• Scott Landfield at Tsunami Books says that the longtime bookstore and performance venue has until Jan. 15 to have $302,000 ready to go into an escrow account to secure another 10-year lease on its Willamette Street location. Landfield says, “Tsunami has always been timely on rent, so that is not the issue,” it is more an assurance to the new owners “that we can cover a 220 percent increase in rent.” Landfield continues, “Using a community-wide micro-loan process we have thousands of people involved, have $160,000 in the bank and about another $80,000 pledged our way.” People can contact Landfield at tsunami1@opusnet.com for more info or to donate.
• The Eugene Cohousing Downtown project has been set aside, for now, according to Martin Henner, a key organizer. Cohousing is a form of community living that is growing in popularity worldwide and has taken off in Portland and Corvallis, but not so far in Eugene. The urban-style adult development intended for a vacant lot on Lincoln Street near Broadway “has not managed to attract enough people to make it work,” Henner says. “Interested people were hanging back, waiting to see if they wanted to join us after we had reached the state of architectural drawings and actual unit prices.” For updates, call Linda Seymour at 541-344-5751 or email eugenecohousingdowntown@gmail.com.
• Meanwhile, the suburban Oakleigh Meadow Cohousing development is advancing despite lengthy appeals and legal challenges. The family-oriented project along the Willamette River is expecting to break ground next fall. “The city is deeply committed to the success of our project,” says project manager Will Dixon. “We are 95 percent complete with building permits, and we have a strong core of households committed to forging ahead.” Organizers hold regular meetings on the third Sundays of the month. The next will be Jan. 21. Call 541-689-3548 or find designs and more information online.
• Hong Kong Restaurant at 18th and Willamette in Eugene is under new ownership, with new pastry chefs trained in China. The extensive new menu for lunch and dinner is getting positive reviews. Li Zhang bought the restaurant from Ted and Jolie Tang, who retired last June after running the restaurant for 34 years.
• We see that Russell Fox has taken over Action Drain from his uncle, Ryan Fox. The small Eugene business competes with the larger rooter businesses and has the motto: “We drain your sink, not your wallet.”
• The planned $43 million McKenzie River Interpretive Center and Discovery Park is reporting progress. The nonprofit Friends of the Old McKenzie Fish Hatchery has raised more than $1.2 million so far to lease the 46 acres and begin development planning. The latest grant is $25,000 from a fund of the Oregon Community Foundation. The site of the center will be the historic old hatchery near Leaburg Dam, which is now a county park and wayside. Across the river is the Leaburg Fish Hatchery, which is owned by the Army Corp of Engineers and has been threatened with closure. The interpretive center is intended to “honor Oregon’s most beautiful river, its boating and fishing legacies.” Call 541-914-9089 for more information or to get involved.
Send business updates and tips to bizbeat@eugeneweekly.com
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519