• One of the largest residential real estate parcels in the Eugene hills may go on the market this year, according to unconfirmed rumors. Local timber baron Aaron Jones died in 2014, and his widow, Marie Jones, owns the gated 14.7-acre property, an 8,000-square-foot home and large barn at the corner of Chambers Street and McLean Boulevard. The property is known for its elaborate Christmas lighting display each December. The Lane County assessor lists the property’s true market value at $1.6 million, but if this prime view property were to successfully go through a planned unit development (PUD) process, it could be worth much more. Or a new owner could enjoy the spacious landscape as is, open an upscale bed and breakfast, or even create a park or community garden on the lawn where the deer and wild turkeys roam.
One local broker familiar with the property is Ben Fogelson of InEugene Real Estate. He says it’s possible that four to six homes per acre could be raised on the lower, more buildable part of the property — theoretically 40 or more townhouses. The nearby Braeman Village PUD has 36 units in approximately six acres. Fogelson says one estimate of the cost of infrastructure is $45,000 per lot, and the cost to build a higher-end home or townhouse is about $324,000 ($175 per square foot). With numbers like those, he says, the 14.7 acres, if fully developed, could be worth many millions.
• Seattle-based düber Technologies says it is planning to open a major cannabis distribution center in Eugene. “This exciting development has the potential to alter the entire business landscape in the area,” says a press release from the company. düber headquarters declined by press time to answer questions about the location and size of the center, whether it will be built or leased, and how many people will be employed. Very little warehouse space is available in Eugene due to marijuana enterprises.
The expansion into Eugene is part of a $50 million capital investment in düber by California-based Vacone Real Estate, according to the düber website. The company provides a number of services designed to streamline the flow of products from growers and processors to retail outlets.
• Classic Touch Hair Design is now located in the Edgewood Shopping Center at the corner of 40th Avenue and Donald Street in Eugene. Robert Cecil says he is no longer cutting hair at his home studio on West 11th Avenue. The new studio is on the east side of the shopping center next to the Highlands Brew Pub and Sports Bar.
• The Science Factory near Autzen Stadium has been renamed the Eugene Science Center. Executive Director Tim Scott says the rebranding follows a decision in 2016 to focus more heavily on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The change involves fundraising, program expansion and renovations to make the center a world-class interactive museum.
• The Wayward Lamb, Eugene’s “own Queer pub and event space,” as it billed itself, announced on Facebook Jan. 29 that after three years it will be closing its doors Saturday, Feb. 3, leaving Eugene again without a dedicated space for the LGBTQ community. See the post and the saddened responses from the community at facebook.com/thewaywardlamb.
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