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QuickTake:
The developer behind the 14-story Ellis student housing project at 13th and Alder has bought a property across the street where a shuttered bank branch sits.
A new campus bar and restaurant is coming to East 13th Avenue.
Eran Fields, the California developer behind the 14-story student apartment complex being built on the southwest corner of Alder Street and East 13th Avenue known as The Ellis, has bought the 0.38-acre property just across the street, on the southwest corner, for $7.5 million.
He said he plans to build a full-service bar and restaurant at 810 E. 13th Ave. to serve the community, which will see more students when construction of The Ellis and the two other nearby housing developments is complete next year.
He wants the property, currently housing a Chinese restaurant and shuttered bank branch, to become an “institution” for University of Oregon students, parents and faculty — a “go-to” restaurant to watch sports, enjoy healthy meals and drink quality beer.
“I think we have enough of the student housing projects there now,” Fields said in an interview. “It’s time to really do something that’s actually needed, and I think that’s needed. I really do.”
Fields said he wants the restaurant’s design to be “charming” and include street-facing outdoor dining space. He also plans to extend the second floor of the existing structure to create a rooftop patio, and suggested removing parking behind the building to make a third outdoor area.
“It still feels low-key,” he said, of his design plans. “It’s not stuffy, but it’s a bit more upscale.”
He said he is reaching out to restaurant operators in Eugene and elsewhere, but declined to name them.
“I really want to find someone local who’s got some restaurant [experience],” he said. “The problem is that it’s a kind of a combination of both, right? You need to have someone who understands the restaurant business, but also someone who understands the alcohol business.”
Demolition is not part of his plan — nor is building more housing on top of the restaurant, he said. He hopes to start construction by next fall at the latest, which he estimated will take about five months. He said the existing Chinese restaurant on the property, Wheat Bay (成都名小吃) Uniquely Chengdu, will be able to continue operating as a tenant.
Fields declined to state the budget for the project. But he did provide a tentative name for the restaurant — Samantha’s, named after the Rottweiler-Labrador dog he recently rescued to fill the hole in his heart left by the death of his dog and “soulmate” Samuel. He has named most of his developments after family members and pets. Ellis is his daughter’s name.
“I think it will be a huge asset for that area,” Fields said. “If run properly and presented correctly I think it could be one of those places that is still around in 30 years.”
