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South Willamette Concept Plan <br />1. INTRODUCTION <br />Implementing Envision Eugene <br />In 2010 the Eugene community embarked on a <br />major effort to plan for the next 20 years of growth <br />and change. The emerging vision, titled "Envision <br />Eugene: A Community Vision for 2032," included <br />a set of broad community goals (called "pillars ") <br />and accompanying strategies to achieve the <br />balanced vision set forth in the document. <br />To accommodate an estimated 34,000 new <br />residents over the next 20 years, several strategies, <br />including area planning, are central to Envision <br />Eugene's emphasis on compact development in <br />the city's core commercial areas and along key <br />transit corridors. <br />To meet this goal, Eugene will need to find a way <br />to accommodate about 1600 units of multi - family <br />housing and several hundred jobs in and around <br />the core commercial areas and along key transit <br />corridors, above and beyond what the market is <br />expected to provide. A central purpose of area <br />planning is to determine how this can play out <br />in specific areas of town - in this case the South <br />Willamette district -while still achieving goals for <br />livability, economic vitality, and sustainability. <br />The values of Envision Eugene are captured in <br />seven "pillars." The pillars foster a balanced <br />approach to future growth that supports a broad <br />range of community goals, including a strong <br />rationale for planning in South Willamette and <br />other areas. The South Willamette Concept Plan <br />addresses many strategies within each of the <br />Envision Eugene pillars. <br />See Appendix A for a description of how the <br />South Willamette Concept Plan helps meet <br />the goals of Envision Eugene, the city's twenty <br />year plan for accommodating growth. <br />Concept Plan Purpose <br />The South Willamette Concept Plan is primarily <br />a physical plan, using the tools of design to <br />articulate a future look, feel and structure of a <br />specific part of Eugene. This includes a holistic <br />study of land use patterns, building form, street <br />character, and a variety of public spaces and <br />natural areas, and setting forth a clear, illustrated <br />vision for how each of these should contribute to <br />a livable, thriving district over time. <br />The overall purpose of the area planning pilot <br />project in the South Willamette district can be <br />summarized as follows: <br />• Engage the community in discussion of <br />balancing growth and livability in a specific <br />area of town <br />• Create a compelling and actionable vision for <br />the South Willamette district <br />• Identify priority areas and criteria for proactive <br />community investment <br />• Implement the Visioning Path of Opportunity <br />Siting to find good places for urban housing. <br />• Catalog and prioritize infrastructure needs <br />• Build a solid planning foundation to support <br />grant applications and other revenue <br />• Establish best practices, or a template, for <br />area planning in other locations <br />• Demonstrate the community's commitment to <br />compact growth <br />The South Willamette Concept Plan is intended <br />to result in tangible actions, for example <br />code changes and public improvements. In <br />addition, however, the area planning strategy <br />acknowledges that a significant market gap <br />will continue to inhibit needed redevelopment. <br />Additional actions are needed, including <br />community investment and partnerships with <br />certain kinds of redevelopment projects. Without <br />these efforts, the community will need to find <br />another way to accommodate future growth, for <br />example through expansion of the urban growth <br />boundary. <br />8 ■ City of Eugene <br />