leftover boiler would remain in place, acting as a centerpiece for the public activities. The team will preserve other equipment for display as historic artifacts accompanied by other interpretive features, interactive art and outdoor sculptures on the site.