(1) Eugene’s downtown activity zone has been developed to renew, preserve, and enhance the economic and aesthetic value of the city’s central business district and to provide facilities conducive to a harmonious blend of civic, social, cultural, residential, and economic pursuits. Streets, sidewalks and public areas are designed and constructed in a manner to encourage pedestrian oriented activities, including economic and commercial activities, and to provide a pleasant place for civic and cultural events, a public market, and an urban park. One significant purpose of the downtown activity zone is to enhance the economic vitality of adjacent property. For that reason, the former downtown mall has been reopened to vehicular traffic, and a larger area has been defined. This area is intended to encourage private investment in the downtown area and to enhance the value of such investments by encouraging pedestrians to come to the area. The multiple uses of the public pedestrian areas in the downtown activity zone are to be accommodated by reserving different areas (1) as visual amenities designed for everyone’s enjoyment, (2) for pedestrian uses, (3) for use by abutting merchants, (4) for uses by other commercial pursuits and (5) for public events. When compatible, such uses may also occupy the same areas of the downtown activity zone.

(2) Within the downtown activity zone, a core area has been identified as requiring additional regulation. This core area includes a concentration of public facilities (including urban parks and plazas, a transit station and a new public library) as well as the area where the former downtown mall was located. It has traditionally received a high demand for multiple public uses, and that demand is expected to continue and increase in the future. Because of recent changes to the area, this downtown core area requires greater protection to preserve and enhance its unique qualities and uses, and additional duties and responsibilities are therefore required of permittees and owners of property located within the boundaries of the area including, but not limited to, those set forth in section 3.344(4).