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Education
40% of Census Tract 41 has attended some college but not received a degree while 20% have a bachelor’s degree (Figure 3). People with different education levels may have different commute routes based on their industry. The lower education levels combined with a high median income in Tract 41 may indicate a high number of specialized tradespeople.
The job, education, and income trends in this site indicate a growing population of financially successful families, whose demand for housing and services will rise accordingly. The number of families below the poverty level indicates a growing wealth gap between those who are well-employed and moving to the area, and those families who are struggling to make ends meet. A greater mix of housing types and affordability is necessary to meet the needs of all of Lower River Road’s residents.
Housing Characteristics
Between 2010 and 2017, renter-occupied housing increased more in Tract 41 than in Eugene, Lane County, or Oregon. This is notable because median rent in Tract 41 is higher than other areas while household value is lower. While income is usually a determiner of homeownership, Tract 41 experienced increased median household income and decreased rate of owner-occupied dwellings. In Tract 41, one-unit dwellings grew 2.5% from 2010 to 2017, accounting for 90% of housing stock (Figure 4). While this growth reflects the historic land-use patterns of the area, the maintenance of the UGB will soon require infill. The majority of one-unit dwellings in Tract 41 may produce resistance to higher density construction and impede the development of “missing middle” housing.
Unlike the rest of the state, cost burden decreased by 3% in Tract 41 between 2010 and 2017. Since rent is higher in this area, and renter- occupied housing increased, the decrease in cost burden suggests that higher-income residents are moving to the neighborhood (24).
4 Figure 7. Percentage of Families Below the Poverty Level
Source:FactFinder 2013-2017 ACS Education
Figure 8 shows that 40% of Census Tract 41 has attended some college but not received a degree while 20% have a Bachelor’s degree. People with different education levels may have different commute routes based on their industry. The lower education levels combined with a high median income in Tract 41 may indicate a high number of specialized tradespeople. Eugene has a higher proportion of residents with Bachelor’s, Graduate, or Professional degrees which is probably reflective of University faculty and staff.
Figure 8. Educational Attainment: 25 and Older
Source: FactFinder 2013-2017 ACS
0.00% 2.00% 4.00% 6.00% 8.00% 10.00% 12.00% 14.00% Census Tract
41 Eugene Lane County Oregon
0.00% 5.00% 10.00% 15.00% 20.00% 25.00% 30.00% 35.00% 40.00% 45.00% Less th an 9t h grad e 9th-12 th gra de, n o GED High s choo l grad uate Some colleg e, no degre e Asso ciate's d egree Bach elor's degre e Grad uate/pro fessio nal…
Census Tract 41 Eugene Lane County Oregon Figure 3. Educational Attainment: 25 and Older
Source: 2013-2017 ACS 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% 120.0% 2010 2017 2010 2017 2010 2017 2010 2017
Oregon Lane County Eugene Tract 41
1-unit attached or detached 2-9 units 10-50+ units Mobile home, boat, RV, van, etc. Figure 4. Units in Structure
Source: 2010 ACS, 2017 ACS
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Figure 5. Street Classification
Transportation
River Road is a 5-lane boulevard: four lanes for north/south-bound motor vehicles, with a center turn-left lane. The speed limit is 35mph along the boulevard. Buses share lanes with the rest of motor vehicle traffic, but a cut-out at each stop allows buses to exit the right lane while passengers board. Both sides of River Road have an unprotected bicycle lane between the curb and motor vehicle lanes. The bus boarding cut-outs block the bicycle lane when occupied. Bicycles can access Eugene’s riverside pedestrian/bicycle path via Rasor Park. Branching off River Road are numerous two-lane streets that connect residential areas to the corridor. Several signaled pedestrian crossings exist along River Road – some are at traffic signals while others have a strobe signal that stops traffic for the crossing.
