Category: River Road Commnuity Forums

By Carleen Reilly

April Fool’s has passed, and it feels a lot like Spring out there. We’ve resumed our morning walks and had to adjust our clothing to 53 degree temperatures.

RSVP
Neighborhood Planning Community Events – April 7 and April 10. Your RSVP is anxiously anticipated for another crucial gathering of neighbors to review draft policies and contribute to activities to implement these policies. Here is your link to RSVP!

You should have received a letter from our wonderful CAC Co-Chairs Louisa de Heer and Kate Perle, encouraging you to attend the Community Events.

Where: North Eugene High School, 200 Silver Lane

When: Sunday, April 7, open house 2:30-3 pm, workshop 3-5 pm or
Wednesday, April 10, open house 5:30-6 pm, workshop 6-8 pm

Who: Community members, including businesses and neighbors who care about the future of River Road and Santa Clara

Food and Activities for Children will be provided.

We will review and verify that neighbors’ ideas are reflected in draft policies. You can suggest actions (in addition to actions already submitted) for implementation. Everyone is needed, whether you’ve been involved right along or are new to the process!

Volunteers are requested to distribute flyers to neighbors and post at businesses. I have flyers and posters. A few tablers could still be utilized for April 3, 4, and 5, plus a Saturday shift. Contact Eric.g.brown@ci.eugene.or.us if you want to table.

River Road Corridor Survey. Take the survey. It is very informative, attractive, and surprisingly easy to take.

Bike Safety pilot project. A short segment on KLCC this morning noted a pilot project at the corner of 18th and Alder allowing bicyclists to enter the queue to cross the street without stopping to push a button or position their bikes in a special place to trigger the signal light. Perhaps we could have another pilot intersection in the River Road area. Check it out.

Pedestrian deaths. I failed last week to post a link to an NPR article I heard on KLCC. It, too, is short but informative.

Plastics Roundup. A massive success at Emerald Park on March 31. Watch for a report in the coming weeks.

Calendar

• WEDNESDAY, April 3, 6:00 p.m., Eug-Art404. Visitors are welcome, but an RSVP is requested. Seats are limited at the Filling Station. RSVP Meisha Linwood: kdxsnook [at] yahoo [dot] com.
• THURSDAY, April 4, 7:00. Santa Clara Community Organization. Messiah Lutheran Church, 3280 River Road. Topics: Eugene School District Local Option Levy; planning for Awbrey Park Wildflower Walk and Community Celebration; update on RR/SC Neighborhood Planning.
• SUNDAY, April 7, open house at 2:30, workshop 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. Neighborhood Planning Public Event. North Eugene High School. Please RSVP.
• MONDAY, April 8, 7:00 p.m. River Road Community Organization General Membership. Election of board members, announcements from candidates in May election, plus more.
• WEDNESDAY, April 10, open house at 5:30, workshop 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Neighborhood Planning Public Event. North Eugene High School. Please RSVP
• MONDAY, April 15, 7:00 p.m. River Road Community Organization Board meeting.
• TUESDAY, April 16, 5:30 to 8:30, NEHS Building design meeting. This is the third stage of the School Design Vision & Values Workshop series.
• SATURDAY, April 20, Willamette River Cleanup. More information later.
• MONDAY, May 8, 2019, 5:30 p.m. Eugene City Council Work Session, RR/SC NP. Harris Hall.

Disclaimer: The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.

Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.

By Carleen Reilly

Time to buckle down and get back to regular order–report on events and alert you to upcoming calendar items. Lots of stuff going on.

River Road Corridor Study. In my Supplemental message #203, I mostly spoke about the tone of the charette. Instituting ground rules for our meetings should improve the tone of our community meetings and increase what we can accomplish together.

This report is my perspective and highlights of the charette. Three gatherings occurred in addition to the 3 open houses: Business round table of River Road and Santa Clara business people with a few neighbors on or near River Road; a meeting focused on transportation with staff and concerned activists; and Technical Advisory Committee (city and county staff with expertise across departments).

