Residents could eat and drink, catch a performance and get some work done a stone's throw from the Willamette River under a conceptual design released by a local development team seeking to make over the idle 88-year-old steam plant.

The development team will formally present its concept to Eugene city councilors Wednesday as it seeks approval from elected leaders to move forward with the ambitious project.

The conceptual design, carrying an estimated price tag of $26.3 million, features a ground-floor taproom, a collection of small eateries with a shared kitchen and small retail shops, and a performance stage backed by the pipework of the plant's oldest boiler. The plant's eastern wall would open to an outdoor patio and, across the bike path, an overlook built atop the old water intake. Upstairs, the renovated building would feature a collection of classrooms, co-working space and "anchor" tenants. For instance, the developer has been in early talks with the University of Oregon to open a leadership institute there.

Last year, the city, which owns the steam plant, picked the team led by Mark Miksis of deChase Miksis Development and Arcimoto CEO Mark Frohnmayer to submit a formal proposal for the property's redevelopment. The development team plans to purchase, renovate and manage the renovated plant.

The development team has met individually with most of the city councilors to discuss the project ahead of the meeting.

"There's been a real common thread that folks want to see something cool happen with this building and that there's a rehabilitation path that makes sense, we think, so the reaction we've heard so far has been pretty positive," Frohnmayer said.

With a mix of commercial debt, equity from investors and tax credits, the team estimates a $4.1 million funding gap and likely would seek public dollars for the project.

The development team had identified several ways where public dollars could be used: parking, the river overlook, facade and historic artifact restoration and dedicated community space within the plant.

"We need to just see what's available, see where the best places (are) where we can provide public benefit that the city is interested in pursuing and the different ways we could partner to provide those public benefits," Miksis said.

On Wednesday, if they like what they hear and see, city councilors, acting in their capacity as governors of Eugene's riverfront urban renewal district, will discuss and may vote to have city staff enter into executive negotiations with the team.

The end result of those negotiations could be the key terms for an agreement between the city and the development team that spells out the chief responsibilities of each party in moving the project toward construction. If city councilors agree to those terms, assuming the process gets that far, they would authorize City Manager Jon Ruiz to execute a final agreement with the development team.

The process is identical to the steps the city took when it partnered with Portland development team Williams/Dame & Associates on the public-private project to redevelop the downtown riverfront north of the steam plant.

The steam plant development team is planning its project separately from the riverfront property redevelopment and the city's ongoing work to construct a community park along the river.

To shape the conceptual design, the development team conducted extensive public outreach, including receiving more than 900 online survey responses and speaking to hundreds of people during community events.

The comments were key in the development team simplifying the renovated plant's layout to improve access and adding space for performances and art exhibits.

"It was good before," said Matt Sayre, vice president of the Technology Association of Oregon, who's involved in the project. "Now it's even better."

The development team plans to get the plant listed on the National Register of Historic Places to qualify the project for the tax credit program that is a crucial piece of the construction funding.

The steam plant was built in phases between 1931 and 1950 to house three steam boilers and turbines.



The plant was built because EWEB wanted a backup power source to buying supplemental electricity from Mountain States Power.



EWEB stopped producing electricity in the plant decades ago. For years afterward, steam from the plant was distributed through underground pipes and used to warm downtown buildings. That ended in 2012, when the utility’s last two steam heat customers, Eugene City Hall and PeaceHealth, disconnected from the system.

The development team envisions opening up the plant to serve as a pavilion during the 2021 world track and field championships to be held in Eugene. That effort would likely need one or more sponsors to make the initiative happen, the development team said.

The main phase of the project would start after the event with a grand opening scheduled for late spring 2022.

Follow Christian Hill on Twitter @RGchill. Email christian.hill@registerguard.com.