Eugene Park Blocks Improvments Plan 2004

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funding sources, A number of the recommendations on reconfiguring walls, planting beds, and adjacent parking had previously been carried out, while major changes and renovation had yet to be funded. The Report and Recommendations from that placemakingproject- with aFebruary 2004, update onaccomplishments-are included as an attachment. The Downtown Plan, adopted by the City Council in Apri12004, includes the concept of the Park Blocks as one of Eugene's "Special Places" and 8th Avenue as a "Great Civic Street". The Park Blocks are called the heart of Downtown Eugene and an urban oasis. The Plan calls for maintaining the Park Blocks as the ceremonial center of the City, to include all four corners of 8th Avenue and Oak Street that were historically part of the original park. Buildings surrounding the Park Blocks are encouraged in the Plan to maintain or develop street level active uses to contribute to the activity and safety of the Park Blacks. The Downtown Plan describes 8th Avenue as Eugene's "Civic Street", to serve as the public promenade, sup- portingceremonial uses, parades, and other public uses, which is different from the small commercial, retail and entertainment focus of the other "Great Streets". 8th Avenue could incorporate a number of features from Eugene Park Blocks Improvements - ~o/s8/o4 Willamette Street through the new Courthouse district to eventually link to the Willamette River, including major green spaces at the Park Blocks and a new square or plaza at the east end of 8th Avenue. Efforts to identify common "Civic Street" elements for 8th Avenue were just getting underway at the time the Park Blocks Planning Committee was formed. The Park Blocks Planning Committee's recommendations. on improvements to the Park Blocks andtheir relation- ship to 8th Avenue will add to this planning effort for street improvements in the Courthouse area and the crossing of Mill Street. The Mayor's Civic Facilities Visioning Committee developed a fuhve Civic Center concept in June 2004, The Civic Center Vision forecast major future expansion of City and County functions on and near 8th Avenue, in keeping with the Downtown Plan recotnmendationsr;' The long-term planning vision included re-use of the historic North Park Block as a public plaza, completing;. the original configuration of the Park Blocks, and adding a significant public or multi-use building at the north end of where the County's "butterfly" parking lot is currently sited. In the Civic Center vision, 8th Avenue would be a major public street, with features supporting its role as a civic promenade. Governmental buildings along 8th Avenue would support street-level activity, through both design features and mixed uses on the ground floor, to encourage pedestrian use of 8th Avenue. See Civic Center conceptual view on page 14. These larger scale planning efforts formed the context within which the Park Blocks Planning Committee worked to develop a set of policy and capital improve- mentrecommendations for the Facility Management Division, ~~' ~''1 I~ PaOG 4 ll~-~ The Eugene Park Blocks The current Eugene Park Blocks were built in about 1958 based on a design by Lloyd Bond Landscape Architect. The City-owned portion of the park con- sists of two'/< blocks south of 8th Avenue and divided by Oak St, Lane County owns public areas north of 8th including the "Farmer's Market" space south of the Butterfly Parking garage and the plaza in front of the County Courthouse and Hams Hall. Tradition- ally aplace for political activism and public gathering, the Courthouse Plaza is currently being rebuilt as the Wayne Morse Free Speech Plaza. Original Park Block Butterfly Parking Lot Smeed Hotel I I Y c Tiffany B Aster Bldg, N o~ ~-. ~ A ~1~ ~~~ Park a -. a e`> ,~~~ ~;~ ~ Wells Fargo Bank -- SE °t m' u~ Park ~~_~ emu, 8th Ave Futl City Park St City En . South Park Bldg. EXISTING PARK BLOCKS Eugene Park Blockslmprovements-~o/x8/o4 The Square was once a full city block offset from the city grid so that Oak Street and 8th Avenue did not go through the blocks. The Park Blocks originally were known as Courthouse Square, In approximately 1855, the County Courthouse was located here. In 1883, the City built a City Hall and Fire Station on the park. Later the streets were extended through the park and ultimately the 2 northern''/a blocks were partially dis- placed bybuildings. 0 ~ ~ Lane County Courthouse & Public Service Bldg. Free Speech Plaza Page 5