FBT Public Involvement

February 2023: Community Open House

On February 2, 2023 over 160 members of the community attended an in-person open house where staff shared work done to refine the preferred alternative design since it was last shared in March 2020. Staff engaged in discussion with attendees and feedback was collected, which will be used to inform further refinement of the design as it moves forward from planning to engineering.


Refined Preferred Alternative Design

The Refined Preferred Alternative Design is based off the preferred alternative concpet design shared in March 2020. It has been refiend based on feedback from community members, business and property owners along the corridor, and engineers. Refinements include modifcations to roundabout shaping, a westbound left-turn from Franklin onto Villard, and adjustments to the spaces dedicated to people walking and biking.  


Information Station Topics

  • Project Overview: An introduction to the project.
  • Project Timeline: A summary of events along the corridor affecting the project from 1998 - 2028 - how we got here, where we are, and what's next.
  • Walking and Biking Along the Corridor: An explanation of how people walking and biking will be able to navigate through roundabouts, and a description of the types of facilities being considered for biking (protected bikeways and shared-use paths).
  • Franklin Blvd & Walnut St: Three-dimensional street-level rendering of a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Franklin Blvd and Walnut Street.
  • Then & Now: An overview of refinements made to the design between 2020 and 2023.
  • RAISE Grant: A discussion of what components of the total project are planned to be delivered through RAISE grant funding. 
  • Corridor Traffic Simulation Video: A video simulation of how traffic will flow through the corridor based on traffic modeling.
  • Draft Corridor Analysis Report: A draft report describing the opportunities, constraints, environmental factors, and public involvement and design development history associated with the project.


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March 2020: Preferred Design Alternative Showcase

We hosted an open house on March 10th, 2020 at the Ford Alumni Center. During the event project staff shared the preferred alternative (also known as the preferred final concept design) and were available to share information and answer questions.  



Preferred Alternative / Preferred Final Concept Design

The Preferred Alternative uses a combination of roundabouts and signals with gateway roundabouts at each end. It also creates a new intersection at 13th Avenue and Moss Street. This alternative most closely resembles Alternative C that was presented during the May 2019 open house, but with refinements.


Information Station Topics

May 2019: Design Open House

We hosted a design workshop, open-house style, on May 29th, 2019 at the Romania Building. The results of work done by staff since the first workshop took place January 28th-31st was presented, including efforts to incorporate community feedback into design concepts evaluation and potential corridor alternatives generation.


Three Alternatives are Being Considered for Franklin Blvd 

Alternatives are available in both PDF and Google Earth formats. To view the Google Earth format, you will need to use Google Earth, which can be found [here].

  • Alternative A [Google Earth] [PDF] explores a series of roundabouts along the entire corridor.
  • Alternative B [Google Earth] [PDF] explores signalized intersections with one gateway roundabout at the east end.
  • Alternative C [Google Earth] [PDF] explores a combination of roundabouts and signals with gateway roundabouts at each end. Strategically placed roundabouts allow vehicles to make u-turns along the corridor to make it easier to access destinations on the other side of the street.

Four Information Stations were also Available. Station Topics included

  • Project Overview: An introduction to the project and summary of work done to date
  • Gateways: Presents design elements and character options for potential gateway treatments
  • Bikeways: Discusses the Franklin Blvd and Garden Ave bike networks and design options
  • Alternatives: Reviews different street design options being considered and explores the trade-offs for each design alternative
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January 2019: Design Discovery Workshop

Between January 28th and January 31st, 2019, we hosted a series of public events as part of an intensive four day Design Workshop (also known as a Charrette). Initial design concepts were created for the Franklin Boulevard Transformation during the Design Workshop in January 2019. 


What is a Charrette?

The term Charrette is French and literally translates to "cart" or "chariot". It refers to the final, intense work effort of art or architecture students to meet a project deadline. Today, the practice is no longer confined to art and architecture students, but is a tool employed by planners, designers, developers, public officials and organizations, and non-governmental organizations.


A Charrette uses a series of collaborative design and public input cycles for multiple, consecutive days. Everyone – from city planners to local business and property owners – become aware of the complexities of development and design issues, and everyone works together to arrive at the best possible solution.

Source: National Charrette Institute


Kickoff Meeting

Monday, January 28, 6-7:30 p.m.

Ford Alumni Center, 1720 East 13th Ave., Eugene

The Kickoff Meeting oriented attendees to the project process and project area, and to what the Franklin Boulevard Transformation project hopes to accomplish. We solicited input about what works well and what doesn’t on Franklin today, and what Eugeneans’ hopes are for Franklin in the future. 


This meeting was recorded and live streamed on The UO Channel and Facebook Live @eugenetransportation. City staff managed the Facebook Live stream during the meeting to answer questions and enable participation in the small group discussion via Facebook comments.


 ***Missed the Design Workshop Kickoff Meeting? *** 


Open Studio Hours

Tuesday, January 29, 4-7 p.m.

Romania Building, 2020 Franklin Blvd., Eugene

The community was invited to see the progression of design work on the second day of the charrette. The afternoon open studio allowed Eugeneans to see designers at work and peek at initial ideas for corridor transformation. Members of the public were able to chat with designers and provide comments on these initial designs.


Design Reveal

Thursday, January 31, 6-7:30 p.m.

Jaqua Center, 1625 East 13th Ave., Eugene

This event showcased the week’s work toward a concept design for transforming Franklin Boulevard. Designers presented possible street cross-sections and intersection designs, along with information about how options impact the way people traveling by different modes use the corridor. The event was a formal presentation with structured Q&A. Designs presented at this meeting are not final and will be further evaluated in the coming months.


 ***Missed the Design Reveal/Closing Meeting? ***