The City of Eugene is making progress on developing a mixed-use neighborhoodalong the Willamette River near downtown.
Workers recently finished framing the “Heartwood”, which is the first residential building in a former utility operations yard along the river. It’s on 5th Avenue, just east of the Ferry Street Bridge. The four-story building will consist of four stories of 95 market rate apartments, and is expected to be completed early next year.
Eugene mayor Lucy Vinis said the project will connect downtown to the river.
“It’s close to walking and biking. It’s close to transit,” Vinis said. “Hopefully, people will be able to make a lot of foot-trips to go get their groceries and then also have a bite to eat somewhere. So, it checks all the boxes for us as the city of Eugene in terms of where we want to grow and how we want to grow.”
Vinis also touted the project’s employment of 250-300 people during construction.
The riverfront neighborhood’s former EWEB headquarters will soon be home to her office and Eugene City Hall. The city finalized the purchase of the building late last month.
A second residential building, called “Portal” is also being erected. It’s at the intersection of 4th Avenue and Mill street and will be 4 stories with 130 market-rate apartments.
An affordable housing project is planned nearby. It will include a minimum of 75 residences that are affordable for households with incomes of up to 60% of area median income.
There is also a park, which was the site of the World22 Riverfront Festival last summer to coincide with the Track & Field World Championships held at Hayward Field in Eugene.
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