The business round table was remarkable to me with the varying types of businesses and their willingness to take an hour from their work to share their thoughts. One person from PeaceHealth in Santa Clara was the only representative from that neighborhood. She voiced concern for the safety of their patients and staff getting to and from their location. She also noted that it was hoped that with better safety protocols, more people would access their services by bike and public transit. I hadn’t expected that comment.

River Road businesses were insurance, produce market, property owners who wished to develop property–either commercial or housing–or managed property for others. We asked them what barriers they faced as they set up their business, expanded their business, or encountered other development challenges. It was exciting to hear that they have plans for our neighborhood and are motivated to engage in our future.

The transportation folks raised issues of connectivity (getting around in our neighborhoods by walking, with bikes, or driving without going to River Road or Northwest Expressway) and safety. The context is that we have lots of transportation projects underway. (I can send you an electronic copy of these projects, their locations, some specifics, and funding.)

The transportation group reviewed the prior day’s work tracing a potential bike/ped loop through the west River Road neighborhood, across Beltline to Ruby Ave. in Santa Clara, and followed through to the east side of Santa Clara connecting with the West Bank Trail along the Willamette River. (Many neighbors seemed interested in that speculative route, too.) A comment was that buffered bike lanes along River Road would be a priority before tackling the inner neighborhood connectivity.

They discussed not knowing what increased housing along River Road Corridor would look like, and they are pleased that funding is available to study this aspect. One comment was that we don’t know, yet, whether River Road will be selected as an EmX corridor. It was speculated that it would be about 5 years or so before it would be constructed.

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) reviewed the same materials that the transportation folks saw. They commented on the concepts of developing commercial centers that were called Barbells (large center at each end of the corridor with smaller ones in between), String of Pearls (equal-sized commercial centers), or various sized centers (can’t remember name). A comment was made that the String of Pearls might be called “Charm Bracelet.” Another person noted that each commercial center could tell its own story, giving each its own identity.

At other moments in the charette, it was noted that there is the potential that all of the commercial nodes along the corridor might join to create a single commercial strip. No one wants that, so it will be important to have housing between nodes, appropriately landscaped, to protect livability. I really liked the way the consultants talked about developing a rhythm along the corridor from housing to commercial, and they voiced their hope to help us implement our vision of being the River and Garden District.

I could go on, but I am sure you are tired of reading. We were all pleased with the numbers of interested people at each open house, perhaps 70 the first evening, fewer the second, and many more than 70 the third evening.

Beltline Project representation. We are so fortunate that our neighbor, Michele O’Leary, has agreed to be our new representative on the Beltline Project. Much of our congestion on River Road derives from a cue of vehicles ready to enter Beltline. Because Michele is on our Neighborhood Planning Community Advisory Committee, facilitates the Transportation Working Group, and is now on the Beltline CAC, she will be able to help us integrate our transportation projects. She can make sure they accomplish what our neighborhoods want, facilitate communications between projects to coordinate with one another, and communicate next steps to neighbors. A program to update RRCO about Beltline will be in order after Michele attends a quarterly meeting.

Howard Elementary Sidewalks. A sweet video “Thank you for sidewalks around Howard Elementary!” is on the web. It was good to see our school implement this safety measure.

4J Bond Measure improvements. Your input is requested to help design new buildings recently approved with a bond measure.You can sign up to receive updates. bond@4j.lane.edu

Our neighborhood will have a new North Eugene High School constructed as a result of this bond. An open house is scheduled for Thursday, March 7, 5:30 to 8:30, at NEHS. A follow up event is scheduled for April 16, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. I can forward to you the complete message if you are interested.

Grattan Kerans Obit. Many of you will remember Grattan Kerans. He devoted his life to public service and lived in the River Road neighborhood for many years. In fact, he lived just around the corner from us on Willa Lane. We were fortunate to have him represent us in the legislature and in other positions.

https://eugeneregisterguard-or.newsmemory.com/?ta_r=1

Plastics Recycling. 141 people attended training for 2-4-5 plastics Community Collectors held in Eugene. More attended and will attend in Florence. Community Collector registrations are closed. Additional applicants re encouraged to review instructions and use resources on the website, collect from 10 or more people and come to the round up on April 7. Registered Community Collectors will make appointments to drop off plastic throughout the month of March. Please refer people who ask to www.lanecounty.org/plasticsroundup for details including posters to download.

