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Duke Commons: A Bushnell University Project Page 5 of 23 Site Review Application: Written Statement May 11, 2026 Schirmer Consulting, LLC · PO Box 10424, Eugene, OR 97440 · (541) 234-5108 Landscape Architecture + Land Use Planning PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT The Duke Commons at Bushnell University is a new ground-up construction project located on the site of a former fraternity house and adjacent cottages. All existing structures have been removed and will be replaced by this 2 story facility. The first floor will serve as a student dining hall, while the second floor will accommodate a student union and associated offices. The building is intended to serve as a centralized hub for student services, campus gathering, and student life activities. The student union will include a mix of assembly, lounge, meeting, dining and support spaces designed to accommodate both daily student use and organized campus events. Typical functions include informal study areas, student organization space, small-scale food service, and multipurpose rooms for meetings and events. The building is oriented toward internal campus activity and is intended to support the existing institutional use by enhancing on-site services and providing a focal point for student engagement. No new residential use is proposed. As part of the project, the university intends to restore the deteriorating Mill Race channel walls and develop a pedestrian promenade across the water way. This will connect the development site with another Bushnell University property on the south side of the Mill Race. In the future, the existing university-owned Mom Richart Apartments, located directly north of the development site, will be demolished and replaced with a new multi-story student housing facility. LOCATION and SITE CONTEXT The subject site is located on the Bushnell University Campus. On the eastern border is Alder Street, the southern border is the Mill Race, to the west is Alder Alley and to the north is housing owned by the university. The surrounding area is comprised of uses associated and owned by Bushnell University (see attached air photo). West across the alley is a sorority house and southwest across the Mill Race are a fraternity house and Oregon Hillel, an organization for connecting students. The area is primarily student-centric and services that support students – housing, classroom, fraternities and sororities, administrative buildings, parking and one very popular pancake house. The subject property is zoned R-4/SR/TD – R-4 (High Density Residential), SR (Site Review Overlay) and /TD (Transit Oriented Development Overlay). PRIOR LAND USE Z 82-10: The property along with other surrounding properties was rezoned from R-4 to R-4/SR. In April 1982, the Eugene City Council adopted the West University Refinement Plan, which is a refinement of the Metropolitan Area General Plan. When the West University Refinement Plan was adopted, the council also adopted priorities for implementation of the plan. One priority calls for rezoning the Willamette area and the R-4, High Density Residential Area located on 12th Avenue to add Site Review procedures. On September 27, 1982, the Eugene City Council approved an ordinance that added a Site Review designation to this property and others around it. The site review procedures should account of the following concerns: · Compatibility with surroundings; · Efficient, workable, and safe interrelationships among buildings, parking, circulation, open space, and landscaped areas; · Due consideration to the preservation of attractive and distinctive historic or natural features; · Signs and illumination in scale and harmony with the site and area; · Adequate provision for flood control and storm drainage; · Safe and efficient ingress and egress.