What’s Happening in Downtown Eugene?
Downtown Eugene Keeps Building
Big things are moving forward in the heart of the city. Here's what to watch over the next few months.
LCC Downtown Building
The former Lane Community College downtown building at 1059 Willamette Street, empty for more than a decade, is set to break ground in August. The site will become a 133-unit mixed income housing project after the city closed an $8.6 million funding gap earlier this summer. This is one of the most visible vacant properties downtown, so its transformation will be a noticeable shift for the neighborhood.
New Housing Near Farmers Market
The city has selected Eugene-based Paradigm Properties to redevelop the North Butterfly Lot at 7th Avenue and Oak Street, right next to the Farmers Market Pavilion. Plans call for an 8 to 12 story mixed use building with 80 to 100 apartments, a ground floor promenade of shops and small offices, and a permanent home for farmers market operations. It's designed to knit together the Park Blocks, Market District, and Riverfront neighborhood, and the building height will be capped to stay no taller than The Graduate hotel.
City Council Votes for Property Tax Exemption
Eugene City Council recently voted to exempt qualifying housing projects from property taxes for 10 years, as long as construction begins before 2032. The goal is to encourage more building outside of affordable housing and downtown specific projects, since the city needs more than 26,000 new units over the next two decades. This is a meaningful policy shift that could shape where and how fast new housing gets built across Eugene.