Calendar

• MONDAY, February 25, 11:30. Eugene Planning Commission. Sloat Room. Neighborhood Planning update.
• LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH, Eug-Art404 meets at Maynard and Copping. Contact Meisha Linwood kdxsnook [at] yahoo [dot] com for info.
  March/April, 2019, Neighborhood Planning Public Event. More info to come.
• TUESDAY, March 5, 2019, 6:00 p.m. Lane County Planning Commission Work Session, RR/SC NP.Lane County Customer Services, Goodpasture Room. 3050 Delta Highway.THURSDAY, March 7, 5:30 to 8:30. Public meeting to start design work at NEHS
• MONDAY, March 11, 2019, 5:30 p.m. Eugene City Council Work Session, RR/SC NP. Harris Hall
• MONDAY, March 11, 2019, 7:00 p.m. River Road Community Organization. Election for 3 board positions. Candidates needed. Bike path improvements, including lighting.
• MONDAY, March 18, 2019, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. MovingAhead Community-Wide Open House. Baker Center, 975 High St., Eugene plus Open Comment Period from Mark 11-April 10. Your input will help us develop a preferred package of investments for City Council and the LTD Board to approve later this year. MovingAhead.org.
• MONDAY, March 18, 2019, 7:00 p.m. River Road Community Organization Board meeting. River Road Annex, 1055 River Road.
• TUESDAY, March 19, 2019, 9:00 to Noon. Lane County Board of Commissioners work Session. Harris Hall.
• TUESDAY, April 7, 5:30 to 8:30, Building design meeting. NEHS

Disclaimer: The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.

Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.

By Carleen Reilly

How did you like that snow? I hope all is snug and warm at your house with no frozen pipes. I’m seeing pictures of emerging flowers–snowdrops and hellebores–from neighbors on Facebook. Can Spring not be too far behind?

RR/SC Community Plan – Triple Bottom Line Sounding Board. TONIGHT, 6:00 p.m. Update on NP Policy Writing; Evaluate draft policies for environmental, economic, and social aspects of sustainability. Saul Room, Atrium Building, 99 @ 10th Ave., 3rd Floor.

NP Business canvass report. One neighbor reported her experience canvassing to invite owners to participate in the RR Corridor study. “Canvassing was fun.” Most conversations were constructive with just two reports of less than friendly business owners. We really need people to listen, learn, and provide feedback, now. We don’t want people showing up at the last stages saying they didn’t know what was going on and hate the results of all of our work. Please ask people to sign up for neighborhood planning e-mails to keep up to date. Thanks.

River Road Corridor Open Houses. Three days of work on transportation, housing, and commercial build out will culminate in 3 evenings of open houses for you to review the day’s work.

The River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan is charting a vision for the future of our two neighborhoods. A key goal is to improve River Road, the major street that runs through Santa Clara and River Road, connecting the neighborhoods to central Eugene. The Neighborhood Plan draft vision includes “thriving, vibrant, and active mixed neighborhood centers along the River Road Corridor” and “a transportation system that is safe, accessible, affordable, and environmentally responsible.”

To implement the vision, the Corridor Study integrates how people get around, where they shop and live, where they work, and how the corridor looks and feels.

Three sessions are dedicated to getting essential public input in planning our River Road corridor.

• February 11th — 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
• February 12th — 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.
• February 13th — 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. (presentation at 7 p.m.)

All sessions will be held at the emergency services training center: 1705 W. 2ND Avenue, Eugene (at the south end of the Chambers Connector overpass)

LTD Transit Tomorrow Survey. Take this quick survey. I found it actually asked questions I was interested in and wanted to supply my answers about bus service. I look forward to seeing the compilation of neighbors’ views. www.LTD.org/Transit-Tomorrow

Last summer, many of you participated in LTD’s outreach for Transit Tomorrow: a comprehensive look at LTD’s service and operations. LTD sought input on types of public transit service the community valued and where LTD should prioritize resources.

The LTD team contacted riders, residents, business owners, non-profit organizations, city leaders, and others through tabling events, forums, listening sessions, and an online open house (a survey).

