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Downtown Riverfront
The City has been in negotiations with Williams/Dame & Associates (WDA), who have a tremendous amount of downtown and riverfront redevelopment experience. WDA a commitment to, and track record of, developing high quality projects that create a unique sense of place and neighborhood. Learn more about Williams/Dame & Associates and their past projects.
On January 31, 2018, WDA presented their vision and initial concepts for the Downtown Riverfront site to City Council. Watch a video of the presentation or view the presentation slides.
On May 29, 2018, the Urban Renewal Agency Board reviewed proposed terms of an agreement with WDA that would set the stage for the future redevelopment of the site. Watch a video of the work session or view the presentation slides
At the July 9, 2018 City Council work session, the Urban Renewal Agency Board approved the proposed terms with WDA. A webcast of the work session is available online here. And, the agenda item summary is available here.
Related Documents
Since Eugene was founded in 1865, the Willamette River has been an essential piece of our community’s identity. It is where Eugene Skinner created the first plat for the city, and for decades the river has provided industry and recreation opportunities for our community. As one of our proudest assets, our community has a long held vision and desire to create more access and connections to the river – places where people can hang out, meet friends, and bring their family to enjoy the riverfront.
For years, Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) housed their operations on an approximately 16-acre property along the riverfront. Understanding the potential of this site, in 2007 EWEB and the City of Eugene began the process of transforming this property to connect Eugene’s downtown to the Willamette River and create an active place for the entire community.
The Riverfront Master Plan was approved by the EWEB board in 2010 based on input from more than a thousand community members. The plan outlines the creation of a world-class public park along the waterfront and a high-quality multi-use riverfront development that will reflect the community’s vision, providing economic and housing opportunities, promoting compact urban development, and enhancing natural resources. In 2013, the City Council adopted the Master Plan along with land use policies to support its implementation.
EWEB decided to sell the property to the City in 2013 after refocusing on their core mission of providing utility services to the community. The City’s Urban Renewal Agency finalized the property purchase from EWEB for $5.75 million in April 2018. Funds for the purchase came from the Riverfront Urban Renewal District. This was a key milestone in the efforts to redevelop the site.
In June 2017 the Urban Renewal Agency signed an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with Williams/Dame & Associates for the riverfront redevelopment property. The ENA formally expresses Williams & Dame's interest in owning and redeveloping the property consistent with the Riverfront Master Plan. The six month agreement provides Williams & Dame time to complete due diligence activities while working with the Urban Renewal Agency toward an agreement on the redevelopment of the property. During that time, the Agency has committed to negotiate exclusively with Williams & Dame.