LTD operates three bus routes along the River Road corridor. All three originate at the downtown Eugene bus station. Route 51 provides access to Santa Clara Square, North Eugene High School, and Washington-Jefferson Park, terminating at the River Road Station and doing a short loop before running the same route in reverse. Route 52 follows a similar path, terminating on Irvington at Willowbrook, and looping around Arrowhead St and Irving Rd to merge back onto River Road. Route 55 connects several schools: North Eugene High, Kelly Middle, and Howard Elementary, as well as providing access to Emerald Park. It stops at Park & River Road before heading west on Park, joining Northwest Expressway briefly to connect the schools. It terminates at River Road station, and immediately turns around and does the same route in reverse (25). Transit data from the Lane Council of Governments show consistent daily boarding rates across the three routes. All experienced a contraction between 2014-2015, but otherwise have static utilization (26).
17 Envision Eugene’s Comprehensive Plan is the city’s overarching
document for land use policy. It provides vision and guides the use of city resources.
The Eugene 2035 Transportation System Plan describes the city’s policies and projects related to the transportation network. They relate to improving infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motor vehicles, goals for implementation, needs assessment for the network, and the best practices for creating a transportation system that accommodates all users.
Moving Ahead’s Alternative Analysis Report compares the costs and benefits of different transportation/transit investments on several important corridors, among them River Road. The criteria for evaluation stem from three goals: “1. Improve multimodal transit corridor service, 2. Meet current and future transit demand in a cost-effective and sustainable manner, and 3. Support economic development, revitalization, and land use opportunities for the corridor (27).” It identifies the EmX option as the preferred alternative for River Road, due to the middle turn lane and better cost-to-benefit ratio.
The River Road Corridor Study reports the results of a workshop with residents of the neighborhood, intended to identify desirable outcomes for potential development. Feedback was generally positive toward concentrating development around “neighborhood centers,” along with more mixed use and medium density housing. The Economic Development Vision Statement for River Road/Santa
Clara outlines goals for the two neighborhoods’ future development.
Ample economic opportunities, affordable housing, resilience to climate change, encouraging dense development, and efficient transportation were among the desired outcomes listed in this vision.
The 2009 Lower River Road Concept Plan designates the site
as a “Central Commercial Area,” intended for mixed use/nodal
commercial development, with low-rise and mid-rise form. Around that would be a variety of R-1.5 rowhouses fronting greenway and parks, preserving areas for community gardens and farmer’s markets, and buildings oriented to face the greenway and parks.
The 2018 Parks System Plan identifies system-wide goals and needs
for Eugene’s parks system. Equity mapping identified River Road and Santa Clara as an area under-served by the parks system.
Source: Lower River Road Concept Plan
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Public involvement indicates a high degree of support for increasing walking and biking connections, enhancing local waterways, and improving access to the Willamette River.
These plans support our transit-oriented development proposal. The proposal is in accordance with vision and resource allocation ascribed by Envision Eugene’s Comprehensive Plan and 2035
Transportation System Plan. A relocated and expanded EmX transit
hub, in tandem with residential and commercial development, fulfills Moving Ahead’s goals of improving transit service while supporting economically beneficial land use opportunities on the corridor. More diverse housing, job opportunities, and efficient transportation created by this TOD pursues the goals listed in the Economic
Development Vision Statement for River Road/Santa Clara. The 2009 Lower River Road Concept Plan and the River Road Corridor Study
support concentrating development in neighborhood centers, which this TOD proposal does. The Parks System Plan identifies River Road as an area for improvement, which this concept addresses in its recommendations for improving amenities around Rasor Park, and in turn, increasing its utilization.
CONCLUSION
River Road, built on Kalapuya land, is a formerly agrarian area that became a suburban neighborhood in the 20th century. It remains a sprawling part of the city, comprised of mostly single-family homes. The Lower River Road neighborhood (Census Tract 41), in which this site exists, is a growing neighborhood with wealthy residents. Median household incomes are higher than the rest of Eugene, and there are fewer cost-burdened households. More families in the area creates a higher demand for services, many of which are not currently present around this site. The proposed transit-oriented development, which is supported by the city’s existing plans, seeks to remedy many of the neighborhood’s shortcomings by providing better transit service, more commercial opportunities, and additional housing types to suit the needs of all residents.
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