LTD used what was heard from the public last summer to create four distinct transit system alternatives asking the following questions:

should LTD provide more frequent public transit along major corridors or should LTD provide service to a broader area of the community?
should LTD lower fares for everyone or provide more service on weekends and evenings?

The public’s answers to these two questions helped create four possible scenarios that demonstrate how transit service could change in the near future. Currently, LTD is seeking a second round of input. This is your opportunity to help LTD further define what transit service should look like in the community. To provide feedback, you can participate in an online open house, attend one of multiple tabling events at the Springfield station or the Eugene station, or attend a public presentation about Scenarios Report held at the University of Oregon. Get detailed information on dates and times or participate in the online open house. www.LTD.org/Transit-Tomorrow

FREE – Post Office Service. The Post Office has an Informed Delivery program. Everyday (except Sunday?) you can get an email message with images of all the items coming to your mailbox. You can know if your mail is missing and who to inform if it is missing. It also allows you to manage delivery of packages online, including leaving delivery instructions or scheduling a re-delivery if you happen to miss the first one. Here is the link to sign up:
https://informeddelivery.usps.com/box/pages/intro/start.action

Affordable Housing Update. From Ellen Meyi-Galloway: Tuesday, January 29, the Eugene-Springfield HOME Consortium awarded $725,000 in HOME funds to the River Road Affordable Housing proposal by St. Vincent de Paul to aid in the development of 53-units of affordable housing on the city-owned property at 1505-1525 River Road. RRCO will have three neighbors on the committee with St. Vincent de Paul for continuing updates.

Plastics Roundup. A few bits of information about the plastics roundup are now available. A two-hour time slot on March 31 at Emerald Park to conduct our neighborhood pre-round up process is in the offing. Some volunteers are needed to help. Because this is our first time around, we have no idea whether there will be overwhelming response or limited need. Let me know if you want more details, and I will send your name along to our River Road neighbor who has stepped up to work through the necessary details.

Santa Clara is also looking for a coordinator, assistants, and a location to conduct pre-roundup.

For those not able to find a community collector, residents are encouraged to come to the Plastics Roundup on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at the Glenwood Transfer Station from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Lane County will ONLY accept #2, #4 and #5 tubs, jugs, bottles, lids and beverage handles that are CLEAN and free of debris (labels removed). Materials must be sorted into the following five material categories: #2 bottles & jugs; #2 tubs & lids; #2 beverage handles; #4 bottles, tubs & lids; #5 bottles, tubs & lids.

Calendar

• WEDNESDAY, February 6, 6:00 p.m. RR/SC Community Plan – Triple Bottom Line Sounding Board. Saul Room, Atrium Building, 99 @ 10th Ave.
• THURSDAY, February 7, 7:00 p.m. Santa Clara Community Organization general membership meeting. Messiah Lutheran Church, 3280 River Road. SCCO board elections, possible anti-bias and hate policy adoption, and other items.
• SATURDAY, February 9, 9:00 a.m. Rasor Park Wildflower Planting. Come dressed for the weather! The City will provide tools and snacks—though a personal water bottle is always a good idea. Be sure to RSVP (friendsofrasorpark [at] gmail dot com) to help us with planning.
• MONDAY through WEDNESDAY, February 11 – 13, River Road Corridor Study. Daytime committee work with evening public open house at 4:00, 6:00 p.m. or 6:30 (Various times–see link). NOTE: Monday evening, attend open house and then come to the RRCO meeting starting at 7:00. Firestation at 2nd and Chambers. https://www.eugene-or.gov/4110/Corridor-Study
• MONDAY, February 11, 2019, 7:00 p.m. RRCO General Membership meeting. River Road Annex. A look at the Greenway.
  Happy Valentine’s Day!
• MONDAY, February 18, 2019, 7:00 p.m. RRCO Board meeting. River Road Annex.
• TUESDAY, February 19, LTD/City Council Work Session, Moving Ahead.
• TUESDAY, February 19, 2019. 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Community Advisory Committee. North Eugene High School.
• MONDAY, February 25, 11:30. Eugene Planning Commission. Sloat Room. Neighborhood Planning update.
• LAST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH, Eug-Art404 meets at Maynard and Copping. Contact Meisha Linwood <kdxsnook@yahoo.com> for info.
  February/March, 2019, Neighborhood Planning Public Event. More info to come.
• TUESDAY, March 5, 2019, 6:00 p.m. Lane County Planning Commission Work Session, RR/SC NP.Lane County Customer Services, Goodpasture Room. 3050 Delta Highway.
• MONDAY, March 11, 2019, 5:30 p.m. Eugene City Council Work Session, RR/SC NP. Harris Hall.
• TUESDAY, March 19, 2019, 9:00 to Noon. Lane County Board of Commissioners work Session.Harris Hall.

