Tony Russell (standing with Angela Jaster and her daughter Grace) is one of the many downtown entrepeneurs who will be affected by the reopening of the Broadway pedestrian mall. Russell attributes the City Council’s re
Eugene citizens voted Sept. 18 to reopen the Broadway pedestrian mall in downtown Eugene. Now, city officials say they must decide how to handle the task of opening an area that has been closed to traffic for nearly 30 years.
The measure, which passed with a 67 to 32.9 percent vote, will open Broadway as a through street for the three-block segment between Charnelton and Oak Streets.
“The next step is for us to ask City Council to approve the work plan so we can come up with design options for the public to consider,” Braud said.
City planners are scheduled to appear before the council about the Broadway plans on Oct. 10. Braud said the cost is unknown at this time because the street has not been designed yet.
City Councilor Bonny Bettman said she is concerned about how the city will pay for the project and how the new design will impact the city.
“The way opening Broadway will result in a successful reopening is not to move people through downtown as fast as you can in their cars,” she said, “but to look at how to create that streetscape so there is a circulation of people that will be most beneficial to the area.”
Councilor David Kelly echoed Bettman’s desire for a street design that will accommodate both pedestrians and auto traffic, and he said city staff members are accumulating funds for the construction.
“The expectation is that funding will come from county roads, city funds and adjoining property managers,” he said.
The Oct. 10 session will look at big-picture issues regarding the design, according to Kelly. He said the process will allow time for the community to weigh in on the design.
“We think it will increase foot traffic,” said Robin Pendoley, the manager at Cafe Paradiso. “But we’re bracing for the fact that our business will be affected for a period of time during construction.”
Adam Bernstein, who manages Adam’s Place, a bar and grill on Broadway, said the reopening is a good thing for the community.
“I hope construction doesn’t deter customers from coming,” he said.
There were 30,391 total votes cast in the Sept. 18 election, with a voter turnout of 37 percent. The issue of preference voting failed.
Sue Ryan is a community reporter for the Oregon Daily Emerald. She can be reached at [email protected].
