In 1996, the City of Eugene gathered information in a manner carefully designed to justify a scheme named “Recycle Eugene.” The plan is a complete failure.
If you are not done using something, it makes no sense to recycle it prematurely. Recycling, instead of reusing, makes architects happy and keeps political donations flowing. This corrupt cycle/trade is also called “sustainable business.” The unnecessary replacement of Mac Court at the University is a prime example of “sustainable business.”
As the city government prepares for another surging attempt to replace city hall and build a new police station, there should be a pushback from citizens for the government to better use what it already has. The EWEB building can be retrofitted as a nice city hall building in a very scenic setting. More unsuccessful “mixed-use” development has no place along the riverfront at the EWEB site. Mixed-use development downtown has two uses already: being vandalized and empty.
The EWEB building has not outlasted its usefulness. The old fortress-like federal building will work as a solid police station for Eugene. This common-sense scenario will outrage the Portland starchitects, master planners and related consulting firms. Who cares? They do not live here.
A few key leaders already realize that the grandiose city hall visions and million-dollar drawings have been a pipe dream and are increasingly infuriating for many voters. When they pay $2 million for drawings of these overpriced “visions,” it shows up in articles in the papers, and raging letters to the editor soon follow. If we want a “sustainable conflict,” bring in the Portland-based architects for another round. If we want to get something done, it is time to follow an obvious and straightforward course. A prominent architecture critic has recently said “the Eugene Downtown Plan is not a plan … it is a parking ticket.” He is a wise man.
In my view the vague non-plan referred to as the Eugene Downtown Plan is, at its core, the unplanning and disintegration of the disputed terrain we refer to as “downtown.” Now is the time to stop the chronic lurching of Eugene’s “here we go again” generic planning schemes and choose a fiscally sound approach that meets modern seismic requirements.
Eugene is not rich. It is not the world’s greatest city of the arts and the outdoors, either – it is not Barcelona. If you think it is, you need to get out more. Eugene is Eugene. It is going to stay that way. Let us reuse this place and repair what is left of the blight known as downtown. And as far as that faerie tale of a slogan goes, if they can’t stop saying it, how about just whispering it?