Currently, the EmX bus stop at Walnut Station, squeezed between Franklin Boulevard traffic at the I-5 South entrance to Eugene, is easy to miss.
City planner Lydia McKinney hopes to change this.
“We want to change the auto-oriented commercial strip toward a more pedestrian, bike-friendly developed area,” McKinney said, who is the main planner involved with the redevelopment design aiming to make the area a more people-friendly location.
McKinney has been working with the city planning division, major city stakeholders, private property owners and the University to redesign the station area into the Walnut Station Mixed Use Center since 2005. The planning team partially based the plan on other city models, but McKinney said it has mostly been based on what the
community wants to see.
At the moment, the area is home to a few hotels, Market of Choice, Hirons Drug and various small businesses and homes. While the prospective plan includes additional restaurants, shops and parks, McKinney said the current surrounding businesses would not be altered.
“None of the current buildings will be impacted,” McKinney said. “Parking lot space will be lost for some, but this will provide bike lanes and sidewalks to make the area more inviting.”
On Dec. 10, the public was able to contribute its take on the design plans at an open house event. This event wrapped up the long design process, initiating the estimated 20-year finalization, building and completion of the Walnut Station project.
“We received a very positive response,” McKinney said. “People seem to understand and recognize that this is a place for density.”
The biggest question, she said, is how a multi-way road would function in this traffic-centric area. The plan intends to maintain the same road features, which many residents are glad about.
According to a survey conducted by urban design planner Urbsworks, Inc. in 2005, community members were concerned that the wide boulevard would be hard to adapt, especially in a multi-use, pedestrian-heavy area. Many University officials included in the survey encouraged the redesign to create an attractive entryway into Eugene, which will include the now half-built Matthew Knight Arena.
Students who live a couple blocks away from the Walnut Station have strong opinions on what they want to see in the location.
“I still feel like Eugene has no real downtown area,” freshman Kate Schweber said. “I’d love to have a vibrant shopping area with food and possibly an outdoor amphitheater so close to campus.”
Freshman Natasha Steinmann said she would love to see more outdoor areas conducive to hanging out.
“We’ve definitely gotten some student input on the project,” McKinney said, adding that University landscape architecture students have been involved in the design.
The design team will bring the final results of the project to the city planning commission in April, then to the City Council in June. The initial construction of the area will commence once the project receives central funding, McKinney said.
“People are excited about this,” McKinney said. “The community’s input helps us build what all of Eugene wants to see.”
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