HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem A: Downtown Development Update
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Work Session: Downtown Development Update
Meeting Date: April 19, 2006 Agenda Item Number: A
Department: Planning and Development Staff Contact: Mike Sullivan
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 682-5448
ISSUE STATEMENT
The council has requested that staff provide an update on pending downtown development projects and
the implementation of the Downtown Plan. This work session will provide an update on ongoing and
prospective downtown projects. Staff will also review work program concepts from the Downtown Plan
and progress made to date.
BACKGROUND
Development projects are both underway and pending on the east and west ends of the downtown core.
The Federal Courthouse is approaching completion and construction work on transportation
improvements related to the Courthouse District will begin this season. The council’s recent decision on
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the East 8 Avenue public parking garage and the private plan for the construction of a Whole Foods
store support the momentum of redevelopment activity on the east side of the downtown. Both the
Connor/Woolley/Opus development plan and the potential for new development on the former Sears site
hold significant promise for the redevelopment of west side of downtown.
The introduction of new housing was a major goal in the 2004 Downtown Plan. The Tate is nearing
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completion, providing 47 new ownership units. WestTown on 8 will begin construction in September,
adding 102 affordable units and nine market-rate, live-work units. The Connor/Woolley/Opus plan also
includes a significant housing component, with 188 units proposed. As a result of these three
developments, 447 units of new housing are proposed for the downtown area. Significantly, this total
contains a rich mixture of ownership, rental, market rate and affordable units.
The 2004 Downtown Plan emphasizes both development and redevelopment opportunities as a way to
implement the vision for downtown. This work session will provide an opportunity to review the
relationship between ongoing projects and development opportunity areas identified in the 2004 Plan
and a consideration of development sites that are still pending or are not active at this time.
The 2004 Downtown Plan Update also included other policies, implementation strategies and project
examples to strengthen economic vitality, and reinforce the special character of downtown. The council
discussed these aspects of the Downtown Plan in May 2004. Significant progress has been made on
implementation of these strategies, including adjustments to Urban Renewal Plans, implementation of
downtown development tools, collaborative work with private development opportunities, implementing
plans for Park Blocks improvements, progress on two-way street conversions and work on downtown
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zoning adjustments. There are a number of elements in the plan on which less progress has been made.
The work session will provide a chance to discuss these aspects of the 2004 Plan as well as other policy
issues that need additional exploration at this time.
Planning and Development staff recently provided information for council consideration of downtown-
related issues on the following dates:
1/9/06: Downtown Development Update
2/8/06: East Broadway Development Projects
2/13/06: East Broadway Development Update (continuation of 2/8/06 work session)
2/13/06: ORI Update
2/22/06: East Broadway Development Projects
3/13/06: East Broadway Development Projects (public hearing)
3/15/06: East Broadway Development Projects
RELATED CITY POLICIES
These ongoing and prospective downtown projects and work program concepts address implementation
strategies and policies from the Downtown Plan, the Growth Management Policies, and the Goals and
Objectives from the Riverfront and Downtown Urban Renewal Plans. These projects and concepts do
not directly address or affect council goals or policies.
Downtown development projects and work program concepts are consistent with the policies and
implementation strategies included in the Eugene Downtown Plan, including:
• Downtown development shall support the urban qualities of density, vitality, livability and diversity
to create a downtown, urban environment.
• Actively pursue public/private development opportunities to achieve the vision for an active, vital,
growing downtown.
• Use downtown development tools and incentives to encourage development that provides character
and density downtown.
• Stimulate multi-unit housing in the downtown core and on the edges of downtown for a variety of
income levels and ownership opportunities.
• Promote multi-story, mixed-use structures downtown through financial incentives or code
amendments.
• Develop additional financial tools to assist with the development of housing, including the use of
bonds, tax increment financing, land assembly and parking.
In addition, these projects and concepts are responsive to the following Growth Management objectives:
Policy 2: Encourage in-fill, mixed-use, redevelopment, and higher density development.
Policy 3: Encourage a mix of business and residential uses downtown using incentives and zoning.
Policy 10: Encourage the creation of transportation-efficient land use patterns and implementation of
nodal development concepts.
Policy 14: Development shall be required to pay the full cost of extending infrastructure and services,
except that the City will examine ways to subsidize the costs of providing infrastructure or
offer other incentives that support higher-density infill, mixed use, and redevelopment.
