Early
(January 2018) rendering of the proposed downtown riverfront development (SERA Architects)
The January 25 edition of The Register-Guard noted the signing of the formal agreement
between the City of Eugene and Portland-based Williams/Dame & Atkins (WDA) for the
redevelopment of the former Eugene Water & Electric Board property along
Eugene’s downtown riverfront. Accompanying the piece was a loosely sketched
rendering of the proposed development (see above).
The admittedly uninspiring image took members of the AIA Oregon-Eugene Section Committee on Local Affairs (CoLA) by surprise. A stirred sense of immediacy sparked CoLA’s ensuing, spirited discussion (by email): the project is happening, and it’s about to leap from paper to reality. Was this the best WDA and its architects (SERA) could come up with? The rendering suggested a trite, generic response absent qualities expressive of its unique setting along the Willamette River. Indeed, why feature this one perspective, and why such a seemingly random assortment of banal brick boxes? Did the image portend a failure to measure up to promises made to the community for developing a lively and inviting district reconnecting Eugene to the river that runs through it?
I chimed in even though I recently relinquished my seat on CoLA to make room for new blood around the table. I agreed with the others in finding the published rendering underwhelming. I echoed the consensus that if WDA wanted to create a buzz about their project, this wasn’t the way to do it, but I also suggested reserving judgment until there was an opportunity to see more.
It turns out withholding fire was the judicious course to take, at least for now. The exchange among the members of CoLA prompted me to learn more. I discovered the offending rendering was only one of a series produced by SERA more than a year ago for WDA’s presentation of their initial vision for the downtown riverfront site to Eugene City Council. That presentation included a wealth of additional information, including a series of diagrams highlighting a thoughtful evolution of the 2010 EWEB Riverfront Master Plan and the 2012 Specific Area Plan. The newly refined development scheme builds upon the community’s vision expressed in the earlier plans, maximizes value for the public realm and private investment, is designed for the realities of today’s marketplace, and integrates with the City’s planning for the future riverfront park.
So, I’ll criticize the R-G for choosing
to accompany its recent article with a dated, preliminary sketch rather than a
more current image or a series of more representative views from different
vantages (it may be that SERA did not make newer renderings available to the
paper). A year is an eternity in the evolution of a design concept. SERA is too
talented a firm not to have honed its recommendations for buildings truly
responsive to their unique setting. I suspect we’ll soon see detailed designs
for the first of the development’s new buildings, at which time we’ll all have a
legitimate opportunity to decide whether they hit the mark. The lesson here is
to have all the facts at hand before choosing to respond in a public forum.
What the City presently has available for scrutiny on its Downtown Riverfront Project web page
today is WDA’s and SERA’s year-old presentation rather than anything newer. Presuming
the proposed plan expressed in that presentation remains current, it is fair
game for comment.
I believe WDA and SERA are saying the right things. They envision a flexible framework, as opposed to a fixed plan, citing the difficulty of predicting the future and how their past developments occurred in ways they could not entirely imagine up front. Their master plan emphasizes “seamless” connections that SERA’s designers hope will feel like they have always been there. An extension of 5th Avenue will be a pedestrian-oriented “festival” street, with a straight shot to a riverfront plaza/overlook. There will be a connection to the eastern terminus of 8th Avenue at the location of the existing railroad crossing. WDA envisions a new, landmark pedestrian bridge over the river, providing convenient access to Alton Baker Park, as well as other links to the existing riverfront trail system. The plan promises “site porosity and transparency.”
WDA will build the project in phases, in their words “organically and at the right pace,” with ultimate completion years from now. When fully built-out, the plan will include more than two-hundred apartments, seventy market-rate townhouses, a hotel, a restaurant, retail space, and an affordable housing complex with seventy-five units. A key to the project’s success will be attracting people to live downtown. WDA believes the site’s unparalleled setting and the right mix of amenities will sell themselves, and they’re probably right.
SERA’s recommendations include limiting the size of the buildings, such that no one structure is taller than four stories. Additionally, they’re advocating for active ground-floor spaces, quality building materials, and a fine-grained scale. In the words of SERA principal Kurt Schultz, AIA, “the buildings shouldn’t appear like they’ve come from outer space.” This may suggest a proven, conservative formula for the architecture, though ideally one that will steer clear of an overtly ersatz, historicizing expression.
