June 6, 2013 - City Council Newsletter

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This is exciting news for Eugene’s neighborhood associations, and is especially notable because Eugene will host the next Neighborhoods USA national conference on May 21 - 24, 2014. Plans are underway for three days of informative workshops, exciting tours and engaging speakers. For more information, please contact Michael Kinnison, Neighborhood Services, at 541-682-5009 or Michael.j.kinnison@ci.eugene.or.us. Northeast Neighbors: Connecting People to Places This fall, Northeast Neighbors (NeN) began working with Neighborhood Services staff on a Strategic Neighborhood Assessment and Planning (SNAP) project. The project “Connecting People to Places” focuses on bike, pedestrian and traffic safety and connections to amenities in northeast Eugene. The SNAP project supports Envision Eugene pillars and allows the City to pilot the Climate and Energy Action Plan’s 20-Minute Neighborhood concept in an actual neighborhood, while providing direct service to the neighborhood; the process will serve as a template to implement the concept in other Eugene neighborhoods. Project collaborators include the neighborhood association; City staff from Neighborhood Services, Planning, Sustainability, and Transportation Planning; local businesses; schools, and other community groups. Project outcomes will include prioritized actions, supported by NeN members and City staff, and improved safety and bicycle and pedestrian connections that neighborhood leaders can use to advocate for viable solutions. Community outreach for the project is underway. Staff and neighbors developed a survey to gather input on safety and connections in the neighborhood. The survey is available online and is being implemented face-to-face in various strategic neighborhood locations. The 2009 Eugene Neighborhood Survey served as a survey model and the 2011 Neighborhood Analysis is helping to ensure a demographically representative response across age, income and tenure. The survey went live two weeks ago, resulting in 170 responses to date; it is expected to close in July. Help get the word out! To take the NeN SNAP survey, go to http://tinyurl.com/northeast-survey. For more information, please contact Lorna Flormoe, Neighborhood Services, at 541-682-5670 or lorna.r.flormoe@ci.eugene.or.us. Envision Eugene Wins State Award The City of Eugene received the Professional Achievement in Planning Award for its work on Envision Eugene from the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association (OAPA) in Portland on May 30. The OAPA Awards Committee praised the project for its collaborative approach to building a shared vision for future growth of the community. The Envision Eugene process included 17 full days of meetings with the Community Resource Group, hundreds of hours of volunteer work by the Technical Resource Group, dozens of community workshops, listening sessions, meetings, surveys, and forums. The project launched innovative engagement strategies including an art contest and on-line open houses. The approach to finding new ground focused on ‘best outcomes’ is becoming well known in the community, and has set a new standard for planning in Eugene. The Envision Eugene Recommendation provides a balanced vision for growth centered around seven pillars, or community goals. In June 2012, the Eugene City Council directed staff to begin the process of plan adoption. Over the next year, plan amendments, zone and code changes, a new Urban Growth Boundary, and a Eugene Comprehensive Plan will be brought forward to the City Council. Visit http://www.oregonapa.org/awardinformation for a complete list of award winners. For more information, contact Terri Harding at 541-682-5635. For more information on the Envision Eugene project visit www.EnvisionEugene.org. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 June 6, 2013