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COUNCIL OPTIONS
There are many options that the council can discuss during this work session, including:
1.Direct staff to continue work on development opportunities and implementation of the
Downtown Plan;
2.Direct staff to reopen the Downtown Plan for specific purposes.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
The City Manager recommends that the council direct staff to continue work on development
opportunities and implementation of the Downtown Plan.
SUGGESTED MOTION
Move to direct staff to continue work on development opportunities and implementation of the
Downtown Plan.
ATTACHMENTS
A. Downtown Plan Implementation Strategies and Project Examples
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Mike Sullivan
Telephone: 682-5448
Staff E-Mail: mike.c.sullivan@ci.eugene.or.us
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ATTACHMENT A
Downtown Plan Implementation Strategies and Project Examples
The following is a complete list of 116 implementation strategies and example projects from the Eugene
Downtown Plan, adopted April 12, 2004. Actions currently underway are at the top of the list, and are
boldbold italics.
shown in . Actions from this list which have already been completed are noted in The
actions are not listed in order of priority.
(Note: this list was originally presented to council for a work session on May 10, 2004. This list has
been updated as of April 12, 2006.)
1.Work with major medical providers to locate their facilities in and near downtown.
2.Provide incentives for the redevelopment of the Sears site for a multi-story office building.
3.Amend the Riverfront Research Park Urban Renewal Plan to expand the boundaries and extend
the district’s life. Completed. Use it to facilitate desired development, particularly in the
Courthouse and riverfront areas.
4.Create a single zone to unify the downtown core, including the new Federal Courthouse and
riverfront areas. Consider amendments to an existing commercial zone, such as C-2 or C-3,
and overlay zones such as/TD, /ND, and the Broadway Overlay Zone.
5.Issue request for proposals for purchase and development of the City-owned property adjacent
to the new Federal Courthouse site.
6.Begin site analysis of possible locations along East 8th Avenue for a new City Hall and police
station.
7.Build an affordable or mixed income housing development on the 8th Avenue “land bank” site
east of the WOW Hall.
8.Rezone the Courthouse area from Light-Medium Industrial I-2 to a commercial zone
compatible with downtown.
9.Create a grade-level pedestrian crossing at the intersection of 8th Avenue and Mill Street.
10.Construct a bicycle path along the new 6th Avenue extension between Franklin Boulevard and
Hilyard Street and 6th Avenue and High Street.
11.Facilitate desired development by providing financial incentives and resources.
12.Promote dense, mixed-use developments on the surface parking lots located at Broadway and
High Street and Broadway and Pearl Street.
13.Help employers locate, remain and expand downtown by targeted use of economic tools and
incentives.
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14.Promote multi-story, mixed use structures downtown through financial incentives or code
amendments.
15.Expand the use of revenues in the Downtown Urban Renewal District in order to provide
financial tools and incentives for desired development within the district.
16.Seek funding and develop a plan for a new City Hall and police station along East 8th Avenue.
17.Reinforce the continued use of the Park Blocks for the Saturday Market and Farmer’s
Market.
18.Construct a new parking garage to support the east side of downtown and the new Courthouse
district.
19.Develop a residential mixed-use project on Willamette Street incorporating the former
Woolworth site and Centre Court building.
20.Help locate a multiplex cinema downtown.
21.Support public/private partnerships such as DEI and downtown guides to maintain additional
surveillance and provide public assistance downtown.
22.Support programming for music, art and other events in the special places downtown.
23.Work with individuals, service and advocacy groups such as the Chamber of Commerce, the
Convention and Visitor’s Association of Lane County (CVALCO), leasing agents, builders, and
Downtown Eugene, Inc. to attract high density commercial and residential development downtown.
24.Work with local, state and federal offices to locate, remain or expand in downtown.
25.Promote visitor and convention use of existing facilities in or near downtown, including exhibit and
meeting spaces, lodging and restaurants.
26.Encourage education-related development downtown, such as student housing and support services.
27.Locate a headquarters or regional office facility downtown.
28.Expand the square footage of convention facilities downtown.
29.Provide incentives for the location of medical facilities downtown.
30.Coordinate with the U of O to locate university offices downtown.
31.Establish a new Downtown Urban Renewal District to better capitalize on commercial and housing
development opportunities in the areas immediately outside of the existing core-area downtown
urban renewal district, and between the downtown core and the emerging Courthouse development
area.
