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Alternative Site Selection Process and Alternatives Eliminated <br />Following publication of the draft EIS, three of the alternative sites were eliminated from further <br />consideration. Alternative 3 (the Gateway site in Springfield) was eliminated because of its <br />location within the 500-year floodplain, insufficient public transportation, and a significant <br />parking deficiency. Alternative 4 (the Eugene Water and Electric Board [EWEBJ site in Eugene) <br />was eliminated from further consideration because of the proximity of the option 4A site to the <br />Skinner Butte historic district and the potential for impacts on historic resources. The option 4A <br />site was also constrained by building code height restrictions designed to preserve the historic <br />character of the area. Also under Alternative 4, the option 4B site was eliminated from further <br />consideration because of its location within the 500-year floodplain. <br />Alternative 5 (the Broadway site in Eugene) was eliminated from further consideration because it <br />did not meet the objectives for the project. The cost to purchase the property and relocate the <br />businesses that currently occupy the site would exceed the GSA budget allocation, and the new <br />facility at that site would not result in a significant cost reduction compared with leasing space. <br />If the site were selected, the cost of purchasing the property would make it difficult for the GSA <br />to create astate-of--the-art building that encompasses maximum value. <br />The final EIS evaluates two alternatives, the Riverfront site in Springfield and the Chiquita <br />(formerly Agripac) site in Eugene. Each of these alternatives has been modified in response to <br />refinements in the facility layout. <br />Alternative 1, the Riverfront site, now includes two options: option A-the entire site as defined <br />in the draft EIS, and option B-a smaller site option that seeks to avoid impacts on potentially <br />historic structures. <br />Alternative 2, the proposal for the Chiquita (formerly Agripac) site, has also been clarified with <br />two site options since publication of the draft EIS, because the alternative presented in the draft <br />EIS would not meet the safety and security requirements of the proposed courthouse facility. <br />The eastern boundary of Alternative 2 has been clarified as the centerline of the undeveloped <br />Ferry Street right-of--way north of East 8`f' Avenue. (The eastern portion of the Chiquita site <br />would remain the property of the city of Eugene, with the expectation that the site is to be <br />developed for commercial activities.) The southern site boundary remains East 8`h Avenue, and <br />the western boundary remains Highway 99 (also known as Mill Street). In addition, the <br />AutoCraft properties north and south of East 8"' Avenue would be acquired under Alternative 2. <br />Under Alternative 2, option A for the Chiquita site, the northern site boundary is the Southern <br />Pacific Railroad tracks. Under Alternative 2, option B, the northern site boundary would lie 360 <br />feet north of East 8~' Avenue and extend between the same eastern and western boundaries for <br />option A. <br />~_ <br />I. <br />Final EIS 22 New Federal Courthouse ~' <br />