[FoE-M] TIMELY: Take action to protect Eugene's riverfront & bike path

[Kevin Matthews]

UO Riverfront Research Park
Conditional Use Permit comment opportunity!

7pm Tonight: Information Event
Thursday, November 19, 2009
St. Mary's Catholic Church
11th and Charnelton

By 5pm tomorrow, Friday, November 20, 2009 
Send in written comments by email to:
Heather.M.ODonnell at ci.eugene.or.us


----- Begin forwarded message -----
From: Allen Hancock <impact at efn.org>
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:42:36 -0800
To: Recipient List Suppressed:;
Subject: TIMELY: Take action to protect Eugene's riverfront & bike path

The future of Eugene's riverfront and bikeway system is imminently threatened. Your help is needed by Friday November 20 to protect it.

You may know that EWEB will be moving from their current location near the river and that this area will be redeveloped with a mix of housing, commercial space, and public plazas.  EWEB and the City of Eugene have had many opportunities to involve the public. Two broadly accepted goals of this development are to connect Eugene to the river and to create a pedestrian and bicycle friendly neighborhood.

What you may not know is that the adjacent parcel of land just upstream from EWEB is imminently slated for development. This land is owned by the University of Oregon and is part of the Riverfront Research Park.  It may be hard to picture where it's located because it's a neglected fenced-off area.

But the choices made about this property will have a huge impact on the future of Eugene's riverfront.  If the office building and surrounding parking lots are built as proposed it will make it exceedingly difficult to make a viable connection to the river and it will block an effort to create a seamless bicycle route between the campus and the river via Alder Street.

The University has been quietly pushing this project forward for over a year using an out-of-date plan that's more than 20 years old to justify their action. The City of Eugene will allow this project to proceed unless we act now.

TAKE ACTION

We have until Friday, November 20 at 5:00pm to comment on the University's request for an extension of the Conditional Use Permit. Comments should be sent to Heather.M.ODonnell at ci.eugene.or.us

Visit the Connecting Eugene website and click on "Take Action!" for a sample letter you can easily send to the City.

An informational event is being held at St. Mary's Catholic Church at 11th and Charnelton St. on Thursday, November 19th at 7pm. Look for the Connecting Eugene signs.

If you have questions, feel free to write or call me.

Allen



--
Please join with Friends of Eugene to help save our city's creeks
and ridges and rivers, for birds and fish and trees and otters and
people, too.  For affordable housing and urban place and green space
and greater health and happiness.

This special part of Oregon needs all our hope, help, and love 
together to create real solutions to West Eugene transportation 
concerns, for downtown revitalization and riverfront restoration, 
to drive comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reductions, to 
reach toward social and political and environmental equity, to 
support all the efforts for a safe, fun, sustainable, livable 
Eugene!

Please help, join, and contribute online: 
   http://www.FriendsofEugene.org
   http://www.eugeneneighbors.org/wiki/Friends_of_Eugene