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Aesthetics <br />appearance and serve as a visual reference to the area's history. The historic significance of the <br />Agripac office is described in the section on historic and cultural resources. <br />The Chiquita site is nearly devoid of vegetation and in many areas is cluttered with telephone <br />poles, chainlink fences, and small storage buildings. There aze no retail centers or public <br />recreation areas immediately adjacent to this site, and it is not commonly used as a throughway <br />to other destinations. Therefore, pedestrians and bicyclists razely traverse the area. The railroad <br />tracks located immediately northeast of the site also contribute to the distinctive visual chazacter <br />of this azea. <br />Significant Adverse Impacts <br />For this EIS, photographs were taken from two typical viewpoints at each alternative site. For <br />comparison, the photographs were then modified to simulate these views after construction of the <br />proposed courthouse. Each viewpoint was selected either to show a typical view of the new <br />courthouse or to show the courthouse in relation to an area with a distinct visual chazacter. The <br />locations of the selected photographic viewpoints are shown in Figure 9. <br />The scale of the new courthouse would be similar to the scale of the largest existing buildings in <br />downtown Eugene, and the courthouse would be larger than any structure currently existing on <br />or adjacent to any of the alternative sites. <br />Light and glare impacts resulting from temporary construction activities and permanent <br />operation of the new courthouse would be significant at the Alternative 1 site in Springfield due <br />to the proximity of the site to residential neighborhoods. Because the Alternative 2 site lies <br />within the downtown azea of Eugene, light and glare resulting from temporary construction <br />activities and permanent operation of the new courthouse would not be significant. <br />Locating the new courthouse on either of the alternative sites could be expected to induce further <br />redevelopment in the surrounding area that may substantially alter its visual character. In the <br />subsections below, the potential aesthetic impacts of the proposed courthouse aze assessed <br />without consideration of any impacts of other redevelopment plans that may be proposed in the <br />future. <br />Alternative 1, Options A and B <br />Figure 9 shows the locations of the two photographic viewpoints for Alternative 1. Figures 10 <br />and 11 present photographs of existing conditions at the Alternative 1, option A site, along with <br />photographic simulations of the same views including the proposed courthouse building, for <br />comparison. Figures 12 and 13 present photographs of existing conditions at the Alternative 1, <br />option B site, along with photographic simulations of the same views with a modified courthouse <br />building for the smaller. site. Because design of the courthouse site and building would not <br />begin until a preferred site is selected, the photographic simulations are conceptual <br />representations that do not indicate the actual building design, footprint, precise location, <br />surface treatment, or landscaping. <br />Fina! EIS 76 New Federal Courthouse <br />_._ <br />