I won’t mind if the majority of the development primarily becomes a
backdrop for its riverfront setting and the public spaces its buildings help
shape. I don’t think a huge dose of architectural bravura is called for here. The
exceptions may be the proposed restaurant building, which by virtue of its
siting adjacent to the 5th Avenue river overlook and plaza warrants pavilion-like
treatment, and the new pedestrian bridge crossing to Alton Baker Park. Both of
these have the potential to be postcard-worthy icons for Eugene.
One thing that does bother me about a single development parcel like this in a city of Eugene’s size is that it may be too large relative to the urban fabric into which it is being inserted or appended to. Ideally, WDA will indeed develop the property incrementally and organically over time, though a certain critical mass will be necessary to begin with. In a perfect world, WDA would not be working with what is effectively a clean slate and starting almost everything from scratch. Thankfully, the City retained the Steam Plant, which will provide a modicum of historical texture for the site. My biggest fear is the completed project will feel sterile, lacking the richness that accompanies neighborhoods featuring successive layers of development.(1)
Speaking
of the Steam Plant, the City of Eugene is seeking comments(2) from
the public on its recently unveiled redevelopment proposal by a separate team
led by Mark Miksis of deChase Miksis
Development and Mark Frohnmayer of
Arcimoto. As noted on that project’s website, the Steam Plant (completed in
1931 and in use until 2012) is “an iconic representation of our community’s
history, ripe with possibility for the future,” and “the last physical
representation of the birthplace of industry for the southern Willamette
Valley.” Mark Frohnmayer believes the project
is an “opportunity to build something that is undeniably Eugene . . . that’s
infused with our spirit of innovation, that’s at the nexus point on the river
between downtown and the university, and that truly invites community
participation on multiple levels.”
The Steam Plant team’s website includes a video and draft renderings (by Rowell Brokaw Architects) suggesting the abundant potential of the redevelopment. It all seems very promising: the project team is a high-powered amalgam of innovative, locally-grown talents. I particularly like the suggested pairing of a public part of the cultural landscape with co-working/shared office space within the building as a way to make the project financially sustainable. The Steam Plan website also includes a link to the City of Eugene’s online survey, which will be open for public comment through February 19.
In
my opinion, the successful repurposing of the Steam Plant is critical to the fortunes
of the overall riverfront development. The renovation of the building is
ambitious. It is also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to honor the historic
significance of the downtown riverfront site, and to link the heart of our city
to the river by helping fulfill the “Willamette to Willamette” initiative. In
the words of the deChase Miksis/Arcimoto/Rowell Brokaw team, “the rest of the [riverfront]
district will be enhanced and will flourish if the Steam Plant—with its history,
grit, and toughness—is the authentic anchor and connector that the public has
been asking for.”
I’m guardedly optimistic about both WDA’s riverfront development plans and the future of the Steam Plant project. If both are fully realized as their respective teams envision, Eugene might finally embrace the Willamette River in a manner befitting the waterway’s historical significance to our community.
The admittedly uninspiring image took members of the AIA Oregon-Eugene Section Committee on Local Affairs (CoLA) by surprise. A stirred sense of immediacy sparked CoLA’s ensuing, spirited discussion (by email): the project is happening, and it’s about to leap from paper to reality. Was this the best WDA and its architects (SERA) could come up with? The rendering suggested a trite, generic response absent qualities expressive of its unique setting along the Willamette River. Indeed, why feature this one perspective, and why such a seemingly random assortment of banal brick boxes? Did the image portend a failure to measure up to promises made to the community for developing a lively and inviting district reconnecting Eugene to the river that runs through it?
I chimed in even though I recently relinquished my seat on CoLA to make room for new blood around the table. I agreed with the others in finding the published rendering underwhelming. I echoed the consensus that if WDA wanted to create a buzz about their project, this wasn’t the way to do it, but I also suggested reserving judgment until there was an opportunity to see more.