Disclaimer: The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.

Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.

By Carleen Reilly

Here’s just a few words on fences/walls/security. It may be that rich people are building fences to protect their property. Our neighbors have told me that they are more interested in building a strong social fabric and sense of community. They tell me that they are taking down fences, sharing the bounty of the soil, bearing the burdens of sorrow, and experiencing the ecstacy of joyous events together. I do hear that our neighbors are putting in security cameras and implementing other safety measures, like cutting back shrubs–leaving no place for criminals to hide, as recommended by the Eugene Police. Seems like that is smart security.

Renters’ Survey. Teresa Kennedy replied to my question about whether unincorporated people in our neighborhoods could partake in this survey. She said ‘absolutely.’ The costs of housing, both rental and home ownership, are prohibitive for many people in our community. Evictions from rental properties are rampant, so starting with this piece of the puzzle makes sense. I urge you to participate in this survey. The link to the survey is https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PSRMFXD (English) and https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PJNMKDQ (Spanish).

RRCO General Membership meeting. January 14 at 7:00 at the River Road Annex. Meeting agenda will focus on a few River Road transportation projects that are going on concurrently. They will work together to provide integrated solutions to problems we have long complained about. And Eug-Art404’s update of their activities in our neighborhood will tickle our creative juices.

Calendar 

• SATURDAY, January 12, 2019, 10:00 to Noon. Rasor Park Second Saturday work party. 729 River Road.
• MONDAY, January 14, 2019, 7:30 p.m. Eugene City Council. Selection of developer of RR Affordable Housing Project. Harris Hall.
• MONDAY, January 14, 2019, 7:00 p.m. RRCO General Membership meeting. River Road Corridor study, MovingAhead, and Santa Clara Transit Station; update on Eug-Art404. River Road Annex, 1055 River Road.
• TUESDAY, January 15, 2019, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Community Advisory Committee, North Eugene High School, Library.
• MONDAY, January 21, 2019, 7:00 p.m. RRCO Board meeting. River Road Annex.
• SUNDAY, January 27, 2019, 4:30-6:00 p.m. Lane Writers. Readings by local authors. River Road Annex.
• February/March, 2019, Neighborhood Planning Public Event. More info to come. 

Disclaimer: The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.

Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.

When: Tuesday, December 11th from 7:00pm to 8:30pm

Where: Emerald Park in the River Road Parks and Recreation building, room E.

This will be an event where potential developers of the Affordable Housing Site, at River Road and East Maynard, will share there proposals for the City of Eugene’s request for proposal process. The final project will be chosen by the evaluation committee. Pat Reilly is our neighborhood representative for the evaluation committee and will be at this event. This is an opportunity for community members to review three proposals and e-mail Pat with any feedback before the selection on December 14th. Developers will be sharing how they incorporated the community’s suggested design criteria in their proposals.

Pat can be contacted at patreilly6 [at] gmail dot com

Below is a URL to access the proposals if you cant make the meeting and would still like to provide Feedback.

https://www.eugene-or.gov/4048/Housing-and-Rehabilitation-Programs

By Carleen Reilly

Guess what I found in our raised bed: a half-dozen large, ripe raspberries. And were they ever yummy! There are more to come, too!

MovingAhead. It was like old home week last night at the LTD Open House to review the options for all potential EmX Corridors, including our River Road Corridor. It was good to see so many of our neighbors, all diligently voting with their dots and taking time to submit comments about Transportation ideas.

If you weren’t able to attend the RR Corridor open house, additional open houses are available for you to participate in. ALL corridor options are available at all open houses. Here is a link to the MovingAhead website.

