Item B: River Road/Santa Clara Transition Project - Final Report

Home Browse Search

Summary In the winter of 2006 the Transition Project worked with the RR/SC Task Force to conduct 11 public workshops involving 149 residents, 69 from River Road and 80 from Santa Clara, 47 who are residents of the City and 102 who reside in unincorporated areas inside the Urban Growth Boundary. The goal of the outreach process was to identify core values and priorities of River Road and Santa Clasra residents in relation to their neighborhood. The project “Maintaining the asked residents to answer three questions about their neighborhood: integrity of our 1. What do you like or value? friendly, rural- 2. What would you like to change? like neighbor- 3. What is your most pressing hope or concern for the future? hood” Resident responses emphasized land use, governance, parks and recreation, and transpor- tation issues (Graph 1-2): “Resolution to Results of Neighborhood Conversations the city/county scrambled eggs Residents value friendly neighbors, rural qualities, current density levels, we have now.” and alternative transportation (walk, bus, bike). Residents would like to see changes in development patterns, traffic, and public safety. “That Santa Residents identify these pressing issues for the future: development, density, rural qualities, representation, and annexation. Clara maintain its identity … We The results indicate that there are distinct differences between the two neighborhoods re- need a commu- garding community priorities (Graph 1-2). In the past ten years, Santa Clara has experi- nity center and Santa Clara resi- enced fast-paced development of large-scale residential subdivisions. place that we dents are concerned about traffic and the lack of parks and recreation facilities and can all come to- their two main priorities are annexation issues and the impact of development. gether.” River Road has experienced few large-scale residential subdivisions and more small-scale infill developments. Residents are motivated to protect what they value: current density lev- River Road residents are primarily els, rural qualities, and the River Road Park District. concerned about development and their priorities are density issues, annexation, and “The fear of an- preserving rural qualities. nexation. I wish Annexation as a governance issue surfaced as the second highest priority for residents in we didn’t have both neighborhoods. Unincorporated residents worry about the future, including higher tax the feeling of ad- rates and the viability of service districts such as the River Road Park and Recreation Dis- versarial grind trict. City residents are concerned about the quality of urban services and tax issues. Al- against the city/ though both communities are experiencing a profound shift with the influx of City residents, county.”residents remain positive about their neighbors and community spirit is strong. The outcomes of the public outreach process provide critical information for community lead- ers working on a strategic plan for each neighborhood. Watching their Santa Clara neighbors struggle with the impacts of development, the River Road community is cohesive and clear in terms of overall priorities: land use and governance. Santa Clara is concerned “Representation with land use and governance, but transportation and parks/recreation are also priorities. — the umbrella Deciding where to focus energy will be an important task for community leaders. that encom- passes the ma- Both neighborhoods also have the opportunity to look for connections between priorities, craft solutions that address multiple issues, and work together on common goals. It is es- jority of issues.” sential that the community involve elected officials and service providers in the planning process, as success will depend on strong relationships with the City, County, and districts. River Road/Santa Clara Transition Project—Public Outreach Report 2