The Confluence Project is a mixed-use redevelopment project for downtown Eau Claire which began around 2010, with the intent of providing cultural and economic development to the Eau Claire area by capitalizing on downtown Eau Claire’s unique identity. This was kickstarted by the Chippewa Valley Museum’s Good Life Project in 2010, which aimed to examine how Eau Claire residents and community partners felt about Eau Claire’s cultural life, and in what directions it could head. Because there was no long-range historic or artistic planning currently in place in Eau Claire county, they chose to focus on those aspects of the community. Their findings overwhelmingly were that Eau Claire’s unique heritage was tied to the outdoors and the scenic waterways which the city was built upon. Due to this, the Confluence Project was built around utilizing the relatively untapped potential of the downtown and waterfront area. The centerpiece of this project is the Pablo Center, a large performing arts facility meant to replace the aging State Theater as a large-scale venue for the arts in Eau Claire. It also features university housing, retail and commercial space, and a public parking space. The project was a collaboration between public and private sectors, with local businesses, the state and county government, and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire participating in the project. It is meant to both improve the community’s quality of life as well as attract a vibrant, creative workforce to help build innovative industry in Eau Claire.