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TransitionandHeritageFramework <br />Approximately29%ofRiverRoadresidentsand41%ofSantaClararesidents <br />liveintheCity,butwithinavariedandgreatlynon-contiguouspatternof <br />annexedproperties. <br />Servicesareprovidedbytwolocalwaterdistricts,tworuralfiredistricts,a <br />neighborhoodparkandrecreationdistrict,aregionalwaterauthority,andby <br />theCityofEugeneandLaneCounty.Threeschooldistrictsalsoservethe <br />RiverRoadandSantaClaracommunities. <br />LandscapeQualities <br />LandscapequalitiesoftheRiverRoadandSantaClaracommunitiesarealso <br />distinctive: <br />SixmilesoftheWillametteRiverwithitssloughsandfloodplainformthe <br />easternboundaryofRiverRoadandSantaClaranorthtotheconfluencewith <br />theMcKenzieRiver.Thisisvaluedasauniqueandhighqualitynaturalarea <br />andforthespecialrecreationalopportunitiesitprovidestothetwo <br />communities. <br />Agriculturallandsandremnantorchards,streamsandripariancorridors, <br />statelystreetandheritagetrees,andruralstreetsandneighborhoodshelp <br />RiverRoadandSantaClararetainmuchoftheiroriginalruralcharacter. <br />SantaClaraissurroundedbyandintegratedwithmorehigh-valueagricultural <br />landsthananyotherpartoftheCity. <br />Remainingstreams,pervioussoils,andoldersurfacewaterdrainage <br />featuresinthetwocommunitiesareaspecialopportunitytoretainandcreate <br />sustainable,non-pipeddrainagesystemsforthefuture. <br />ParksandOpenSpace <br />ComparedtomostofEugeneÕsofficialneighborhoods,RiverRoadandSantaClaralag <br />farbehindindevelopedneighborhoodparksandaccessibleopenspaces.Including <br />Cityandnon-Cityresidents,about18%ofthepopulationwithintheEugeneUGB <br />currentlyresidesinRiverRoadandSantaClara,whereasonlyabout4%ofthetotal <br />parksystem(113acres)servesthisarea.NocommunityparkthatfullymeetsCity <br />standardsexistsineitherRiverRoadorSantaClara.Onlytwosmallboatlaunches <br />providepublicaccesstotheWillametteRiveradjacenttotheSantaClaracommunity, <br />andtheWillametteRiverGreenwayislimitedtotheRiverRoadcommunity. <br />OpportunityforFutureCollaboration <br />RiverRoadandSantaClaraareuniquebecauseofthehistoricallycontentious <br />relationshipwiththeCityofEugene,rootedinpartbythedebateinthe1980soverthe <br />ÒforcedÓextensionofsanitarysewerstothetwocommunities.RiverRoad,SantaClara <br />andtheCityhavealsobeenatoddsoverotherissues,andthecontinuedstrong <br />oppositionbysomeresidentstoannexationreflectstensionsbuiltupovermanyyears. <br />Yet,residentsarepassionateaboutthefutureoftheircommunities,haveahigh <br />interestinsoundplanning,andseekresolutionthroughcollaborationwithpublic <br />officials.ThisRiverRoadandSantaClaraTransitionandHeritageFramework <br />representsafirstmajorstepinsuchcollaboration. <br />TheRiverRoad/SantaClaraTaskForcecraftedavisionstatementforRiverRoadand <br />SantaClara,basedonsensibilitiesandprioritiesgeneratedbytheneighborhood <br />conversations,considerationoffiveuniquequalitiesofthetwocommunities,andTask <br />Forcebrainstorming. <br />21 <br />RIVERROAD/SANTACLARA <br />TRANSITIONPROJECT <br />