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32.Develop a differential city fee structure or subsidy of fees for downtown development.
33.Perform a regulatory audit to identify impediments to achieving higher density, mixed-use
development and redevelopment downtown.
34.Identify and facilitate infrastructure improvements as a public incentive for private development.
35.Provide incentives for the redevelopment of the vacant Bon Marche/Symantec building and vacant
Centre Court building.
36.Provide incentives for façade improvements and redevelopment of retail spaces on Broadway
between Willamette Street and Charnelton Street.
37.Work with private property owners toward the redevelopment of the commercial warehouses on 8th
Avenue in the Courthouse area.
38.Develop a separate design strategy for each Great Street. Include street improvement elements such
as: public art, special planting schemes, center medians, street lamps, benches and kiosks, banners,
and building, street and information signs.
39.Develop design guidelines for buildings along the Great Streets. Include elements such as setback,
quality of materials, design of first floor, and treatment of parking.
40.Link Great Streets to important public places, including urban plazas and open spaces.
41.Implement street improvements for 8th Avenue, with public art elements, special light standards,
signs and street furniture.
42.Implement a design study and possible acquisition of land to make a stronger pedestrian connection
from 5th Avenue to the riverfront.
43.Create a pedestrian connection across the railroad tracks between the end of Willamette Street and
Skinner Butte.
44. Provide a loan fund for façade improvements along West Broadway. Completed.
45.Include signs, public art and landscaping at the gateways to downtown along Broadway and
Willamette.
46.Encourage the creation of new special places especially along the Great Streets.
47.Amend the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan to redesignate the train station from
industrial to commercial land use, and rezone to a commercial zone such as C-2 or C-3.
48.Create an artful directory sign program throughout downtown that directs people from special place
to special place.
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49.Prepare an open space plan for downtown that includes the Park Blocks, parks adjacent to downtown
and the riverfront path system.
50.Provide places downtown that appeal to children and families. Consider places to play or learn
about the city. Design places with kids in mind.
51.Identify areas along streets that can be enhanced by landscaping, art or pedestrian amenities.
52.Maintain views and access from downtown to nearby open space areas. Include signs and sidewalk
improvements.
53.Create a civic design review board to assist in and approve the designs for all civic facilities,
particularly in our downtown core.
54.Install graphics for downtown information and directions at the Park Blocks.
55.Develop a funding strategy to daylight the Millrace from Ferry Lane to the Willamette River.
56.Locate a play structure for kids near the Park Blocks.
57.Work with Lane County to develop a mixed use or civic structure in place of the butterfly parking lot
on Oak Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, to better integrate this site with the Park Blocks.
58.Implement a historic plaque program and walking tour.
59. Expand the MUPTE program boundary to encourage housing on the edges of downtown.
Periodically review boundaries and expand to include areas where additional housing is
appropriate. Completed.
60. Establish a vertical housing tax exemption zone in order to encourage residential density and
mixed-use development. Completed.
61.Develop additional financial tools to assist with the development of housing, including the use of
bonds, tax increment financing, land assembly and parking.
62.Remove regulatory barriers to the development of housing in commercially zoned areas downtown,
while ensuring compatibility of uses and design.
63.Reinforce opportunities for home ownership downtown.
64.Seek opportunities to equalize the costs of building housing in and near downtown compared with
locations elsewhere in the city.
65.Support the continued residential use of structures in neighborhoods bordering downtown.
66.Encourage rehabilitation of older multi-story rental housing south and east of the downtown core.
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67.Seek new opportunities for owner-occupied housing in or near downtown through incentives such as
MUPTE, CDBG, and Urban Renewal.
68.Assess and mitigate the impact of infill development in the neighborhood areas immediately
adjacent to downtown.
69. Conduct a downtown area housing policy analysis to assess the impact of policies affecting
neighborhoods on the periphery of downtown and recommend policy amendments to promote
housing preservation. Completed.
70.Create inviting physical and visual access to the riverfront from 8th and 5th Avenues, and explore
opportunities for additional access between these two points.
71.Reinforce the relationship between downtown and the river through landscaping, art, signs, street
furniture, historic plaques and markers.
72.Conduct a study of riparian habitat values and restoration opportunities within the Willamette River
riparian zone to guide protection and restoration activities in that area, and to identify those areas of
lower habitat value.
73.Enhance existing points of access from downtown to the river so that convenient connections are
visible both from the riverfront to downtown, and from downtown to the river.
