EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) – Demolition comes back to downtown Eugene next, as the former home of Lane County Public Health will meet a wrecking crew on Monday and an uncertain, but promising development future.
Crews will begin to demolish the Lane County Annex building on 6th Avenue and Oak Street on Monday, July 2nd, 2012.
While it’s not clear what will be built on the site, the county is holding onto ownership of the land and the possibilities are endless.
Later in the summer of 2012, Lane County will put out a request for proposals for the property, where developers will be able to submit their ideas about what they would like to build on the property.
Since the Annex Building is on government land, the county says a developer could build virtually anything on the property, including retail space, an office building, a hotel or something else.
The ultimate goal for the county is to get a long term 20 to 50 year lease for the property.
“All of the planning that we do goes through the city of Eugene so whatever the developer would want, we'd work with the city on that part,” says David Suchart, Lane County’s Management Services Director and facilities manager.
“Downtown property is extremely valuable and its hard to acquire the county wants to retain it,” says Suchart.
Lane County says it’s tearing down the building because its in such poor shape and has high level of asbestos inside.
While most are glad to see it go, several public health employees took a last look at the property on Thursday, writing message on the wall of their memories.
Jamina Terrazas wrote “thanks for my first job,” on the building, after working in it for 18 years.
"There's a lot of people that have come.. And come to work for us that have left and come back, people that have passed away that we've known that have worked for us here.. So yeah.. There is ...The building itself.. It can go.. But the memories we can keep,” says Jamina Terrazas, a 20-year Lane County Public Health employee.
Another memory of the building that sticks with Jamina? Her car got its very first dent in it in the building’s parking lot.
Demolition should finish sometime in August 2012.
