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The curbside planting areas would all require a sturdy steel barrier at their perimeters to prevent soil compaction around the new trees and to protect groundcover plants. The medians, however, would not require such railings. Trees for the medians will be mostly large- canopy trees native to the upper Willamette Valley (both broadleaf trees as well as conifers) to help reconnect Eugeneans and visitors alike with our region's natural heritage that elsewhere has been displaced by planting exotic trees. The curbside planting areas, however, would combine native species appropriate for these riverbottom soils (e.g., bigleaf maple) with some exotic tree species such as silver linden and American elm that typify more conventional plantings. Trees in the medians would be underplanted with a variety of deciduous and evergreen shrubs native to this part of the valley (e.g., Indian -plum, Oregon - grape, etc.) that at night would reduce and eventually eliminate the disabling glare caused by the headlights of on- coming vehicles, as well as provide a variety of environmental benefits. Summary Eugene Tree Foundation is hopeful that the proposed work on Willamette Street will set a new standard for landscaping in commercial areas by providing business owners from throughout our community a variety of ideas for how trees and other landscaping can be attractively and successfully incorporated within existing street infrastructure. This project is also an opportunity to combine the resources of the City, private business, and a non - profit foundation for the betterment of the community, while revitalizing one of the bleakest blocks in all of downtown Eugene. We at Eugene Tree Foundation are delighted to submit this proposal to City staff and we look forward to working together to help create a new and vibrant 1200 block of Willamette Street that we can all be proud of. Thank you for your consideration of our proposal.