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

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of Santa Clara, infill is occurring in neighborhoods with an existing population of homeown- ers who value current density levels and rural qualities. “An ‘organized’ Aside from development patterns, a few other distinctions between the two neighborhoods approach to de- identified by the outreach results include: velopment that River Road’s recreation facilities, bike paths, and access to the Willamette River. limits the Big Santa Clara’s access to farms and rural areas – described in the outcome results as the “rural/urban interface”. City feel.” Question #1: What Residents Like about their Neighborhood Both River Road and Santa Clara listed friendly neighbors, density, and rural qualities. River Road also valued the bike path/river and River Road Park District. Santa Clara val- “I would really ued shopping, the rural/urban interface, and alternative transport (walk/bus/bike). (Graph 3, Table 2) like to see a stronger devel- Question #2: What Residents want to Change about their Neighborhood opment in activi- In Santa Clara, a community center/park was the most commonly mentioned desire for ties for the change and in River Road, development rated highly. Traffic was a frequent response by youth.” residents in both communities – although it did not surface as a “most pressing concern or hope”. Public safety was a frequently mentioned by River Road residents. (Graph 4, Ta- ble 2) Question #3: Residents’ Most Pressing Hope or Concern “Unity of voice Development, density, rural qualities, representation, and opposition to annexation sur- for Santa Clara faced in the top priorities for both River Road and Santa Clara. While River Road focused on density and rural qualities, Santa Clara focused on development. Both neighborhoods to promote, expressed concerns about annexation and tax rates. * (Graph 5, Table 2) Currently, about pride, commu- 30% of the households in River Road and 40% of the households in Santa Clara are in the nity, and unified City. Property tax rates for City residents are about $8.8/$1000. Unincorporated residents access to city in River Road pay $5.50/$1000, and unincorporated residents in Santa Clara pay between services…” $1-$2/$1000, depending on their fire district. Ethnic and Minority Issues: Public safety and pedestrian issues emerged as the primary concern for individuals living in low-income apartments. Theft is prevalent at some low- income apartment complexes, and police response to minor infractions is limited. Low- “The spacious- income children walking to school from apartments located on the North side of River Road ness, intermixing are challenged by unsafe crossings, traffic, and speeding. Access to a library is also a ma- jor concern for Latinos living in the unincorporated area. They often do not own books in of residences English, do not have the time or discretionary income to join the Eugene Public Library, with businesses and are unfamiliar with the volunteer library. Out of the nine families interviewed, not one with small farms; family knew about the volunteer library. love the gar- dens.” Schools were the public service most highly valued by the Latino population – families were extremely satisfied with River Road Elementary and North Eugene High School. The project did not interview disabled individuals, but it would be interesting to obtain their per- spective on the neighborhoods, especially in relation to transportation issues. River Road/Santa Clara Transition Project—Public Outreach Report 7