In Review Amazon Creek Corridor Improvement Plans Reed Dunbar presented a comprehensive overview of this plan on August 18 at the Hilyard Center. In addition to making the south Amazon Creek corridor more bicycle and pedestrian friendly, the grant will also include $100,000 for public art. Residents will have an opportunity to participate in the planning process over the next two years. Read more... SmartTrips S. Willamette Walk Willamette Bites on August 12 was a success. 80 walkers sampled items from Capella Market, Jimmy Johns, Off the Waffle, Kung Fu Bistro, and El Super Burrito followed by pizza and drinks at Pegasus Pizza South Eugene. Thanks goes to Smarttrips: Eugene for hosting the walk in South Eugene this year and to our local businesses for participating. More photos... Neighborhood News South Willamette Special Area Zone Design Code The City of Eugene is working on a design code for the South Willamette area that aims to implement the South Willamette Concept Plan (SWCP). The proposed design code will affect residents, property owners, business owners and all users of the corridor. The code was created with feedback from the community between 2011 and 2013. Proponents say implementing the new code will help to "save land for farming, parks and recreation while housing an ever-growing population" and help to turn the "auto-centric corridor into a cohesive pedestrian-friendly district with the density to support transit." Those in opposition express concern that "affordable housing would be torn down to build more expensive apartments" and the "proposed changes would create more noise, traffic, on-street parking, and dangers for bicyclists and pedestrians." Questions remain. Have we done enough outreach to ensure that everyone in our community has had the opportunity to weigh in? Our neighborhood has not had an update to the document that defines our community goals for planning and development since the South Hills Study in 1974. Should we have an updated refinement plan solidly in place before we implement a new design code for this area? A group has formed to oppose the code implemetation. South Willamette Neighbors is asking the City Council to delay action on the proposal so there can be more public input. They have a web site and a community survey at http://www.swneugene.org and invite participation. Southeast Neighbors will co-host a forum on the Special Area Zone on Wednesday, September 16 from 7:00pm - 9:00pm at Good Samaritan with members of the City Planning Staff and South Willamette Neighbors in attendance. Please join us to review the plan and discuss next steps. The City Club of Eugene will host a program on the topic on Friday, September 18th which will be broadcast on KLCC on the following Monday. The Council work session for the implementation has been scheduled for October 14th, with the public hearing on October 19th. Join us on facebook or twitter for up to date information as it becomes available. OURS Activists Relocate to 34th and Hilyard Street The tents you may have noticed on Hillyard between 33rd and 34th belong to members of OURS; Occupy the Universal Right to SLEEP, a group of housed and unhoused citizens of Eugene Oregon protesting the criminalization of people without shelter and demanding the camping ban be lifted or amended to allow unhoused people to live and sleep without harassment. The camp was located at NW Expressway and N Park until EPD evicted residents Saturday night. (Click the image below for video.) The people in the OURS camp stay in public to continue illustrating that there is no legal place to exist when one is homeless. Their mission is to make clear that self governed groups of people can shelter each other through the winter quite well if given a small area to do so. "We cannot get every homeless person inside before this winter," explains activist Kristen Brandt, "But surely every citizen of Eugene deserves the basics: shelter, safety and sanitation." Street Restriping Project Delay A project to test a “road diet” on Willamette Street from 24th to 32nd avenues has been delayed. It is now expected to begin in January after traffic signal work and minor widening is completed near the Woodfield Station entrance on Willamette Street and near 24th Avenue. Read more... Bear and Cougar Sightings There was a sighting of a bear about 1/4 mile up past the end of Center St. and of a cougar in the 2600 block of Garfield. The Eugene Police Department reminds people to “be observant and keep their pets close when recreating in natural areas. Eugene has many natural areas and parks that are home to a wide variety of wildlife. These natural areas are one of the many attractive aspects of Eugene. Deer, squirrels, and birds live in these areas, but there may also be occasional, stray visits from cougars and other predators.” Read more... Call for Volunteers Tugman Park Neighborhood Festival Volunteers Needed Our annual neighborhood picnic/festival takes place on Saturday, September 12 from 3pm to 7pm at Tugman Park and will include live music, fun activities for kids, a free raffle with great prizes from local businesses, a Claim52 beer and cider garden, an urban garden sharing table, free ice cream, bike registration services from EPD, and valuable information from a variety of groups working to improve the neighborhood. We need help with setup and breakdown for this event. Please sign up for a volunteer slot on event day or email us to help with preparations. Feedback Opportunities 30th Avenue/Lane Community College Corridor

How can we improve East 30th Avenue, including Amazon Parkway and Oak and Pearl streets for those who walk, bike, use mobility devices, and take transit. Share your feedback with the City of Eugene and the Lane Transit District (LTD) by September 21, 2015. The feedback will be used to identify the right range of transit choices. Community members will have the opportunity to refine concepts, and understand costs, impacts and benefits before making decisions. Community Health Survey 2015 The Live Healthy Lane survey is now gathering opinions about health and quality of life in Lane County. Don’t miss the chance to have your voice heard. Start survey... Town Hall Meeting Location? Lane County Commissioner Pete Sorenson and new Lane County Performance Auditor Shanda Miller will host town hall type meeting in October 2015. The date and the place of the meeting have not been set, but both officials are open to the day of the week and place, so long as it's accessible and so long as the meeting is in the evening. Please send suggestions on the place (tentatively Harris Hall, Lane County Courthouse), day of week (tentatively Tuesday or Wednesday) in the evening to Pete.SORENSON@co.lane.or.us.