The Market Expansion

The 5th Street Market Expansion - view (l to r) of the Market building, Market Alley, and apartment building from the intersection of 6th and Pearl (all images here are from the Obie Companies' March 9, 2018 press conference presentation)

Brian Obie and his grandson Casey Barrett (CEO and Vice President, respectively) of Obie Companies, unveiled their plans this past Friday to double the footprint of the 5th Street Public Market in downtown Eugene. The ambitious undertaking consists of an 82-room hotel, a seven-story 113-unit apartment building, and a three-story retail and office complex. Additionally, Obie Companies is partnering with Homes for Good (formerly HACSA) to help the housing agency provide 50 affordable “workforce housing” units on a neighboring parcel. Overall, the project promises to bolster downtown Eugene’s ongoing revitalization by adding to its resident population, providing a rich mix of retail shops, enhancing the pedestrian experience, and furthering the emergence of a “Market District.” The goal is to have everything built and open for business by 2021, in time for the IAAF World Track and Field Championships.

Lane County issued a request for proposals five years ago for the property it owns on the half-block fronting Sixth Avenue between Pearl and Oak, presently devoted to surface parking. The County’s goal was to attract developers interested in helping realize the site’s full potential. Ultimately, the County selected the Obie Companies’ amenity-rich proposal for the site. Though the property is owned by the county, Obie Companies’ negotiated a 99-year lease to build on it. After the execution of the lease agreement, Obie Companies purchased four neighboring buildings (Station Square, the David Minor Theater, the Fifth Pearl Building, and the vacant former Oregon Electric Station catering building), ensuring control of their future development and compatibility with the other Market District properties. The project’s lengthy gestation period involved give-and-take discussions with the City of Eugene regarding the application of its Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) to the development.

Context map of the future Market District

Aerial view from the east. The Market Expansion is on the left side of the image.

I didn’t attend the Obie Companies’ press conference but I did watch a recording of the event online. Brian (who served as Eugene’s mayor from 1985-1988) provided some historical context about the Market Expansion’s location, describing it as “hallowed ground” because it was part of the original Eugene townsite and witness to many formative downtown developments. These would eventually include the Obie Companies transformation of a former poultry plant into today’s 5th Street Market, now in its 42nd successful year of operation, as well as the construction more recently of the Inn at the 5th, a nationally acclaimed, one-of-a-kind boutique hotel.

Casey followed Brian by taking the podium to describe the $60 million new venture and how it is moving quickly toward groundbreaking before the end of this year. In addition to enumerating its components, Casey also called attention to several items of interest. These include the Market Alley, which will be a shop-lined, glass-roofed passage through the site. He mentioned the possibility of an elevated pedestrian crosswalk over Pearl street—though one wasn’t depicted on the renderings—and perhaps a second overpass at High Street, connecting the Market District with the future EWEB riverfront development. The name of the proposed new inn—The Gordon Hotel—comes from Brian’s father, Gordon. The hotel will be a fine arts showcase, featuring work produced through an Obie-sponsored artist-in-residency program as well as that of University of Oregon Fine Arts students and faculty who will soon occupy the former Willamette Stationers building next door. Casey also mentioned how Obie Companies is working with others to secure the future of the historic Post Office building on Willamette Street, possibly as a museum that would contribute to the establishment of an expanded downtown cultural precinct.

Rendering of The Gordon Hotel

Where will visitors to the Market District park? The development will eliminate a significant number of spaces. Casey said a half-block of underground parking is in the works, which will make up for some of the lost parking capacity. Additionally, Casey mentioned the probability of valet parking and participation in the PeaceHealth Rides bike share program.

Casey said it was important for the new architecture to allude to the Market District’s industrial past. Judging from the available renderings, the overtones are as much subdued Art Deco as they are “industrial.” Some might take exception to the overt historicizing or pejoratively ascribe the term “pastiche” to the designs, appearing as they are to be referential reproductions rather than rejuvenations of genuinely older buildings (as was the case with the extant portion of the 5th Street Public Market). They might criticize a lack of “authenticity” and a failure to adequately express the contemporary condition. For my part, I’m far from parochial when it comes to style; I’m more interested about whether the project will succeed on a variety of other fronts. Will its architecture be pedestrian-friendly? Will the design delight and make the Market District an attractive destination? Will it be well-detailed, well-built, durable, and sustainable? Will it reward the considerable public and private outlay on behalf of its future?

The glass-roofed Market Alley

I haven’t taken the initiative to identify the members of the Market Expansion design team. Brian and Casey did not mention who the architects are but did acknowledge their contributions to the shared vision for the project. I do know Ankrom Moisan Architects, Arbor South, and Bergsund Delaney had their hands in some of the early planning shortly after the County accepted the Obie Companies/HACSA proposal. TBG Architects & Planners of Eugene and Seattle-based GGLO designed the Inn at the 5th, and CSHQA designed Obie’s recently completed Inn at 500 in Boise; are any of these firms involved? Leave a comment below if you know who the architects are.

Casey regards the Market Expansion as an expression of Obie Companies’ enthusiasm for the future of downtown Eugene. It comes as welcome news to those of us who want downtown to be a robust, vibrant, and diverse place. The project will undoubtedly draw interest from other developers for nearby properties, spur additional investment, and further enhance the Market District’s appeal and contribution to the tax rolls. Its impact will extend past its boundaries, in part through connections between an emerging cultural precinct and the Market District and beyond to the riverfront. The scheme appears to be well-coordinated, thoughtful, and comprehensive. I applaud Obie Companies’ commitment to its hometown and its embrace of compact urban design principles, and I wish the project nothing but success.