INTRODUCTION Downtown Eugene is the heartbeat of Two central themes run throughout this document. activity in Lane County. Downtown is our civic First, the City will reinforce downtown Eugene as center and the economic, cultural and governmen- a strong regional center. City officials will work tal focus of the region. Downtown is the place where closely with property owners, developers and com- a wide range of people come for work, celebration, munity members to bring about a diverse, dense commerce, entertainment, and living. This and economically strong urban center. The City will combination of economic and social activity creates encourage the transformation of vacant and the vitality of downtown, the identity of our city, and underutilized sites and support the development of the strength of our regional economy. commercial, residential, and cultural activities. This plan focuses on the character of our downtown Second, the City will strengthen downtown as a as a special place, and presents ideas and policies cultural center and the center of community life. regarding current conditions and desired changes. The City will coordinate with public and private This plan renews our vision for downtown, and developers to create special places downtown. builds on momentum and enthusiastic community The City will establish a network of great streets support for a strong and active urban center. downtown that links parks and plazas, cultural and commercial activity areas. The City will create a walkable and memorable downtown, a downtown of short distances and inviting destinations. Downtown Eugene is bounded by neighborhoods, parks, and the Willamette River. Will amette SKINNER Riv BUTTE PARK er 4TH AVE 5TH AVE ALTON BAKER PARK 6TH AVE 7TH AVE 8TH AVE DOWNTOWN BROADWAY PLAN AREA 10TH AVE 11TH AVE 12TH AVE 13TH AVE MILL ST FERRY ST HILYARD HILYARD ST T T LANE EVENTS CENTER T S ST PATTERSON ST K S L S E ST at the N A R LN O FAIRGROUNDS O LIV HIGH ST LTO EA C O E P THE UNIVERSITY N LIN R OF OREGON A ILLAMETTE ST H W C EUGENE DOWNTOWN PLAN • APRIL 2004 1 Background Organization of this Plan The previous Eugene Downtown Plan was adopted The plan includes nine related elements, each a in 1984 and reflected the issues and challenges of fundamental aspect of downtown urban vitality and that time. Since then, numerous plans and studies economic strength: focused on downtown, calling for significant public and private investment. Some of this energy and I. Strong Regional Center focus was reactive, a response to the changes in II. Building a Downtown downtown shifting from a retail-based market to an employment-based market. Much of the work has III. Great Streets also been strategic, a concentrated effort to IV. Special Places strengthen downtown by introducing more housing and capitalizing on key development opportunities, V. Living Downtown such as Broadway Place, the new Eugene Public VI. Downtown Riverfront Library and the new Federal Courthouse. VII. Cultural Center In 2000, the Eugene City Council appointed a VIII. Safe Civic Center Committee for Greater Downtown Visioning to IX. Getting Around Downtown develop a vision for downtown. The vision that emerged promoted downtown as a thriving, active The discussion of each element includes policies, urban center with ties to our rich natural heritage, implementation strategies, and examples of possible a variety of intermingled activities, and safe, projects. Only policies are adopted by the City inviting streets. In 2001, City Council accepted the Council. Vision for Greater Downtown Eugene and directed staff to use it as the basis for an updated Downtown Plan. POLICIES are statements to articulate and move the community towards its goals. With the This current plan for downtown incorporates the exception of Policy IV 3, relating to EWEB’s Vision into a framework for public and private riverfront property, the policies in the Downtown decisions affecting downtown in the future. The plan Plan are aspirational, and cannot be the basis for builds on previous plans and studies. A list of this denial of public or private proposals regarding previous work is included in the Appendix. change in the downtown. Downtown Plan Study Area IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGIES are tactics to The Downtown Plan study area includes the address the policies. Implementation strategies downtown core and immediate adjacent areas. The often require coordination between city departments study area overlaps with three neighborhood or divisions. refinement plan areas, the Whiteaker Plan, the West University Refinement Plan, and Jefferson/Far West PROJECTS are examples of specific actions that the Refinement Plan. Where the policies of this plan City may choose to undertake or participate in. conflict with adopted policies in previous plans, this The list in this plan is neither definitive nor most recent plan prevails. comprehensive; projects are often contingent on public funding and development opportunities. 