Or submit your comments on line: MovingAhead Online Open House

As one person essentially said to me, “Let’s just bite the bullet and install EmX to begin with; because, if we don’t, we will just have to go back and upgrade it in a few years. Let’s get the job done right the first time.”

Working Groups. The MovingAhead open house is a good foundation for the Transportation group as we hold our Neighborhood Planning Working Groups Thursday evening. (Details in calendar.) So many of our ideas about improving safety and reducing vehicle emissions will be addressed with the implementation of increased transit services.

The expectation is that a finalized list of goals in all five topic areas will be completed at this meeting and that we will review the many policies and actions Working Groups are proposing. We hope you can be there to advance our Neighborhood Plan activities to the next level.

WE CAN Eugene. Walkable Eugene Citizens Advisory Network is an ad hoc group interested in Housing and Transportation Activities. You can sign up for their e-mail list at this link.

They keep track of City Council meetings and agendas. WE CAN provides commentary about work on these housing and transportation in various governmental entities. I find their summaries helpful. I can e-mail you the full message if you are interested. Current info is about MovingAhead, Housing Tools and Strategies, Accessory Dwelling Units, Envision Eugene Technical Advisory Committee/Urban Reserves, Clear and Objective Standards, and RR/SC Neighborhood Plan.

Here is a tidbit from a recent e-mail:
Upcoming At City Council
Eugene City Council identified housing affordability as a key goal for 2018; and transportation remains an important focus. As they return from summer break, what is on the agenda related to housing and transportation for the fall?

• Monday, October 15th: Work session on Transportation System Development Charge Methodology, Transit Tomorrow Update
• Wednesday, October 31st: River Road/Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan Update [This seems to be advanced information that I haven’t seen before. I’ll keep an eye on this. Halloween might be a problematic date.]
• Monday, November 26th: Clear and Objective Housing Approval Criteria Work Session
• Monday, December 10th: Housing Tools and Strategies Work Session

Calendar

• TUESDAY, September 27, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. NP Working Groups, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 4110 River Road in Santa Clara. Finalize a list of goals for each topic area. Bring homework from small groups to continue policy and action work.
• FRIDAY, September 28. Happy GOOD NEIGHBOR DAY! The holiday was first proclaimed by Pres. Jimmy Carter in 1978.
• SUNDAY, September 30, 10:00 to 2:00 Plastics round up. Is anyone planning for neighborhood collection rather than hundreds of vehicles showing up to drop off 3 boxes each? Lane County Waste Management is hosting a collection event at the Glenwood Transfer station, 3100 E 17th Ave., for a SPECIFIC list of household plastics that were dropped from local recycle programs. Go to: www.lanecounty.org/plasticsroundup to learn what is ACCEPTED and how materials must be PREPARED and SORTED for collection day.
• SUNDAY, October 7, RRCO Pancake Breakfast. Cancelled.
• SUNDAY, October 7, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Film Showing: Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of Homelessness. River Road Annex, 1055 River Road.
• WEDNESDAY, October 10, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Making it Happen! Open House. The Planning Division is hosting a project fair showcasing all ongoing Envision Eugene implementation projects. See how our neighborhood planning fits into the larger picture. Eugene Library, Bascom-Tykeson Room, 1st Floor.
• MONDAY, October 15, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Film Showing: Under the Bridge: The Criminalization of Homelessness. Emerald Park, Lake Drive.
• MONDAY, October 8, 7:00 p.m. River Road Community Organization, General Membership Meeting, River Road Annex, 1055 River Road. November Ballot Measures and other election items.
• TUESDAY, October 16, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Neighborhood Planning Community Advisory Committee. North Eugene High School Library.

Disclaimer: The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.

Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.

By Carleen Reilly

It is hard for me to believe it is late August. You know all the cliches about ‘Where did summer go?’ That big turkey on my deck yesterday was a bit startling–looking in the window as I sat typing at the computer. Was that an omen?

Neighborhood Planning (NP). Thanks to Ali Litts, Cameron Ewing, and Joshua Kielas for carrying clipboards on short notice at recent events. Signing people up for regular NP e-mails is crucial to the success of our work. If you are having a garage sale or going to a neighborhood event, I can supply you with a clipboard with information about our NP project. Let me know of your availability to help with outreach.

