The city of Eugene has opened its new City Hall site to the public after a year of construction and held its grand opening ceremony on July 18. While many public meetings have already taken place in the City Hall Council Chamber, several offices and services will now become accessible to visitors throughout the building.
The site, which was purchased last year, was formerly the headquarters of the Eugene Water and Electric Board. The city finalized the guaranteed maximum price at the end of December 2023 and broke ground in January 2024, conducting a remodeling of the building.
“Everything aligned and the price was right,” City of Eugene Facilities Director Jeff Perry said. “It made great sense to move to the location, but it’s been a long process to get there and this finally all made sense to everyone, so we’re very excited about that.”
Perry said the 103,000-square-foot facility will contain a lobby space and a council chamber that are open during public council meetings, as well as many offices. About 1,000 square feet of the building will be leased to EWEB which will provide in-person services for customers.
City Council meetings were previously held at Lane Community College’s downtown location. Many office spaces throughout the new building will be dedicated to city services, which allow visitors to meet with professionals to discuss information on subjects such as job applications, financial business and more.
Eugene City Councilor Alan Zelenka said the building is still unfinished despite the scheduled grand opening date. Due to ongoing construction, only the first floor and council chamber will be accessible to visitors, and the second and third floors will be off-limits to the public until further notice.
“[The council chamber is] very airy and light, [it] looks out at our river and I think people really appreciate it,” Zelenka said. “The staff did such an excellent job of building it out and taking into consideration everybody’s concerns and needs, making it a very appealing place for a city council chamber.”
The city had an $8 million budget for planning and remodeling the new City Hall. According to Perry, around $5 million was intended for improvements to the building and about $3 million was dedicated to maintenance improvements such as preservation, ADA and seismic upgrades.
Renovations made to enhance the functionality of the building involved remodeling the council chamber, upgrading the HVAC digital controls system and repairing the roof and cooling systems.
Other changes in the remodeling process included replacing and repurposing the carpets, reconstructing the walls and making many aesthetic improvements. Perry said that these renovations were made to bring City Hall more up-to-date and to make the building warm and welcoming.
“We have modern access to our computers, touch screens to vote and a request to speak [in the council chamber],” Zelenka said. “Before, we would do it all on paper. Now, it’s all modernized with great equipment that’ll make the experience of being at a city council [meeting] a lot better, visually and audibly.”
City Hall is located along the Willamette River and the Ruth Bascom Bike Path, which leads to the Eugene Downtown Riverfront Park. Perry said there will be a lot of amenities nearby due to its location close to Downtown Eugene, Fifth Street Public Market and the park.
“I think it’s going to be convenient access for folks and you’re right on the bike path there,” Perry said. “Overall, it’s just a nice space and I think it’ll be a good experience for folks coming to visit City Hall.”
