Arlie & Company

Outdoor enthusiasts now have another 200 acres of public open space southeast of Eugene to explore, offering great hikes and views — but watch out for the poison oak.

Eugene officials on Thursday announced they have paid $3 million for a 2-mile corridor that will expand the Ridgeline Trail southeast of the city, nearly to Lane Community College.

The city on Tuesday bought the 200-acre corridor from Eugene-based developer Arlie & Co. The parcel is the largest single addition to the Ridgeline Trail that skirts the south side of the city, officials said.

“This is the most significant trail acquisition that we have done in my 22 years with the city,” said Johnny Medlin, director of the city’s parks and open space division.

The deal has been in the works for months, and the sides have spent the past few weeks ironing out details.

The corridor, high on a ridge, contains Douglas fir forest and oak savannah with views of Spencer’s Butte and other landmarks.

But Medlin has a warning for people eager to visit. “There is a lot of poison oak out there,” he said. “Just make sure you know what poison oak looks like, and watch out for it.”

The purchase will extend the Ridgeline Trail two miles east from Dillard-Skyline Park and Mount Baldy in south Eugene to about a half-mile south of Lane Community College.

As part of the deal, Arlie, the developer of Crescent Village residential/commercial complex in north Eugene and other projects, has agreed to give the city $600,000 to build and maintain a trail on the corridor.

“We are thrilled to make this important addition to this treasured open area that is already heavily used by the community,” Arlie & Co. President Suzanne Arlie said. “Donating the funds to design and create the trail will ensure that it is improved, and that hikers are able to enjoy this spectacular open space in the very near future.”

The sale price equals $15,000 an acre, similar to other recent open space purchases, city officials said. Taking into account Arlie’s donation to the city, the per-acre price drops to $12,000 an acre.

Arlie in 2002 bought the 200 acres plus another 900 acres of adjoining forestland south of LCC from Dexter-based McDougal Bros. Arlie paid $2.98 million or $2,709 an acre.

The city paid Arlie with $2.5 million from the 2006 parks and open space bond measure and $500,000 from parks fees paid by developers.

The bond measure has been in the spotlight lately, mentioned as a funding source for the acquisition of two parcels totaling 66 acres in south Eugene’s Amazon Creek headwaters.

Proponents of the Amazon headwaters acquisitions hope that some of the bond measure money, along with grants and other city funds, can be used for those purchases. Other residents, however, have expressed concern about using the bond money for the Amazon headwaters properties, partly because their combined asking prices exceed $7 million and partly because the properties were not specifically listed in city reports tied to the bond measure.

The city already has made other Ridgeline Trail acquisitions with the bond measure, leaving about $2.5 million in bond money left to spend, Medlin said.

It will take about two years to design and build a trail on the corridor, he said. Parks planners must decide where to locate the trail on the corridor, which plants and trees to protect, and where to put trailheads.

“We would hope that we could actually see improvements in the field by the summer of 2010,” Medlin said.

Meanwhile, people can get to the corridor from Dillard-Skyline Park and Mount Baldy, south of Skyline Boulevard and East 43rd Avenue.

The corridor has been identified for purchase in several open space planning documents, including the “Rivers to Ridges” plan approved by Eugene, Springfield and Lane County officials.

Terry Smith, president of the Eugene Parks Foundation, said the purchase is a major step toward the goal of expanding the trail network from Fern Ridge Lake west of Eugene to Mount Pisgah, east of Interstate 5.

“This is an incredibly important and exciting acquisition for the preservation of parkland in the Eugene-Springfield metro area,” he said.

“I appreciate the city staff’s careful stewardship of public funds and the partnership with Arlie & Co. to enable this significant addition to our community’s treasured Ridgeline Trail,” she said.

Press Releases

City buys Ridgeline Trail land from Arlie