For the next year or more the City of Eugene has its eyes on the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods with the intention of updating the Neighborhood Refinement Plan that has been guiding development in the area for approximately 30 years.

What this means is that neighbors in the area have a rare opportunity to give input and be a part of the process. All neighborhood residents are encouraged to become involved to help shape our future.

Interested folks are asked to join focus groups that are looking at land use planning, economic development, transportation, parks and natural resources, and a catch-all category called community.

We just finished the second round of focus groups on Tuesday May 20th. The meeting was preceded by two rounds of email letting folks know what was going to be covered and where to find the information that would be helpful to prepare. The city provided some food so the first order of business was having a bite to eat. Then there was some initial discussion before we broke out into groups and worked to identify common themes that have begun to emerge after looking at input from hundreds of residents and the previous round of focus groups. The event flowed well, and I left feeling good about having been able to join in the process.

The hope is that folks from all walks of life have input so the resulting neighborhood plan will reflect the values of as many residents as possible. Project manager Zach Galloway reiterated that these meetings are open to all residents of both River Road and Santa Clara. There is another meeting on April 23rd and you don’t have to have been at the first two to participate!

Posted by: Joshua Kielas, 03.23.2018