EUGENE, Ore. -- The Eugene Water and Electric Board has announced that it will focus its negotiations to sell its former riverfront property to the City of Eugene, just one week after the Eugene School District 4J announced its intention to bid for the property.
EWEB says it will be negotiating with the City of Eugene on terms of sale for the riverfront property, which has sat mostly unused for several years. The exact terms and details of the deal will be negotiated in the coming weeks, according to EWEB. The decision to negotiate more closely with the city comes after a lengthy process to interrogate the value of every possible use and offer for the property.
“We’re pleased to pursue negotiations with the City of Eugene on this property that is vitally important to the whole community,” said EWEB General Manager Frank Lawson. “Having the City as a potential buyer provides the opportunity to achieve a City Hall and consolidate city services with significant savings to the community. Based on the City’s plan, only minor changes to the building are required, making the City’s vision inspiring, practical, and achievable.”
City of Eugene officials expressed eagerness for the negotiations, saying the City Council would use the building as a new permanent City Hall. Eugene officials said the City Council will meet in the coming weeks to discuss terms of the purchase.
This comes a week after Eugene School District 4J expressed strong intent to bid for the riverfront property as a new administrative headquarters. The school district said they would like the old EWEB building as a new headquarters because it would be better suited for administration than their current center at 200 north Monroe Street.
