Help ensure that the neighborhood community who will be affected is who develops plans for the future use of the former Naval Reserve site.

Flash! Good news!  City Council has voted to defer consideration of the redesignation of the former Naval Reserve site until a later date so that the neighborhood can be meaningfully involved in planning the future of this site. Thanks to the JWN Executive Board and other folks for a successful effort to ensure the neighborhood community is heard!

Just posted!   Click here to read e-mail from JWN Vice Chair, Tom Happy, to City Council making the case for the community involvement.

This Tuesday, June 3, City Council will hold a public hearing on the City staff proposal to redesignate the former Naval Reserve site on W. 13th Ave. from “public land” to “medium-density residential.”

The Jefferson Westside Neighbors members and Executive Board made repeated efforts over last year to have the City engage neighborhood residents, businesses, the school and churches in a community-based approach to planning appropriate future development on this site.

Unfortunately, the staff and a majority of the Planning Commission completely ignored the neighborhood and pushed ahead a proposal that would simply impose the staff’s plans on the neighborhood.

Please review the information provided below and then provide written and/or oral testimony supporting collaborative public planning process.

• Send an e-mail to MayorAndCC@ci.eugene.or.us
• Testify at the public hearing: Tuesday, June 3 at 7:00 p.m. in Harris Hall, 125 East 8th Ave. (Lane County Public Service Building)
• Mail a letter or postcard to: Eugene Mayor & City Council, 125 E. 8th Ave., Eugene, OR 97401

Click here to read the JWN Executive Board’s request to the City Council for meaningful neighborhood involvement.

Click here to read the endorsement of the JWN’s efforts by the Executive Director of Cornerstone Community Housing (formerly Metro Housing):

“I am also speaking in support of working closely and early on with the Jefferson Westside Neighbors Association. I know from conversations I had with them over the past few years they have a strong interest in the development of affordable multi-generational family housing in our community. I know they are also interested in creating a model demonstrating how affordable housing could be built with the support and endorsement of neighborhood associations.”

Unlike the City staff recommendation — the JWN has a well-thought-out plan for a community-based public process.

Click here to read the JWN’s concept for a community-based planning process — adopted 2½ years ago — well before City staff had begun any work on redesignating the site.

Click here to read the JWN Executive Board’s detailed proposal for a community-based planning process — presented to, but ignore by, the Eugene Planning Commission.

The JWN has been working on practical plans to support multi-generational family housing while City staff have no plans that the community or City Council can evaluate.

Click here to read the JWN Chair’s letter to City Council on August 26, 2013.

Click here to read the JWN Chair’s letter to City Council on November 6, 2013.

As of a week before the Public Hearing, the City staff have still not made the hearing materials available to the public. You can review what information is available on the City’s Residential Redesignation web page.