Arrg! Speaking of signing up for regular e-mails, it appears that some people were inadvertently unsubscribed from the list–including myself. If you did not receive the August 9 or August 13 invitation to the Working Group on August 28, 6:00 to 8:00, you may have been unsubscribed. You can resubscribe by going to the link https://www.eugene-or.gov/3667/Get-Involved.

Working Groups. The upcoming meeting will be held at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Santa Clara, 4110 River Road, from 6:00 to 8:00. New Location!

This working group meeting will set the stage for you to do three things over the next few months:

1. Review the draft goals of the plan, which will be developed by the Community Advisory Committee at their next meeting
2. Write draft policies for the neighborhood plan, and
3. Identify action items to implement the plan

A group exercise will help prepare you to do this work on your own, or in small groups, between August 28th and the next working group meeting in late September.

Please RSVP so we know how many copies of materials to prepare.

Business Outreach. If you know of businesses that would like to engage with other businesses and be informed about NP, let us know. Economic Development is one of our five areas to learn about and incorporate in our plan.

RRCO news. Here are some small morsels gleaned from Monday evening’s RRCO Board meeting. Perhaps you can keep an eye on them to see how they progress.

• The Goodwill Building has a for lease to retail sign in the window. Do you know anyone who wants to try a start up?
• The RRCO Board still has a vacant seat. Are you interested?
• The EUG-ART404 will be working with Cameron Ewing on an art project near the Chamber Connector to welcome people to our neighborhood. Calling all artists and would be artists! Exercise your creative urges.

Calendar

• WEDNESDAY, August 22, 7:00 p.m. Affordable Housing project, Dayspring Fellowship Church, 1580 River Road. Neighborhood meeting for property planned for affordable housing, north of River Road Dari Mart.
• SATURDAY, August 25, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Affordable Housing Listening Session. River Road Annex, 1050 River Road. Attendees will prioritize a list of good ideas so the property can be developed appropriate to our needs.
• August 28, 2018, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. NP Working Groups, St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 4110 River Road.
• MONDAY, September 10, 2018. 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. RRCO General Membership Meeting, River Road Annex, 1050 River Road.
• TUESDAY, September 11, 2018 (Subject to change.) NP Community Advisory Council. Location to be announced later.
• TUESDAY, September 25, 5:30 – 7:30, p.m., Moving Ahead – River Road Corridor, Colin Kelly Middle School, 850 Howard Ave, Cafeteria.

Disclaimer: The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.

Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.

By Carleen Reilly

Summer’s here!!! No doubt about it. Hope you are employing all the techniques you know to stay cool. It’s time to pick up that summer reading.

Affordable Housing Tour: About 20 neighbors and city staff toured three affordable housing projects around the community. The first was in our River Road Neighborhood: Turtle Creek near Northwest Expressway. The second was Bascom Village I, and the third was Willakenzie Crossing. To say the least, it was a very hot evening. In a couple of places, we spent time in their well-used community buildings. That took some of the edge off of the heat.

Turtle Creek is a Lane County ‘Homes for Good’ project, located just off of North Park Avenue. It was built in 2008 with 27 units and includes resident services. As an older development, it has fewer energy efficient amenities. Newer projects include solar panels and heat pumps. The community garden is better utilized this year than in other years, but it is still ‘rustic’–in the words of our guide.

Many questions from River Road neighbors circled around environmental topics: community gardens, edible landscaping, water catchment, energy-efficient architectural levels, solar energy production, and efficient heating/cooling equipment. Other questions related to building community and social fabric.

Bascom Village I is run by St. Vincent de Paul and was built in 2016. It is located north of Beltline to the west of Coburg Road. It contains 53 units (at 20 units per acre) and includes a community room, playground, and resident services program. It, too, had a community garden.

Willakenzie Crossing is a Cornerstone Community Housing development. Completed in 2013, it contains 56 units on 2 acres including 16 for disabled adults. This is the only project with extra care for people with mental disabilities. Amenities include community center, resident services, garden plot, and children’s play area. It is also located next to a large open park. Neighbors to the south can meander through Willakenzie Crossing to the park, and they feel welcomed. Adjacent to the project is the Mckenzie Mohawk Grange. Staff emphasized the quality partnerships they have with the Grange and Harlow Neighborhood association had a welcoming party at the Grange when Willakenzie Crossing opened. The Grange continues to hold ice cream socials and holiday parties with the residents. The project feels welcomed to the community in a mutually beneficial relationship.

