On July 21, City Council held a Public Hearing on the University of Oregon's request to vacate Villard Alley from East 15th Avenue to East 13th Avenue and a portion of East 13th Avenue to allow for the construction the University of Oregon basketball arena. 

Click here to view a map of the proposed vacations.  

At the public hearing the City Council passed a motion to leave the record on the proposed vacations open for a period of 14 days (until 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 4 ^th , 2008) for anyone to submit additional written evidence, argument or testimony. 

Then it will be open for an additional period of 7 days (ending at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, August 11 ^th , 2008) during which anyone may submit written evidence, argument or testimony responding to issues raised in the first (14-day) period;

Initially a date for making a decision on the alley and street vacation was set for September 8 ^th , 2008 that has now been changed to August 13 ^th , 2008.

Testimony can be submitted by email or letter. Testimony will be posted on this page at the left and in a binder in the City Council office.

The University of Oregon has also submitted a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) to construct the arena in a commercial zone located on property at the southeast corner of Franklin Boulevard and Villard Street.  The CUP is a separate land use decision which will be rendered by the City of Eugene Hearings Official after a public hearing.  The date of that separate hearing has not yet been set.

More information is available online at www.eugene-or.gov/arena.