QuickTake:

County officials say they need more time to inspect the property and that they will revisit the deal in the spring.

Lane County is taking more time to consider the purchase of a downtown property currently owned by Eugene School District 4J.

The county was previously poised to make a final decision to purchase 99 E. Broadway, sometimes known as the Wells Fargo building, by October 2025. But in early November, the county requested — and 4J granted — a four-month extension. The due diligence period will now last through early March.

Lane County has delayed its final decision to purchase the old Wells Fargo building from Eugene School District 4J until spring. The county is considering buying the property to gain more downtown space for its programs and services. Credit: Lilly St. Angelo / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Lane County public information officer Devon Ashbridge said the county needed more time to ensure that the building is sound and meets the public entity’s needs.

If the purchase is approved by county commissioners, Lane County would buy the building for $2.95 million, according to a 4J school board resolution from May.

“We need to be very thorough in our review and assessment before making a final decision about purchasing the building,” Ashbridge wrote in an email to Lookout Eugene-Springfield.

Ashbridge said in May the county was looking for more space. Its programs and services are currently housed in the downtown Lane County Courthouse and the Lane County Public Service Building complex, which it has outgrown, Ashbridge said.

The county agreed to buy the property after the due diligence period and certain conditions were met, including an inspection, appraisal and approval from the Lane County Board of Commissioners. This “intent to purchase” is still in effect, said Kelly McIver, 4J’s director of communications and intergovernmental relations.

“The district expects the transaction to be completed in the spring,” he wrote in an email.

In February 2024, 4J bought the property for $2.9 million, intending to make it into the new district office. Due to budget constraints, however, 4J school board members decided the $10 million required to remodel the building was too much and put it up for sale four months later for $3.2 million.

The district is facing $30 million in budget cuts this coming fiscal year due to enrollment decline, rising employee costs and past decisions to preserve staffing gained with COVID relief money that has since run out.

Lilly is a graduate of Indiana University and has worked at the Indianapolis Star and Burlington, Vermont, as well as working as a foreign language teacher in France. She covers education and children's issues for Lookout Eugene-Springfield.