RDA rolls out Riverbend (Riverside) redevelopment draft, highlights major sites and infrastructure needs

Eau Claire Redevelopment Authority staff presented a draft Riverbend (formerly the Northwest Quadrant / Riverside) redevelopment plan that identifies large commercial and industrial parcels along the Chippewa River for mixed‑use redevelopment.

The plan’s boundaries run along the river north of Claremont Avenue, behind the former Shopko plaza and near the Sacred Heart Hospital site, and include an industrial quadrant on the west side. Staff called the district a “more traditional RDA district” and listed objectives to activate underutilized parcels, increase jobs and housing options, and improve riverfront public access.

Why it matters: the plan targets three major redevelopment opportunities — the Shopko site, the Sacred Heart Hospital site and an industrial riverfront area — and outlines short‑, mid‑ and long‑term phasing, infrastructure needs (traffic reconfiguration on frontage roads, stormwater and utility upgrades), and possible public‑realm investments such as trail connections.

Staff told the board that the Sacred Heart property has been acquired by a private developer and that the developer and city staff have toured the building. The developer believes parts of the hospital may be salvageable while other portions would require demolition; staff said the RDA may or may not have a role depending on developer proposals. The Shopko owner has been largely nonresponsive to offers; staff said condemnation authority (eminent domain) is available but has not been used by the city in recent memory.

The draft also highlights opportunities for an “innovation” or research and technology node tied to local medical research (Heartworks was cited as an example) and lists mixed‑use, light‑tech and recreational uses as possible outcomes for the large parcels. Staff noted environmental cleanup will likely be required in parts of the industrial quadrant and that some future use options are long shots (staff explicitly said they were illustrative ideas, not firm plans).

Board members again asked for more concrete performance metrics — for example, assessed value per acre, unit densities and affordable‑housing targets — and recommended tying the plan closely to the comprehensive plan’s future land‑use designations. Staff said they can add measurable density or units‑per‑acre benchmarks for the district, and that the plan’s phasing and timeline sections were intentionally more detailed to reflect the size of the parcels.

Next steps: staff will continue to refine cost estimates and phasing, incorporate partner feedback and legal review, and return with an updated draft. Annual monitoring and periodic plan reviews were proposed to track demolition/remediation, housing and commercial development, trail mileage and jobs created.

Ending: The RDA left the draft open for revision and recommended additional metrics and partner coordination before formal adoption.