Residents explore new Riverfront Park Plaza on opening day

Latasha Nichols and her 5-year-old son, Jaylen, clung to a rope ladder on the opening day of the new Riverfront Park Plaza.

She and Jaylen live just a few blocks away and have walked past the plaza worksite many times in the year they’ve lived in Eugene.

“We’ve been waiting,” Nichols said.

The plaza — which opened Thursday, Aug. 7 — includes a playground, sitting areas, public art and water features. Residents of all ages said they were excited to have the new space for play and rest in an area that has long needed more green space.

A nature-inspired, inclusive space

Emily Proudfoot, principal landscape architect for the city of Eugene, stood in the park Thursday, watching the first plaza visitors interact with the space that she played a pivotal role in planning.

“It’s my favorite day at work,” she said. “This is what was supposed to happen. This is why we do these things.”

The plaza was three years in the making, Proudfoot said, and cost $5.3 million, mostly funded through a grant from the state of Oregon. It is part of the city’s plan to redevelop the former Eugene Water & Electric Board utility operations yard into an outdoor community gathering space. The plaza is a part of Downtown Riverfront Park, which opened in 2022.

Proudfoot said her main focus when planning the plaza was making it welcoming for people of all cultural backgrounds.

“Parks have always been white spaces,” Proudfoot said. “And we can’t modify people’s behavior, but instead I think you can create something that helps them see themselves here or see that they’re welcome here.”

The water feature, which runs through the main walkway of the plaza, has illustrated panels with native species of plants, insects and mushrooms. In one section, there are sentences written underneath panels in the Kalapuya language and translated to English. In another section, the phrase “water is life” is translated into many languages.

Proudfoot said the design was a direct response to a request from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde for more Kalapuya language in public spaces. She said the city chose mist instead of fountains in order to conserve water, but still offer a refreshing place to cool off.

A bronze water fountain that will frame the view of Alton Baker Park across the river will be built in early 2026. The fountain will honor and share the story of Eugene’s first Black neighborhood, which once stood where the park is today. The neighborhood was abruptly removed in 1949 for the construction of the Ferry Street Bridge.

Filling a need for family-oriented spaces

The plaza is in the center of the growing riverfront redevelopment. It is near new apartment complexes, the Heartwood and the Portal, a plot of land for a future restaurant and the riverfront bike path.

Jaylen, bouncing on the squishy material under his feet, ran from the playground over to a line of rocks. He pressed a round metal button, which triggered mist to pour out of holes in the ground and boulders. The 5-year-old shrieked with joy as he ran through the spray.

“There’s a rainbow,” Jaylen shouted, pointing at the arch shining through the tiny water droplets.

Nichols said she appreciates the park because it gives her son space to play outside. She’s trying to reduce his screen time as much as possible and get him out of their apartment, but the area lacks parks with playgrounds. 

Rob Snyder, a resident of the Portal apartment complex near the Downtown Riverfront Park, agreed. He moved to Eugene to be near his 8-year-old grandson and is excited to see a space geared toward families in his neighborhood.

“This is neat because it’s for all kids and not just little little kids,” Snyder said.