University students, local residents and design professionals will come together to share and work on alternative ideas for how to redesign and redevelop Franklin Boulevard, which stretches from the Courthouse Neighborhood in Eugene to the Glenwood area in Springfield, as a mixed-use center.
The two-day project, known as “Franklin Corridor: Architects Bridging Communities,” will start with a reception and overview of the Franklin Corridor project on Friday from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Atrium Building at 99 W. 10th Ave.
Participants will convene again at the Atrium Building on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for a design workshop aimed at creating alternative proposals for how the area along Franklin Boulevard should be redeveloped.
University architecture professor Mark Gillem, whose architecture students are working on the project, said in an e-mail that the students’ plans have received support from business owners and neighborhood groups in the area, but they are at odds with the consultants’ proposals.
Gillem, along with Art Paz and Eric Gunderson of the American Institute of Architects Southwestern Oregon chapter, will present an overview of the project and talk about what the University is doing in support of the Franklin Corridor on Friday at 11:50 a.m. at the City Club of Eugene, located at 999 Willamette St.
More information about the Friday and Saturday design sessions can be found at www.franklincorridor.org.