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City Club of Eugene: Downtown Achievements

Recorded On: October 4, 2019

Air Date: December 2, 2019

From the City Club of Eugene:

Less than 10 years ago, a giant hole occupied the half block across 10th Street from the Eugene Public Library. It was one of two empty pits in the heart of the business district. Less than 10 years ago, the view from the second floor of 45 West Broadway showed the boarded up windows of the Center Court Building, former home of JC Penny. Behind the windows was a sodden mess. And the inside of 45 West Broadway, though still in use, was not much better.

Since then, downtown has undergone a renaissance. Now the Library’s neighbor to the north is a thriving satellite campus of Lane Community College, with classrooms and residences clustered around a central patio. The beautifully renovated Center Court, now called The Broadway Commerce Center, is home to growing businesses. 45 West Broadway is full of apartments, restaurants, and movie theaters. How did we do that? And why?

Denny Braud tells the story. He has worked in Eugene’s Planning & Development Department for 30 years and now serves as its Executive Director.  He explains why it is important to the whole community that we invest in downtown and why we should care what happens there.  He describes the goals of the 2004 Downtown Plan and list what we have accomplished so far.

Copyright KLCC, 2019

Love Cross joined KLCC in 2017. She began her public radio career as a graduate student, serving as Morning Edition Host for Boise State Public Radio in the late 1990s. She earned her undergraduate degree in Rhetoric and Communication from University of California at Davis, and her Master’s Degree from Boise State University. In addition to her work in public radio, Love teaches college-level courses in Communication and Sociology.