At 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 17, 2023, the Eugene and Lane County Planning Commissions will jointly hold a public hearing. City and County officials are now formally accepting written comments on these proposals and will be accepting spoken testimony on the proposals during a virtual public hearing.

Share Your Testimony with Planning Commission:

• Written Testimony: Send a written statement to the Eugene and/or Lane County Planning Commissions, c/o Elena Domingo, City of Eugene Planning Division, 99 West 10th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401.
• Email Testimony: Send e-mail testimony to RRSCPlan@eugene-or.gov.
• Spoken Testimony: Attend the virtual public hearing at 6:00 p.m. on October 17, 2023, and provide spoken testimony. Your spoken testimony will be recorded. Instructions for providing testimony during the public hearing will be provided during the hearing. The Planning Commissions may limit the time for each speaker to a few minutes. You are encouraged to submit written testimony prior to the close of the public hearing if you have detailed comments you wish to make.

To be included in the agenda packet for the October 17, 2023 public hearing, your written or email statement must be received by staff no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday October 6, 2023. Testimony received after 5:00 p.m. on October 6 will be provided to the Planning Commissions but the Commissioners may not have as much time to review it prior to the public hearing.

All public testimony received will also be forwarded to the Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners for their consideration before any final action is taken.

The complete agenda, meeting materials, and staff report for the joint public hearing will be available for viewing by 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, on the Eugene Planning Commission webpage and on the Lane County Planning Commission webpage.

The community vision for economic development includes:

• the creation and growth of local businesses
• redevelopment that promotes walkability and increases access to daily needs
• availability of more living wage employment opportunities within the neighborhoods

The Neighborhood Plan policies intend to:

• provide incentives for local businesses
• support redevelopment that fosters active mixed-use centers
• encourage neighborhood-scale businesses in residentially zoned areas

The neighborhood-specific draft code amendments:

• will allow urban farmers to collectively sell produce on-site

Review the one-page summary of the Economic Development topic area.

The community vision for parks and natural resources includes the desire to create and enhance:

• parks and open spaces
• tree canopy
• natural stormwater conveyances

The Neighborhood Plan policies intend to:

• provide access and connectivity to parks
• increase the availability of recreational opportunities
• balance preservation and access to the Willamette River
• promote agricultural enterprises and preserve farmland

Review the one-page summary of the Parks and Natural Resources topic area.

Santa Clara Community Park Update The Santa Clara community remains a high priority for development of much needed park services and work continues on the development of the Santa Clara Community Park. Santa Clara Community Park is a future community park site currently comprised of two open fields with informal walking paths on the north and east sides of Madison Middle School, off Wilkes Drive. City Council recently approved the annexation application for the park, which will allow for the City-owned property to be developed as the Santa Clara Community Park.

Phase 1 of the development of the new 35-acre park will include a playground, restroom, and park shelter as well as trees, lawn, lighting, parking, hard and soft surface paths, and a pedestrian bridge. The north and south halves of the site will be connected with a pedestrian bridge to span the remnant oxbow of the Willamette River and the banks will include some planting enhancements as a part of the bridge work. To see the most current plans for the park, click here.

The City has applied for a local grant that would also provide funding for path connections between the north and south properties and perimeter walking trails. These potential paths are shown on the plans as “grant funded improvements,” development will depend on if the City is a successful grant recipient. Additionally, the Eugene Parks Foundation is in the fundraising stage for a spray play feature for the park.

To stay up to date on this project, visit the Santa Clara Community Park Engage Eugene page.

The community vision for parks and natural resources includes the desire to create and enhance:

• parks and open spaces
• tree canopy
• natural stormwater conveyances

The Neighborhood Plan policies intend to:

• provide access and connectivity to parks
• increase the availability of recreational opportunities
• balance preservation and access to the Willamette River
• promote agricultural enterprises and preserve farmland

See the one-page summary of the Parks and Natural Resources topic area.

Transportation Project Updates

Click the video below to watch City staff discussing some upcoming transportation projects in River Road and Santa Clara.

