The Mary Spilde Downtown Center has been the temporary location for Eugene city council meetings since 2020.
The intersections of housing, climate, and equity were the theme of Eugene’s 2022 State of the City presentation. City Council members took the night to celebrate last year’s achievements and discuss what needs to be the focus of this upcoming year.
Lane Community College was also front and center. City Council members spoke about the downtown campus being leased out as the new City Hall. The Mary Spilde Center at 101 W 10th Ave will be the interim City Hall for three years while they renovate the current structure at the Park Blocks. The old LCC site at 1059 Willamette Street, known as the Montgomery Project, will be turned into mixed housing — at least half of the over 160 units will be reserved for affordable housing.
They lauded the camp at Washington Jefferson Park as a temporary solution to the houselessness crisis during an unprecedented pandemic and discussed future solutions.
“It is essential but not enough to shelter people from the cold,” Mayor Lucy Vinis acknowledged. “Compassion for the unhoused and respect for the impact on all community members involved,” Mayor Vinis shared as the framework for future solutions. She spoke of looking for realistic solutions that the whole community can get behind.
One of those solutions was a partnership between the city and White Bird Clinic. They provided a space to connect people experiencing homelessness with primary and behavioral health care.
Mayor Vinis also spoke of different low income housing projects that are climate-oriented including the Iris Place Project on River Road. The goal is to use sustainable building practices while also allocating space for low income families.
Along the theme of climate, the new Farmers Market Pavilion will be built using all locally-sourced materials and very little concrete in an effort to minimize the carbon footprint. The pavilion will be a “benefit to the community at large, even if you don’t like vegetables,” stated council member Emily Semple of Ward 1.
The city is also going to finish construction this year on outdoor recreation spaces including the long awaited Riverfront Park.
Mayor Vinis spoke about equity and what the city has done over the past year to create a more equitable community. Councilor Claire Syrett of Ward 7 sponsored a statement condemning anti-Asian hate and she stated that most councilors signed onto it. “Not everybody feels safe in this community,” Mayor Vinis acknowledged while giving credit to the Ad Hoc Committee on Police Policy. The committee formed in 2020 and finalized their report in April of 2021.
The Council also handed out awards and thanked community volunteers. The Bold Steps Award recognizes Eugene-based sustainable businesses. Summit Bank ultimately won the award for giving back financially and with their time. Summit Bank helped with the rollout of the Paycheck Protection Program. According to Market President Jenny Bennet they “helped hundreds of businesses with their loans, therefore saving 10,000 local jobs.” They also took $150,000 of their own PPP Loan and gave it out to the community as micro loans. Summit Bank, it was mentioned, provides its employees with three days paid leave to spend volunteering at a nonprofit.
The State of the City Address struck an uplifting and hopeful chord, although community members still have very serious concerns about housing, equity and climate, at the very least the council recognizes that those are problems.
Whether their initiatives and resolutions will provide answers and solutions is yet to be determined. As a positive beginning and end to the presentation, viewers were treated to the music of Michael Moloi, a local teacher and performer who brings South African dance styles to the West Coast.
