Just over a year ago, we met at the Farmers Market Pavilion to explore placemaking between 5th Ave and the core of downtown along Oak and Pearl. Since then, we’ve taken incremental steps to stich downtown together through a more cohesive and inviting public realm, and I wanted to provide a brief update on those efforts. I also wanted to extend an invitation to join me at a tree planting event in Downtown Eugene on April 23rd, 2025. More information below…
North Butterfly Lot
On April 9th, Eugene’s Urban Renewal Agency Board directed staff to launch a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to identify a development team for the North Butterfly Lot, the gravel parking lot immediately north of the Farmers Market Pavilion on Oak. One of the key objectives of this project is to support connectivity between the Farmers Market and the Market District. As many of you noted during the placemaking workshop, these downtown destinations are only a block and a half apart, although they feel much further. Filling this missing tooth with an active use will close the perceived distance, encouraging people to pop from one downtown destination to another. The RFQ will launch at the end of May and the Urban Renewal Agency will consider the recommended team this fall.
Sidewalk Improvements
Last summer, we fixed broken sidewalks and aligned tree pits on Oak and Pearl, making them more accessible and inviting for people moving through our downtown. The photo series below shows the condition of the sidewalk at Pearl and Broadway last winter, the new concrete, and a photo of the streetscape today (complete with new street trees and café seating made possible by a City of Eugene grant to the owner of Taco Mogo). These small improvements add up to a more connected and accessible downtown.
Tree Planting
Last year, the City’s Urban Forestry Team planted 75 trees in the downtown area with support from the Downtown Urban Renewal Fund (photo below). This year, Urban Forestry will plant 100 more trees downtown, including the block of Pearl between 7th and 8th adjacent to the county-owned parking lot. You identified this block as being in desperate need of improvement during the placemaking workshop last spring and collaboration between the City of Eugene and Lane County has made improvements possible. We have added on street parking to the east side of Pearl to protect people on the sidewalk and consolidated the county drop boxes so that they take up less space. Next week we will add street trees to the mix, continuing the incremental improvements to our north-south connections. And you are invited to a ceremonial tree planting to celebrate! City of Eugene Mayor Knudson and Lane County Board Chair Loveall will each plant a tree on April 23rd beginning at 10:30 AM, across from the County Admin Building on Pearl (we will gather on the east side of the block between 7th and 8th). I hope to see you there!
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