74.Explore possibilities for parks or public open space along the riverfront.
75.Partner with EWEB to develop a master plan for the EWEB site.
76.Assess and provide mitigation for stormwater issues related to the potential development of
riverfront properties.
77.Introduce pedestrian-related improvements along all paths leading to the river.
78.Develop an adaptive use concept for EWEB’s Steam Plant.
79.Daylight the Millrace to connect downtown to the river and capitalize on this historic waterway.
80.Collaborate with adjacent activity resources, including the U of O and the Lane Events Center at the
Fairgrounds to enrich the cultural and entertainment opportunities available in and near downtown.
81.Promote visitor and convention use of existing facilities in and near downtown, including exhibit
and meeting spaces, lodging and restaurants.
82.Encourage and support a stable arts community downtown. Review existing zoning provisions and
modify if necessary to remove obstacles to creative arts activities downtown including live
performance venues, artist live/work spaces, and galleries.
83.Seek new public art opportunities. Include public art into building design, street design, signs, and
public open spaces throughout downtown.
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84.Recognize the importance of Eugene’s historic buildings and places with signs, plaques and
pedestrian connections. Promote buildings, landmarks, or events that have distinct historical value or
special assets that contribute to the character of the downtown.
85.Promote continued success of the Farmers’ Market, Saturday Market, and Eugene Celebration and
other downtown events by supporting public/private partnerships such as Eugene in Common.
86.Collaborate with the Lane County Historical Museum to encourage a downtown location.
87.Research market potential and available incentives for major new cultural or recreational venues,
such as a new art museum downtown.
88.Provide opportunities, programming and financial tools to encourage activities along the Great
Streets and in the special places downtown, including performers, art events, and street vendors.
Include plans for rainy days.
89.Collaborate with Lane Arts Council to encourage and market art activities downtown.
90.Promote cultural and entertainment activities in parks and open space areas adjacent to downtown,
including Skinner Butte Park and West Alton Baker Park.
91.Enhance the 13th Avenue corridor between the Lane Events Center at the Fairgrounds, downtown,
and the U of O.
92.Partner with DEI for programming events at Broadway Plaza.
93.Work with Downtown Initiative for the Visual Arts to find a suitable location for an art museum
downtown.
94.Install creative banners as marketing tools and directional signs.
95.Create an annual political speakers forum for the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza.
96.Improve the safety of pedestrian routes between existing clusters of nighttime activity.
97.Provide access for emergency vehicles along Willamette between 6th and 7th Avenues.
98.Maintain police presence downtown, through a community police station and bicycle and foot
patrols.
99.Consider design measures to enhance public safety and emergency vehicle access as an integral
component of public projects, including street improvements and building construction.
100.Work with property owners, residents and developers to address the principles of CPTED (Crime
Prevention through Environmental Design).
101.Build a new Community Police Station downtown, preferably on East 8th Avenue.
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102.Improve downtown lighting between centers of nighttime pedestrian activity.
103.Develop an educational brochure focusing on CPTED principles.
104.Include CPTED design standards for Great Streets.
105.Develop specific designs and public improvement plans to convert portions of Willamette,
Broadway, 5th Avenue and 8th Avenue to “Great Streets.”
106.Implement the policies and strategies of CATS, including two-way street conversions, structured
parking, pedestrian and bike system improvements.
107.Facilitate increased residential and commercial densities within the downtown area to support
increased transit, pedestrian and bicycle activity in the area. Require new developments to follow
transit and pedestrian-oriented development design guidelines.
108.Focus continued transportation and streetscape improvements for the entire right-of-way area, from
building face to building face, to improve accessibility and reduce reliance on automobile travel.
109.Continue to improve existing pedestrian, bicycle and automobile connections to public riverfront
areas.
110.Consider a fixed rail transit or trolley system within downtown.
111.Identify primary “gateway” entrances to downtown and take necessary steps to enhance the sense of
entry, with particular attention to maintaining significant views.
112.Create a visual directory for downtown to assist visitors and citizens in finding their destinations.
113.Continue to improve and simplify parking lot directory signs, cost information and methods of
payment.
114. Convert 10th Avenue to a two-way street. Completed.
115.Conduct a “walkability” assessment to determine needed pedestrian improvements in downtown.
116.Provide a prominent entrance to downtown from East Broadway near Mill Street.
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