South Willamette Street Refinement Plan

On October 10, 2016, the Eugene City Council passed the following motion (7-1):

The City Manager is directed to prepare, in consultation with the appropriate City staff and the elected boards of the four City-chartered south Eugene neighborhoods – Friendly Area Neighbors (FAN), Southwest Hills Neighborhood Association (SHiNA), Southeast Neighbors (SEN) and Amazon Neighborhood Association (Amazon) – a proposal for a planning process that is based on the South Willamette Street Initiative (Attachment A of September 26, 2016, work session AIS).

The City Manager’s proposal shall embody the basic structure and elements of the South Willamette Street Initiative; however, the proposal may make limited adjustments to the geographic boundaries, the composition of the planning team and other details. The proposal may also include recommendations for additional guidelines for the refinement plan process to be established by City Council.

A check-in with Council on the status and progress of the draft proposal no later than November 7, 2016.

A final draft proposal shall be presented for Council and public review no later than December 1, 2016.

Council’s initial discussion and further direction to the City Manager on the proposal shall be scheduled for the December 14, 2016, Council work session.

Council’s deliberation and action on the proposal shall be scheduled as soon as practicable following swearing in of the new Council in 2017.

The South Willamette Street Initiative is a community-based proposal for addressing the future of the South Willamette Street mixed-use area between 24th and 29th Avenues.

                       South Willamette Street Initiative Plan Area

Click here to read the 3-page initiative and view a full-sized map.

The outcome of the proposed planning process would be a draft Neighborhood Refinement Plan covering approximately the area outlined in red, above. (See below for links to additional information on refinement plans.) The area outlined in green would be a proposal for infrastructure and other improvements to enhance the walkability and accessibility of the “20-minute neighborhood” around the Willamette Street commercial development.

The South Willamette Street Initiative references several other strategies and documents. You can click the links below for more information:

• Recommendations of the Envision Eugene Mixed-Use Development Committee. Click here to read the full “MUD” Committee Report.
• Opportunity Siting. Click here to read the “Citizens’ Guide to Opportunity Siting.”
• “Envision Eugene” affordable housing and neighborhood livability pillars.
• Infill Compatibility Standards. Click here to read the goals of the Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team.

LATEST NEWS (November 5, 2016)

The Executive Boards of the following four city-chartered neighborhood organizations are considering their respective recommendations and other comments in response to the City Council directive. Click any of the links below to visit the neighborhood organizations’ websites:

• Friendly Area Neighbors (FAN)
• Southwest Hills Neighborhood Association (SHiNA)
• Southeast Neighbors (SEN)
• Amazon Neighborhood Association (Amazon)

On November 3, 2016 approximately 20 neighborhood organization board members participated in an educational even arranged by the Council of South Eugene Neighborhoods.

The event featured information and discussion on the South Willamette Street Initiative, led by Paul Conte, a former Chair of the Jefferson Westside Neighbors. Jennifer Lleras Van Der Haeghen and Rene Kane from the Eugene Office of Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement also attended and provided brief comments. Links to the additional documents referenced in the event are provided below. (See also the links to resources from other educational events, listed below.)

FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE NOVEMBER 3 EDUCATIONAL EVENT REGARDING “SOUTH WILLAMETTE STREET INITIATIVE”

South Willamette Street Initiative
Refinement Plan Process simplified diagrams
Draft Principles of Participation for Planning Team
Principles of Participation previously adopted for the Eugene Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team
Principles of Participation previously adopted by the Eugene Comprehensive Lands Assessment Citizen Advisory Committee

FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE APRIL 19 PRESENTATION ON “DEMYSTIFYING REFINEMENT PLANS”

Click here to view a video of the presentation.
Click here to view the “Demystifying Refinement Plan” presentation slides.
Click here to browse the “Frequently Asked Questions” about refinement plans.
Click here to read a draft of “Principles of Participation” for members of a Planning Team.
Click here to read the adopted governance documents of the Eugene Infill Compatibility Standards Task Team, including the “Organizational Structure and Rules,” which provide a potential starting for a similar document for a Planning Team.
Westside Neighborhood Plan (a “neighborhood refinement plan”).
City website page with links to all refinement plans.

Great Read! Learn what nationally-recognized “walkability expert” has to say about improving walkability in auto-oriented areas like south Willamette Street.
Click here to read the excerpt “Step 10: Pick Your Winners.”

 FOR PARTICIPANTS IN THE JANUARY 13 PRESENTATION ON “COMMUNITY-BASED PLANNING”

View the Powerpoint presentation slides.

Watch the “People not Buildings” video. (13:34)

See the materials below. (Please note that some of the presentations include the same images.)

Westside Neighborhood Plan (a “neighborhood refinement plan”)
JWN “Plan Jam” First (of two) workshops.
Maps used in Plan Jam
The JWN assessment of “Neighborhood Character”
The JWN assessment of “Negative Impacts”
Presentation to the Eugene Planning Commission
Guide to the Jefferson-Westside Special Area Zone

Please visit http://communitysupportedshelters.org/ to learn more and contribute.

FUTURE PLANNING IN OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS

The City will likely consider following a similar approach to other “key transit corridors” if the South Willamette Street refinement plan process is successful. Here’s a map showing other residential neighborhoods and commercial areas throughout the city that might be involved in future refinement plan processes, including:

South Willamette Street

Coburg Road

River Road

West 6th and 7th Avenues

Highway 99

West 11th Avenue

MORE INFORMATION

South Willamette Neighbors website. This is a non-profit organization formed to protect their residential neighborhoods from being radically changed by the proposed rezoning to SW-SAZ.

Council of South Eugene Neighborhoods. This is a council of four city-chartered neighborhood organizations: Friendly Area Neighbors, Soutwest Hills Neighborhood Association, Southeast Neighbors and Amazon Neighborhood Association. They’ve taken up planning for the area around south Willamette Street as an issue of common concern.

And exceptional essay on the ethical issues of rezoning wide swaths of single-family neighborhoods: “Zoning and the Neighborhood Commons”
(Click this link: Zoning: A Reply to Critics for the full article and all the citations.)

Click here to learn more about the abandoned “South Willamette Special Area Zone.”