Downtown Eugene is undergoing a transformation as city leaders and other organizations work to
revitalize the Downtown core.
The efforts to revitalize Downtown Eugene include several initiatives. These initiatives include
revitalizing historic spaces and creating new housing and public spaces.
Reconnecting Downtown with the River
One of Eugene’s most ambitious redevelopment efforts is in the Riverfront District. The effort, which helps bring to life previously inaccessible riverfront property, aims to reconnect Downtown Eugene with the Willamette River.
As part of this effort, the city opened the Downtown Riverfront Park in 2022. The three-acre park includes overlooks, multiple paths and decorative art pieces.
The next phase of this effort is Riverfront Plaza. The one-acre plaza, which is scheduled to be completed this summer, will include a variety of features. These features include a tree grove, event space, interactive public art, a water feature and a splash pond.
Just steps away from the plaza and park is the Heartwood, a luxury apartment building that opened last year. Equally as close to the plaza and park is Eugene City Hall, which opened last summer, restoring a dedicated municipal building to the city after over a decade without one.
Ethan Clevenger, who owns Porterhouse Clothing and Supply, expressed doubts about connecting the Riverfront District and Downtown Eugene.
“People in Eugene are pretty walking-averse,” Clevenger said. “People want to park right outside wherever it is that they’re going. Folks aren’t typically walking from the Riverfront to Downtown.”
Jeff Reynolds, who owns Bicycle Way of Life, expressed a more optimistic view.
“I’ve seen the mockups, and it does look like it is a different neighborhood Downtown … I know that they have plans to kind of merge it into Downtown,” Reynolds said.
Eugene Downtown Manager Eric Brown said, “Slowly but surely, I think the Riverfront and 5th Street Market are gonna feel like they’re more cohesive.”
Historic Steam Plant Transformation
Another part of Eugene’s effort to revitalize the Riverfront District is preserving historic architecture. In April 2024, the Eugene City Council approved $6 million in additional urban renewal funding to support the restoration of the Downtown Riverfront Steam Plant, increasing the total budget for the project to $60 million.
Brown said revitalizing the steam plant and connecting Downtown to the Riverfront District is a work in progress.
“The riverfront park and the plaza, and eventually the steam plant, are going to feel like real assets to downtown,” Brown said.
Karen Mortensen, who owns the Cozy, a yarn store in Downtown Eugene, expressed optimism for the project.
“I think it would be lovely if something would happen,” Mortensen said. “Things are very slow with any of that waterfront development.”
Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson’s Downtown Housing Goal
In her State of the City address, Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson set a goal to build 1,000 housing units in Downtown Eugene in the next five years.
“This is double our current housing production and a huge challenge,” Knudson said in her address. “Zero units of housing have been built in the Downtown core in the past five years.”
Claim 52 Brewing General Manager Jeremy Zollman said Knudson’s goal could have a positive impact.
“Mayor Knudson’s initiative to attempt to improve Downtown housing could have a positive impact. But the efforts so far to make Downtown one of those areas where there’s enough affordable housing … isn’t really yielding any significant results that I can see,” Zollman said. “There’s some new housing, and that’s cool. But is it affordable housing? I don’t know about that.”
Authentica Wines Owner Steve Baker said more housing units in Downtown Eugene could bring “positive developments” to local businesses as more full-time residents move to the area.
Brown, Eugene’s downtown manager, said more housing units Downtown could help improve safety and sanitation.
“It brings people to the streets,” Brown said. “It brings people who will start to have a sense of ownership over the sidewalks and a real stake in how Downtown looks and feels.”
