The Eugene City Council voted unanimously Monday night to give Lane Community College a shot at succeeding where others have failed: filling the pit across 10th Avenue from the Eugene Public Library.

Urban renewal, parking woes and filling a couple of huge pits: all giant-sized issues for downtown Eugene. A group of citizens hopes to change downtown for the better. You may not even know they exist, but they're dedicated to one issue: the future of downtown.

The Eugene City Council supported a plan to sell property across the street from the downtown library to a developer in phases -- and to commit city funds to lease up to 15,000 square feet in the new building. The final plan will come back for a vote at a later date.

Many people in Eugene are anxious to see the "pit" on 10th Avenue filled.  But the hole in the ground will remain for awhile longer. Plans to build at the site are potentially on hold after the planned anchor tenant decides whether or not to move in.

The city selected a proposal by a local developer to construct a five-story building on the vacant pit and a parking lot across from the downtown library.

Two competing visions for the future of the pit and parking lot at 10th Avenue and Charnelton Street get another look by the Eugene City Council when it meets in a work session Wednesday at noon.

The Eugene City Council met Monday night to discuss options for the vacant pit across 10th Avenue from the downtown library. The council looked at two possible options and decided to put off a decision for a few more weeks.