2 EUGENE DOWNTOWN PLAN • APRIL 2004 Use of this Plan The policies, implementation strategies and projects in the plan comprise the basis of a Downtown Work Plan, including short- and longer-term coordinated work activities to be implemented over time based on City priorities and available funding. In addition, this plan will be used to guide public and private decisions regarding change An early view of downtown Eugene, looking south along in downtown, including: Willamette Street from Skinner Butte. • Administration, creation and prioritization of City programs and services impacting downtown; • Review of City regulations or ordinances to support desired development downtown; • Review of other plans and policies that affect downtown; • Preparation of the City’s Capital Improvement Program; and • Response to public and private development proposals. This plan will help the community make choices about the future of downtown, since the entire community has a role in revitalizing our downtown. It is the intent of the plan to inspire investor confidence, not only in terms of financial capital, but also through time, talent, and commitment to a thriving urban center. The plan reinforces our vision for the heart of our city, our ever-changing, ever-evolving downtown. EUGENE DOWNTOWN PLAN • APRIL 2004 3 The policies and ideas in the Downtown Plan promote a vision for a strong, active, distinctive urban PHOTO BY JURETTA NIDEVER BY JURETTA PHOTO WITH PERMISSION BY OFAM REPRODUCED center. The plan will help the City make choices for Great Streets, Special Places!the future. 4TH AVE The plan commits the City to a strategic, 5TH AVE collaborative 5TH AVE 6TH AVE approach to strengthening downtown Concept Plan for 7TH AVE by: 8TH AVE 8TH AVE • Creating partnerships. DOWNTOWN • Working with private BROADWAY BROADWAY developers. 10TH AVE • Using economic tools EUGENE to leverage desired 11TH AVE ETTE ST development. M 12TH AVE And reinforcing the character and culture of downtown WILLA 13TH AVE by: • Encouraging public art. • Promoting nearby nature areas. • Planning for a downtown riverfront. OAK ST OAK MILL ST HIGH ST • Giving priority to FERRY ST FERRY OLIVE ST PEARL ST great streets and HILYARD ST HILYARD LINCOLN ST special places. PATTERSON ST PATTERSON WILLAMETTE ST CHARNELTON ST CHARNELTON EUGENE DOWNTOWN PLAN • APRIL 2004 5 STRONG REGIONAL CENTER Downtown is the premier location for major commercial, governmental and cultural activities for Eugene, Lane County and the southern Willamette Valley. Downtown has the largest concentration of employment in the region, with thousands of employees in the city center five days a week. Downtown Eugene is home to municipal, county, state, federal and other professional offices patronized by citizens from all corners of the metropolitan area. Most of the region’s financial institutions are headquartered downtown, with branches located throughout the city. Major activity centers are located just outside of the downtown core, including the University of Oregon and the Lane Events Center at the Fairgrounds. Both are easily accessible by foot, bike, Originally a strong retail center, downtown has become the employment public transit or car from downtown. Land use center for the region. Photo circa 1950. policies, as well as technology, transportation infrastructure and other critical services are in place downtown area. Over the past twenty years, to strengthen and expand the role of downtown downtown employment and the volume of Eugene as the regional center. downtown office space has increased dramatically. The majority of all office space in Eugene is Commercial Activities currently located downtown. Downtown Eugene has historically served as the business center in the Eugene-Springfield Commercially zoned properties in downtown metropolitan area. Like many other cities, Eugene have some of the highest land values in the downtown Eugene has evolved from an economic metro area. Commercial activities benefit from the center of industrial uses and anchor retail stores to central location and the concentration of other a center for professional and government services. business and government activities in the downtown Approximately 15,000 people work in the core. Downtown office buildings in particular are among the highest value development in the region, strengthening the economic base for downtown. Dense commercial office development generates significant employment opportunities and pedestrian activity, which in turn supports retail, restaurants, cultural and entertainment