More project updates:

Beaver/Hunsaker Corridor Improvements and River Road/Hunsaker Intersection Improvements

• Lane County completed construction of the Beaver Street shared use path as part of the Beaver/Hunsaker safety project. This project will also include a stutter-flash crossing at Taito Lane and tubular delineators installed along the fog line of the south side of Hunsaker Lane to demark the wider shoulder created for people to walk more comfortably.
• The City of Eugene will start construction of complete street improvements (sidewalks, bike lanes, stormwater) on Hunsaker Lane From Daffodil Court east towards Taito Lane in late fall or early winter, aiming to complete construction in mid-summer 2023.
• See the Beaver/Hunsaker Corridor Plan for background on the project.

Beltline Interchange Improvements

• Both the Beltline Facility Plan and Eugene’s Transportation System Plan include safety and mobility improvements along the Beltline, including the Delta Highway and River Road interchanges. ODOT (Oregon Department of Transportation) completed NEPA (National Environmental Policy Act) documentation in March for the entire Beltline project, which allows a project to use federal money for construction. This puts ODOT and/or the City/County in a good position to pursue funding opportunities and move forward with additional design or construction efforts.
• Learn more about the project here.

Neighborhood Connector Bridge at Division

• The project plans include constructing a multimodal local arterial bridge over the Willamette River to the north of the Beltline Highway, connecting Division Avenue to Green Acres Road; constructing operational improvements to existing Randy Papé Beltline Highway/ Delta Highway ramps consistent with the Beltline Highway Facility Plan. This project will address some of the concerns about connectivity and congestion identified through the neighborhood planning process.
• See the recent presentation about this project at the Santa Clara Community Organization meeting here.

Safe Routes to School – Howard Avenue

• As part of a Safe Routes to School project, the City will connect River Road with Howard Elementary and Kelly Middle School with a protected walking and bicycling space, while enabling the curbless street to retain rural character.
• Learn more about the project here.

The community topic area conveys a vision for:

• welcome and inclusive neighborhoods that are safe, resilient, and engaged
• more community gathering spaces
• developed networks to share resources

The Neighborhood Plan policies intend to:

• Support and advocate for neighborhood services and opportunities, such as:
  • affordable housing
  • public art
  • library and cultural services
  • emergency preparedness

The vision for community will rely on:

• building community support and participation
• collaborating with the City, County, and other local service providers
• supporting current work being done by RRCO and SCCO and their related committees

Review the one-page summary of the Community topic area.

Check out some of the projects RRCO and SCCO already have underway!

River Road Community Organization:

RRCO committees: https://riverroadco.org/committees/

RRCO volunteer opportunities: https://riverroadco.org/volunteer/

Santa Clara Community Organization:

SCCO active projects: https://santaclaracommunity.org/scco/community-organization/

One of the five Topic Areas to be addressed in the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan is Parks and Natural Resources. The River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods contain a bounty of natural beauty, including access to the Willamette River and to over 227 acres of parks, recreation and open space. From Awbrey Park to Rasor Park, wildlife in River Road-Santa Clara flourishes in and around the neighborhoods. A key component to ensuring the protection of both wildlife and habitat is comprehensive and coordinated stormwater management.

Eugene receives 47 inches of rain per year on average. In a natural environment, the rich, pervious soils in the River Road-Santa Clara neighborhoods would absorb most of this water. However, where buildings, parking lots, and roads cover the ground, water cannot infiltrate. As water washes over these impervious surfaces it becomes stormwater, picking up dirt, debris, and pollutants along the way. Stormwater includes anything that flows into the storm drain. Stormwater management helps to ensure that our waterways and aquifers are kept clean of debris and significant pollutants. The City and the County work together in the mixed jurisdictional River Road-Santa Clara area to ensure that requirements set by the federal Clean Water Act are met. City and County staff also work towards advancing best practices through pilot projects, community education and awareness, and problem solving.

For information on current and upcoming stormwater and natural resource projects in River Road - Santa Clara check out the Stormwater and Natural Resources Handout and the Parks and Natural Resources Map.

This spring, the project team will be presenting to the Eugene and Lane County Planning Commissions, Eugene City Council, and Lane County Board of Commissioners on the status of the project. We will be asking for a recommendation on land use code amendments that require City and/or County approval to include in the adoption package and approval to move into the Adoption Phase.

See Upcoming Project Updates for details on the upcoming meetings as they become available.