I was particularly struck by how attractive the housing was in all locations. Nice designs with porches on the front, attractive paint jobs, and beautiful landscaping–lots of open spaces. I didn’t see a weed anywhere, and I know how hard Pat and I have to work to get half-way around our yard each year. All projects have community garden spaces. The garden at Willakenzie has 8 plots, and the residents didn’t step up in the number needed to fill it out; so they handed it over to the children as a growing/learning activity. It was flourishing beautifully!

The amount of green spaces, well landscaped, was awesome. As one of our guides said, these spaces are needed ‘as people spill out of their homes.’ We saw lots of residents on the streets or meandering the sidewalks–finding a breath of fresh air and camaraderie with their neighbors and visiting friends.

The other aspect that I consider central to a thriving community are programs that support the people who live there. The community centers seem to be a busy hub of activities with participation from Food For Lane County, community farmers’ markets–including produce from their community gardens, classes by Extension Services, children’s play areas during classes for parents, homework helpers for children, and a Rising Star program to encourage children to accomplish their goals.

The really touching image that stays with me was when we were standing outside Willakenzie, trying to listen to our guide and feeling very hot, a young girl with her scooter went by on the sidewalk and waved at us. It was such a friendly moment. I understand that residents have been surveyed as to how satisfied they are in living there, its safety, affordability, access to jobs and schools, and sense of it being a healthy environment for their families. We don’t have to take the word of those who build and manage the properties. Reports are available with that resident info. Here is the link: https://www.eugene-or.gov/871/HUD-Consolidated-Plan.

This is all in preparation for the new affordable housing project to be built East of River Road, North of Dari Mart, near Maynard. First hand information about how projects are planned, designed, built, managed, and maintained is valuable in understanding accurately what will occur. A community meeting will be held on WEDNESDAY, August 22, 7:00 p.m. Dayspring Fellowship Church, 1580 River Road.

Beltline Highway paving and road work continues
Two weekends down – Three to go

Calendar:

SATURDAY, August 18, 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. RRCO Potluck Picnic at Emerald Park, Structure #2 north of restrooms.) Biodegradable plates and utensils provided.
MONDAY, August 20, 7:00 p.m. RRCO Board meeting. River Road Annex.
TUESDAY, August 21, 6:00 p.m. Neighborhood Planning Community Advisory Committee, North Eugene High School. Planning for our next Neighborhood Planning work groups and Fall public event.
WEDNESDAY, August 22, 7:00 p.m. Dayspring Fellowship Church, 1580 River Road. Neighborhood meeting for property planned for affordable housing, north of River Road Dari Mart.
TUESDAY, August 21, 2018, 5:30 to 7:30, Party in the Parks, Arrowhead Park. Using seven marimbas, singing, drums, and other percussion, Kudana Marimba engages audiences throughout the Pacific Northwest with traditional Zimbabwean music.

Disclaimer: The RR CRG weekly messages are my personal views and interpretation of community events and neighborhood planning efforts. I am not a Board member of RRCO (River Road Community Organization); SCRRIPT (Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team) has transitioned leadership to the Community Advisory Committee (CAC); and I have never been a City employee.

Carleen Reilly has lived in the neighborhood for over 40 years. She served on the RRCO board of directors from 2007-2013, and has been involved over the years with the Joint Strategy Team (JuST), the Santa Clara-River Road Outreach and Learning project (SCRROL), and the Santa Clara-River Road Implementation Planning Team (SCRRIPT)

She publishes a weekly e-newsletter called “River Road Community Resource Group Newsletter” that focuses on land use, transportation, parks and open spaces, economic development, and Community interests as they are related to our Neighborhood Planning activities in conjunction with the Santa Clara neighborhood. If you would like to subscribe you can contact Carleen at: carleenr |at| gmail dot com.

Neighborhood Planning Teach-In Coordinates With the Propagation Fair