Final Environmental Impact Statement - New Federal Courthouse

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Alternative Site Selection Process and Alternatives Eliminated In 1992 the Administrative Office of the Court conducted a study of the immediate and 30-year space needs of the U. S. District of Oregon, which includes Eugene and Springfield. In 1998 the study was updated. This updated study indicated a continuing increase in space required by the federal courts and court-related agencies. The GSA sepazately verified the space requirements for executive agencies through the year 2022. The number of federal judges needed in Eugene was projected to increase from four at the time of the 1998 update to six in 2008 and 11 in 2028. In response to these documented space needs, GSA conducted a prospectus development study, which was published in 1993. This study concluded that the existing federal building/courthouse in Eugene could not be adapted to accommodate the required space needs and that the long-term costs of developing and operating a new courthouse would be lower than accommodating the required space needs through leased space. The prospectus development study concluded that a new federal courthouse is the only viable alternative that would meet required space needs of the federal courts in Eugene. In accordance with the provisions of Executive Order 12072, the study further concluded that the new facility should be located in the downtown Eugene area near the existing federal building/courthouse, and recommended that the new facility be constructed on a full-block site (or equivalent area) to accommodate the 30-year expansion needs. Following issuance of the prospectus development study, GSA prepared a planning document, issued in 1994, which further defined the conceptual design of the new courthouse facility. Based on the conclusions of the prospectus development study and the subsequent planning document, GSA undertook a comprehensive review of potential sites within and adjacent to an area in downtown Eugene delineated by the GSA. Following an initial screening, ten sites were considered in greater detail, including a more detailed consideration of existing and planned land uses. As a result of this review, the three sites addressed in the June 1999 environmental assessment were selected for detailed evaluation. Following publication of the 1999 environmental assessment, the preferred alternative . ' (Alternative 2 in the environmental assessment), the site of the Lane County elections annex, was eliminated because of public concern over potential impacts on the adjacent Fifth Avenue Market historic district and the loss of free public parking on the site. The GSA was unable to negotiate an agreement with the city of Eugene for purchase of the Alternative 3 site (the city hall site), and it too was eliminated from consideration. The environmental assessment had determined that Alternative 1, the Seazs site, had insufficient parking and that the scale of the proposed federal courthouse was too lazge for the surrounding residential area. For these reasons, the Sears site was not given further consideration following issuance of the environmental assessment. Subsequent to these events, the site evaluation and selection process was reinitiated in April 2000, and additional sites in Eugene and the neighboring city of Springfield, Oregon were solicited for consideration. A total of 22 sites were identified and assessed during preliminary site evaluation. Five sites were identified for further consideration in the draft EIS. New Federal Courthouse 21 Final EIS