A judge has given the go-ahead for Lane County and the City of Eugene for a land-swap that involves a remnant of the original land deeded to the county by Eugene and Mary Skinner.
Lane County want to sell the City of Eugene the so-called butterfly lot and purchase the former City Hall lot. The county would like to build a new courthouse on that land. The City wants to use the butterfly lot for a new City Hall building and a town square. Part of that would potentially include a year-round farmer's market. Ken Darling, who is a descendant of the Skinners, says the deed stipulated the parcel to be for public use. Darling says his great, great grandfather was a lawman:
“He knew better, when writing up this 40-acre donation that if he wanted it for him and Mary, for this to be properly donated, for there to be restrictions in it so that these types of things didn’t happen.”
The county will next submit paperwork to the judge and then the Darling family has 30 days to appeal the judge’s decision.