It turns out withholding fire was the judicious course to take, at least for now. The exchange among the members of CoLA prompted me to learn more. I discovered the offending rendering was only one of a series produced by SERA more than a year ago for WDA’s presentation of their initial vision for the downtown riverfront site to Eugene City Council. That presentation included a wealth of additional information, including a series of diagrams highlighting a thoughtful evolution of the 2010 EWEB Riverfront Master Plan and the 2012 Specific Area Plan. The newly refined development scheme builds upon the community’s vision expressed in the earlier plans, maximizes value for the public realm and private investment, is designed for the realities of today’s marketplace, and integrates with the City’s planning for the future riverfront park.
Another one of the images from the January 2018 WDA presentation
Riverfront Development Master Plan by SERA Architects for William/Dame & Atkins
I believe WDA and SERA are saying the right things. They envision a flexible framework, as opposed to a fixed plan, citing the difficulty of predicting the future and how their past developments occurred in ways they could not entirely imagine up front. Their master plan emphasizes “seamless” connections that SERA’s designers hope will feel like they have always been there. An extension of 5th Avenue will be a pedestrian-oriented “festival” street, with a straight shot to a riverfront plaza/overlook. There will be a connection to the eastern terminus of 8th Avenue at the location of the existing railroad crossing. WDA envisions a new, landmark pedestrian bridge over the river, providing convenient access to Alton Baker Park, as well as other links to the existing riverfront trail system. The plan promises “site porosity and transparency.”
WDA will build the project in phases, in their words “organically and at the right pace,” with ultimate completion years from now. When fully built-out, the plan will include more than two-hundred apartments, seventy market-rate townhouses, a hotel, a restaurant, retail space, and an affordable housing complex with seventy-five units. A key to the project’s success will be attracting people to live downtown. WDA believes the site’s unparalleled setting and the right mix of amenities will sell themselves, and they’re probably right.
SERA’s recommendations include limiting the size of the buildings, such that no one structure is taller than four stories. Additionally, they’re advocating for active ground-floor spaces, quality building materials, and a fine-grained scale. In the words of SERA principal Kurt Schultz, AIA, “the buildings shouldn’t appear like they’ve come from outer space.” This may suggest a proven, conservative formula for the architecture, though ideally one that will steer clear of an overtly ersatz, historicizing expression.
Bird's eye view looking toward the northwest from the south end of the downtown riverfront project site
One thing that does bother me about a single development parcel like this in a city of Eugene’s size is that it may be too large relative to the urban fabric into which it is being inserted or appended to. Ideally, WDA will indeed develop the property incrementally and organically over time, though a certain critical mass will be necessary to begin with. In a perfect world, WDA would not be working with what is effectively a clean slate and starting almost everything from scratch. Thankfully, the City retained the Steam Plant, which will provide a modicum of historical texture for the site. My biggest fear is the completed project will feel sterile, lacking the richness that accompanies neighborhoods featuring successive layers of development.(1)
Steam Plant vision by the deChase Miksis/Arcimoto/Rowell Brokaw team
The Steam Plant team’s website includes a video and draft renderings (by Rowell Brokaw Architects) suggesting the abundant potential of the redevelopment. It all seems very promising: the project team is a high-powered amalgam of innovative, locally-grown talents. I particularly like the suggested pairing of a public part of the cultural landscape with co-working/shared office space within the building as a way to make the project financially sustainable. The Steam Plan website also includes a link to the City of Eugene’s online survey, which will be open for public comment through February 19.
Future interior view of the Steam Plant (rendering by Rowell Brokaw Architects)
I’m guardedly optimistic about both WDA’s riverfront development plans and the future of the Steam Plant project. If both are fully realized as their respective teams envision, Eugene might finally embrace the Willamette River in a manner befitting the waterway’s historical significance to our community.
(1) The City is about to remove the old, visually prominent
bow-truss building adjacent to the Coburg Road viaduct. WDA considers it “an
obstacle to getting the maximum value out of the property.”
(2) Representatives
from the Steam Plant Team and the City of Eugene are hosting an Open House on
February 7 from 4-7 p.m. at the EWEB Community Room. They will also be present
at several community events to answer questions and get feedback. Community
members will have the opportunity to speak with the team and learn about the
concepts for the Steam Plant, as well as take virtual tours of building.
- February 7: Open House at EWEB Community Room, from 4-7 p.m.
- February 8: Presentation at the Ignite, University of Oregon Campus
- February 16-17: Table at the Asian Celebration, Lane Events Center
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