Construction of a new apartment building on East 13th Avenue will be finished this summer, offering six stories of student housing in the Fall.
Flock13 will be priced similarly to other apartment buildings in Eugene, with 2-bedroom apartments ranging from $1,350 to 1,400 dollars a month.
The new building, called Flock13, is set to be finished this Summer. Jessica Cornish, the property manager for Affinity Property Management explained the project’s timeline. “[Flock13] is set to be done this July, furniture will be bought in August, move-in date [for fall 2024] will be Sept. 19,” Cornish said.
Flock13 is partnering with the Duck Store to open a leasing office on the second floor this spring.
Jessica Cornish, the property manager for Affinity Property Management, Cornish explains how the project aims to liven up East 13th Avenue. Flock13 will offer retail and dining, making it stand out from most apartments that have opened in recent years.
“[The] first floor will have retail spaces,” Cornish said. “There is talk of some Mediterranean spaces coming there.”
Even before the pandemic, businesses on East 13th Avenue have noticed a decline in overall foot traffic from the local community on the block.
“Owners are dedicated to livening up that area, kind of bringing that life back into the 13th area,” Cornish said.
Along with the construction of the six stories of student housing, Cornish explained how food trucks and breweries will be in the area between the current Duck Store and Rennie’s Landing.
Flock13 has partnered with the Duck Store, as the apartment complex will operate on Duck Store property.
Duck Store CEO Arlyn Schaufler says there has been a decline in business traffic on the 13th as well. Local businesses like Taylor’s Bar and Grill and Blue Heron Bicycles are just some businesses that have shut down the past few years after long tenures on 13th.
“[Businesses closing] elevated that conversation even more about how do we develop the West side of campus to draw more students to this end, since there’s been a lot of development on the East side [of campus],” Schaufler said. “We entered what was like a three to five-year process. We’re working with them to do ground floor retail and six stories of student housing.”
A year-long employee at Espresso Roma Cafe, Corey Sharr, said that business is running smoothly with the construction of Flock 13.
“During the summer is where we probably saw the biggest hit, just with the road being closed,” Sharr said.
Despite all the construction, Sharr says students and community members are still keeping business flowing. “Employees are still able to park, it can be a little bit noisier, but still a ton of clients and students coming through,” Sharr said.
The Duck Store and Flock13 will partner on several initiatives leading up to the building’s opening.
“We stand out in the way that we have the Duck Store partnership,” Corning said. “We have tons of resident events and giveaways with that involvement.”
