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<br />October 30, 2019, Work Session – Item 2 <br />EUGENE AGENCY BOARD AGENCY BOARD <br />AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY Work Session: Town Square Project Update Meeting Date: October 30, 2019 Agenda Item Number: 2 Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Will Dowdy <br />www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5340 <br />ISSUE STATEMENT This work session is a progress check-in on Eugene’s Town Square Project, which combines the Park Blocks improvements, permanent Farmers Market space, and City Hall building. <br /> <br />BACKGROUND The City of Eugene is working to accommodate the current and future needs of Eugene’s City Hall and the Lane County Farmers Market, while reimagining the existing Park Blocks and restoring the Town Square with the recovery of the northwest block (occupied today by the Butterfly Lot). The vision is to locate efficient and accessible government services, provide a permanent location for a year-round public Farmers Market, create a central gathering space for both the immediate neighborhood and broader community, strengthen 8th Avenue as downtown’s connection to the river, and continue the momentum of downtown revitalization. In June 2017, City Council, in partnership with the Lane County Board of Commissioners, announced the agreement for the City to acquire the Butterfly Lot property as the future home of the Farmers Market and City Hall. In May 2019, City Council gave further endorsement to the Town Square project by authorizing the design work for a City Hall on the Butterfly Lot site as part of the planning for the Town Square. <br />Project Status The Town Square Project has completed the Concept Design phase after months of stakeholder engagement and collaborative design. The Concept Design includes consideration of the relationships between the different project components; determining basic program, massing and key features; establishing a common palette and other unifying design elements; and specific design concepts with cost estimates. The City, in partnership with the design consultant team led by Cameron McCarthy Landscape Architecture & Planning, has hosted a series of public events focused on developing a Eugene Town Square that reflects community needs. These public events, along with three online surveys and meetings with key stakeholders such as the Lane County Farmers Market and the Eugene Saturday Market, has allowed the design team to gather close to 3,000 pieces of feedback that <br />