New details reveal plans' visions for downtown.

Byline: Edward Russo The Register-Guard

Modest or ambitious. Thrifty or expensive.

The contrast between the two Portland developers interested in downtown Eugene came into sharper focus on Friday, with the release of building details and estimates of how much their projects might cost the city.

Beam Development, for example, has an $18.1 million plan to renovate the Centre Court and Washburne buildings, near Broadway and Willamette. It requests a city subsidy of $1.6 million, dependent on acquiring the buildings for less than their asking prices.

KWG Development Partners, meanwhile, proposes a $191.2 million project spread over Broadway, between Willamette and Charnelton streets. It requests a city subsidy of $24.9 million, most of it to provide 600 underground parking spaces.

City Manager Dennis Taylor on Friday said either firm would do a good job, but he wants the City Council to give him permission to start negotiating with KWG.

The firm's concept to build condos, apartments, a movie theater, shops and a hotel would be a "comprehensive" approach to renovating the underused stretch of Broadway, he said.

Beam's proposal "has simplicity to it," and KWG's "is a little bit more complex, but it has a larger potential payout that could achieve a vibrant and active environment in that area of downtown," Taylor said.

The City Council will review the proposals on Wednesday, six weeks after sending Taylor's staff back to the developers for more information.

But residents shouldn't expect the council to select either KWG or Beam on Wednesday, said City Councilor Alan Zelenka, who advocates a more deliberate approach to picking a developer.

Zelenka predicted that the council might discuss the proposals on Wednesday and then again May 9 before making a decision May 14.

Before then, Zelenka wants the council to host a forum where residents can share their hopes about what they would like to see happen on Broadway.

Residents generally agree that the two blocks of Broadway need a "critical mass" of new activity to improve, he said, but "not everybody agrees on how to do that."

Zelenka met with members of Citizens for Public Accountability on Thursday night and Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce members on Friday morning to talk about downtown development.

Some residents think the incremental approach represented by the Beam proposal would be best, Zelenka said, while others like the "big bang" proposal from KWG.

"I'm not sure where I come down on that, but I think that's where the debate is happening, and it's good to have that," Zelenka said.

The largest Broadway properties, including the Centre Court and Washburne buildings, are owned by Eugene landlords Tom Connor and Don Woolley. The pair are asking $4.7 million for the two buildings.

Beam, which originally asked the city to buy the buildings from Connor and Woolley, now says it will buy the properties, but only below the asking price.

To make the project financially viable, Beam is asking for a $1.6 million city subsidy. The firm proposes to spend $16.5 million, or 91 percent of the project's cost.

KWG, meanwhile, wants the city to pay for underground parking at an estimated cost of $16 million, $5 million in utility work, $1.6 million to compensate for the relatively high cost of land, a $1.3 million affordable housing loan (which is to be paid back) and $1 million in "off-site costs."

KWG proposes to invest $167.5 million, or 87 percent of the total project.

Taylor, the city manager, said the potential subsidies are based on the developers' initial requests. The figures could change during negotiations to reach a development agreement with the city.

Taylor said he likes to see private developers invest between $5 and $10 for every dollar of public money. Those ratios would be easily exceeded by both proposals, he said.

"It's really a community and a council decision," Taylor said. "Either team would do a very good job."