Here are the biggest construction projects planned in Eugene for 2024
The city of Eugene continues developing a city focused on accessible transportation, equity and safety through its Envision Eugene planning. With dozens of projects coming down the pike in 2024, here are some of the largest and most impactful that residents of Eugene can look forward to seeing completed in the new year.
Roadway Projects
8th Avenue Streetscape
Redevelopment of the 8th Avenue Streetscape is anticipated to be completed in the summer of 2024 with construction beginning in spring. The project includes the repaving of 8th Avenue from Lincoln Street to Mill Street. The road section will be converted into a two-way street with protected bike lanes from High Street to Lincoln Street, all-way stops at the intersections for Willamette Street, Olive Street and Lincoln Street, widened sidewalks and new sidewalk access ramps. Bike lanes will be constructed from High Street to Lincoln Street.
On-street parking will be removed from the south side of 8th Avenue and parking available on the north side of 8th Avenue will be moved to include a buffer space between parking lanes and bike lanes.
The changes to 8th Avenue are funded both through federal grants and the $51.2 million 2017 bond measure dedicated to street preservation as well as bicycle and pedestrian projects. The bond funds developments to 91 streets in Eugene.
EWEB Infrastructure
Currin Substation
The Eugene Water and Electric Board has committed to rebuilding 10 electrical substations in the next decade to update the city’s electrical grid and better serve the growing area. The 10-Year Capital Improvement Plan aims to upgrade and rehabilitate aging infrastructure, many of the substations being built over 50 years ago, to continue providing reliable services for residents in Eugene.
Substations act as key nodes in the electrical grid that take high-voltage power and reduce the voltage to an amount appropriate and safe for residential and commercial uses.
The first of the substations set to be replaced, the Currin Substation, is expected to be completed in the spring of 2024. The $14.8 million substation replacement allows EWEB to address equipment failures and other concerns related to aging infrastructure such as modern seismic standards. The rebuilding of all 10 substations is expected to cost about $125 million with funding coming from customer rates, bonds and grants.
“A rebuilt substation will last over 50 years into the future, so it’s a job worth doing right,” Tyler Nice, EWEB electric operations manager, said in a project release. “That’s why we are focusing on hiring the right people and ramping up our stock so that over the next couple years these station rebuilds can roll out smoothly with minimal impact to customers.”
4J School District
Camas Ridge Elementary School
Camas Ridge Elementary School is getting a new building, expected to be ready for students to utilize for the fall term of 2024.
The project was funded by the passage of a 2018 bond, pumping $319.3 million into the 4J School District to provide financing for improvements at every school in the district.
While construction at the school location on E. 29th Avenue is ongoing, students are attending classes at the 4J Willard Swing School property located at W. 29th Avenue and Lincoln Street.
Once complete, the two-story building will meet modern seismic standards, improve campus security and allow for the utilization of contemporary learning tools such as laptops, tablets and interactive whiteboards.
Other 4J schools that have already received new facilities through the 2018 bond include North Eugene High School, Edison Elementary School and ECCO High School the district’s alternative high school.
Parks & Open Spaces
MLK Jr. Park
Martin Luther King Jr. Park is undergoing renovations to design improvements to local parks, including Mattie Reynolds Park and Alton Baker Park as part of a planning initiative to engage with Black voices in Eugene.
The city of Eugene’s acknowledgment of the Ferry Street Community, Eugene’s first Black neighborhood which was displaced by the construction of the Ferry Street Bridge in 1949, paves the path forward for more thoughtful, inclusive and considerate planning to honor the history of Black communities disparaged by racial inequities throughout Oregon’s history.
MLK Jr. Park is located at 10th Avenue and Grant Street in the Far West neighborhood of Eugene. The park was constructed with funding from Community Development Block Grant Funds in 1982. Renovations are funded by the 2018 Parks and Recreation Bond.
Improvements to be provided through this renovation include new playground equipment, improved sight lines through the park for increased safety, a beginner-level skate feature, additions of seating and lighting and interpretive art to honor Martin Luther King Jr. as well as other improvements decided upon in partnership between the city and members of the Black community involved in listening sessions.
The project hopes to highlight interpretive and artistic representations of the influential work of MLK Jr. while trying to meet the city’s goal of having a welcoming and safe park within a half-mile walk of all Eugene neighborhoods. Construction hopes to be completed by early 2025.
Delta Ponds Loop Trail
The final piece to complete the 1.5-mile loop trail around Delta Ponds plans to finish construction in spring of 2024, providing barrier-free access to the area. Delta Ponds borders part of the Willamette River downstream from the Valley River Center.
Construction includes a new pedestrian bridge and 1000 feet of extended trail on the north end of the ponds that create new access to Goodpasture Island Road and improved neighborhood access to the trail.
The project was made possible through the 2018 Parks and Recreation bond, which has funded over a dozen projects. System Development Charges and a $350,000 Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Local Government Grant also support the project as funding assets. The cost of the Delta Ponds Loop Trail updates totalsto $1.85 million.
Housing
The Heartwood Apartments
Eugene’s River District is making development progress as the new district’s first new housing addition approaches completion in early 2024.
The Heartwood apartment building aims to accept leasing applications in January 2024 with move-ins expected in spring once the project is complete. The complex will offer 12 studios, 38 one-bedroom and 45 two-bedroom apartments at a market-rate. There is one floor plan available for studio units, nine floor plans for one-bedroom units and 10 floor plans for two-bedroom units.
The complex is the first to be completed in a series of projects taken on by developer Atkins Dame to lay the foundation for the newest of Eugene’s neighborhoods. The purchase of multiple parcels for development at the riverfront has cost Atkins Dame $11.1 million in total.
Development will continue on additional housing developments in the riverfront neighborhood. Residents can expect to see other apartment buildings take residence in the area over the next five years, with the Portal leasing in 2025, the Landing leasing in 2027 and the Parker leasing in 2028.
The Standard
Construction on E. Broadway for a new housing complex intended to serve University of Oregon students has been ongoing as enrollment in the university’s freshman class continues to increase each year.
Joining the ranks of other student housing complexes on E. Broadway in 2024 will be The Standard, a four-story complex intended to add 247 apartments with 703 bedrooms to the student housing market near campus. Around 300 parking spots are expected to be provided. The new building at 435 E. Broadway plans to offer a mix of units from studios to five-bedroom apartments.
Georgia-based realty firm Landmark Properties oversees over 80 properties across the country. The Standard will be Landmark’s second venture in Eugene once it opens in the fall of 2024.
“Our first student housing community near the University of Oregon seeks to bring more students within walking distance of campus,” Wes Rogers, president and CEO of Landmark Properties, said in a release about The Standard. “We are eager to welcome students to The Standard and believe that the combination of location and top-notch amenities will be well received by University of Oregon students.”
The complex’s location is a 0.3-mile walk from the UO campus and a one-mile walk from Eugene’s Market District. Pre-leasing for the complex began in September of 2023 and leases are expected to be signed for the 2024-2025 academic year once construction wraps up in September of 2024.
Hannarose McGuinness is The Register-Guard’s growth and development reporter. Contact her at 541-844-9859 or hmcguinness@registerguard.com
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Eugene construction projects to watch in 2024
