Final Environmental Impact Statement - New Federal Courthouse

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Socioeconomics reduce the number of housing units, or increase the demand for housing. The proposed project therefore would not significantly affect low-income persons. The presence of the proposed new courthouse would not have a significant adverse or beneficial effect on the crime rate around either of the alternative sites. These areas are currently used for commercial and industrial activities, and developing the courthouse on one of these sites would merely change the existing activities for governmental activities. This is not expected to cause a significant change in the crime rate in the area. The proposed facility is unlikely to change the racial composition of the selected site, because it would not increase employment or population, nor would it displace current residents. The racial composition of the alternative project areas is not substantially different from the rest of Eugene or Springfield, and any impacts from the project would not fall disproportionately on racial or ethnic minorities. No significant impacts would be expected. Employment and Income Construction employment can be expected to increase temporarily in Lane County if the proposed courthouse is constructed. The degree to which the county would benefit economically from construction of the proposed project is dependent upon the portion of the work captured by local firms. Because the project is relatively specialized and uncommon for the azea (i.e., a mid- rise structure with security measures incorporated into the design), local firms would likely be less qualified than outside firms to compete for the construction contracts, and the majority of the work would likely to go to larger regional or national firms. This would limit the beneficial impact on local construction employment. The number of construction jobs that the project would generate is unknown. However, GSA estimated that an average of 180 construction workers and a peak work force of 250 were required to construct the federal courthouse in Portland. (Woodward-Clyde 1992b). Based on the roughly similar building size, project costs, and construction schedule, it is reasonable to assume that the number and type of construction jobs necessary to build the Eugene courthouse would be similar to those estimated for the Portland courthouse. All of the construction jobs would be short-term (i.e., less than 2 yeazs). The federal courthouse is not a new activity for Eugene, and the proposed facility would not employ a significantly greater number of workers compared with the existing federal work force in Eugene. Increased direct employment would be limited to office support staff. If Alternative 1 is selected, federal employees would be relocated from Eugene to the new facility in Springfield, although the number of jobs in Lane County would not increase. This relocation of jobs would not affect the overall economy of the azea. Operation of the facility would therefore not significantly increase employment in the county or state. The number of jobs would decrease in Eugene and increase in Springfield, however. New Federal Courthouse 115 Final EIS ,__,.