Final Environmental Impact Statement - New Federal Courthouse

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Historic and Cultural Resources The Agripac office appears to be historically significant under National Register criteria A and C for its association with the fruit growing industry in Eugene and as a good example of the industrial craftsman style of architecture. The introduction of a large modern building adjacent to this building would cause a direct adverse impact on the integrity of this building by altering its setting and feeling. Similarly, the scale of the new courthouse building across the street from the Agripac machine shop (518 East 8th Avenue) and the residential building at 620 East 8th Avenue would cause a direct adverse impact on the integrity of these buildings by altering their setting and feeling. Although the EWEB steam plant also faces the Chiquita site, the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks separate the electric plant from the Chiquita site, limiting the potential impact on the electric plant's setting and feeling. Additional buildings eligible for National Register listing that are located within one block of the Chiquita site include three residential properties that form part of the Mount-Gross grouping (313 8th Avenue, 795 High Street, and 855 High Street), the Walton house (433 East Broadway), and the Abrams cider mill (620%2 East 8th Avenue) in the Agripac grouping. Although construction of the federal courthouse under Alternative 2 would remove none of these buildings, they may be indirectly affected by the placement of the courthouse in their vicinity. This is a mixed-use neighborhood of industrial and residential properties. Construction of the courthouse at this location could attract development on the surrounding blocks, possibly threatening historic structures with redevelopment pressures. No-Action Alternative The no-action alternative would result in no impact on historic properties or resources located on or adjacent to the alternative sites. Potential Mitigation Measures Mitigating adverse impacts on significant archaeological deposits, if any deposits are present under the developed and paved surfaces of the alternative sites, would involve data recovery excavations followed by analysis of artifacts and features. Subsurface archaeological testing should take place to investigate any intact archaeological deposits at the site and allow for development of a research design, schedule, and budget for mitigation through data recovery excavations. The testing, and the development and implementation of a research design, should be undertaken in consultation with the Oregon State Historic Preservation Office. Before any large-scale geotechnical engineering or other ground-disturbing activities take place on the chosen site, project planners could arrange to have asphalt and any associated foundation materials removed under the observation of archaeologists, to avoid disturbing archaeological deposits that may lie beneath the asphalt. Archaeologists could then conduct backhoe test trenching and some formal excavations in areas of older ground surfaces (including paved areas) Final EIS 72 ___ New Federal Courthouse