Downtown campus to generate ongoing job creation and promote economic development in Eugene and the Southern Willamette Valley through workforce development and small-business training programs.
THE PROJECT:
Lane Community College (LCC), an accredited two-year community college located in Eugene, Lane County, OR, has redeveloped a highly visible unoccupied lot into a new 90,000 square-foot Downtown Campus. LCC is a valuable resource to community members seeking career development and/or technical education training. The Downtown Campus allows for the expansion of the college workforce and small business programs, including: Energy Management, Center for Meeting and Learning, Business Development Center, Oregon Small Business Development Center, eDev, Lane’s Adult Basic and Secondary Education program, and Successful Aging and Senior Companion program. These programs help students successfully integrate into the local economy through a curriculum that includes adult basic-skills education, English as a second language, and GED courses. The Downtown Campus doubles the amount of useable administration space, which was previously dispersed across several locations in downtown Eugene. The consolidation of these services allows for more efficient delivery of curriculum as well as synergies and cross-supportive benefits between programs.
COMMUNITY IMPACTS:
- Create 406 construction jobs and 31 permanent jobs.
- Each full-time position pays living wages and provides a competitive benefits package including healthcare coverage, retirement benefits, disability insurance, educational benefits, job training and job advancement programs.
- Target local recruitment and hiring for construction and permanent jobs.
- Provide over 33,000 square feet of classrooms, common space and shared campus facilities that supports 6 job training programs for approximately 8,000 students who are generally from low-income backgrounds.
- Strong support from the City of Eugene, the Oregon Small Business Development Center Network, the Lane County Small Business Development Center, and the State of Oregon Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development.
- Catalyze other development efforts in Downtown Eugene through the redevelopment of a stagnant lot that had led to blight and inactivity in the surrounding neighborhood.
- Building designed to meet LEED Platinum standards
KEY COMMUNITY DEMOGRAPHICS:
- Poverty Rate: 27.5%
- Median Family Income: 55.6% of benchmark
- Unemployment Rate: 1.14 times the national average
- SBA Designated HUBZone
- City of Eugene Urban Renewal Area
FINANCING:
- Total Project Cost: $19.7 million
- NCF Deployed Allocation: $6.5 million
- Total NMTC Allocation: $19.0 million
PROJECT PARTNERS:
- United Fund Advisors (National Community Fund I, LLC)
- Lane Community College
- Lane Community College Foundation
- Brownfield Revitalization, LLC
- U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation
- Gerding Edlen Development Corporation
