River Road - Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan

Neighborhood Planning

The River Road and Santa Clara Community Organizations, City and County staff, consultants and neighborhood volunteers have been working together since the spring of 2017 to create a neighborhood plan for the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods. The earlier phases of the neighborhood planning process focused on outreach and engagement, asking community members what they value in their neighborhoods now and about their hopes and visions for the future. The community input was used by the Community Advisory Committee (CAC) and Topic Area Working Groups to draft goals and policies in the Neighborhood Plan that reflect the neighborhood priorities under five Topic Areas - Land Use, Economic Development, Transportation, Parks and Natural Resources, and Community. 

Read the Draft River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan. 

Action Planning

The CAC and staff have been preparing an Action Plan to support implementation of the Neighborhood Plan. The Action Plan will consist of community identified actions that are possible strategies to implement the policies of the Neighborhood Plan and will help focus the community work towards the vision for how the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods will look, feel and function over the next 20 years and beyond. 

Read the Draft River Road-Santa Clara Action Plan.

River Road-Santa Clara (RRSC) Special Area Zone

An in-depth analysis of the River Road corridor was done with the River Road Corridor Study, including stakeholder interviews, public workshops, economic and demographic research, and conceptual design work. This work helped inform the Draft RRSC Special Area Zone Code and the Draft Proposed Zoning Map. 

Read the RRSC Code Summary to learn more about the purpose of the Special Area Zone, key code topics, and how the proposed zoning and development standards compare to existing zoning and development standards.

Next Steps: Road to Adoption

The neighborhood planning process is now in the Adoption Phase - working towards the final adoption of the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan. The final adoption package is proposed to include:

•  Neighborhood Plan Document: articulates the community vision in a goal and policy document that will be a formally adopted, legally binding land use plan.
• Action Plan: a non-regulatory document to guide implementation of the community vision.
• Plan and Code Amendments: to implement certain actions and support the community vision.
• Plan Designation and Zone Change Tables and Maps: to encourage active mixed-use neighborhood centers and a variety of housing types near the River Road corridor.

The Adoption Phase will include community outreach and opportunities for input as the Community Advisory Committee, River Road and Santa Clara Community Organizations, and staff prepare and recommend a Neighborhood Plan adoption package to the Eugene and Lane County Planning Commissions to begin the formal adoption process.  The Planning Commissions will deliberate and form a recommendation to City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners as final decisionmakers on the plan adoption package.