Can you please write a few words in support of protecting the Willamette River Greenway?
UPDATE: The Eugene Planning Commission voted to keep the public record open until 5pm, Friday, January 20th! Please take a moment now to submit your comment.
The beautiful Willamette River Greenway has been a vital source of physical and mental healing during the COVID pandemic these past few years. The greenway embraces our community by providing habitat for numerous species of flora and fauna, as well as recreational experiences, transportation options, and a soul-sustaining interface with the natural world. It also represents common ground for shared values: our community values protection and preservation of the precious greenway, public access to public land, and habitat conservation. Enhancing our robust tree canopy cover and counteracting climate change are so integral to what we love about living here. Recent public policy proposals in the form of Greenway Code Amendments are being made that demand credible public input. A wrong is an occasion to re-evaluate, reflect, and respond; collaboratively, we can engage in working to create and direct public policy that reflects our cherished values and grows a vibrant community. A public hearing with the Eugene Planning Commission is scheduled for Tuesday, January 10, 2023 at 5:30 pm. (in TWO DAYS) Please send in comments supporting protection, preservation, and enhancement of the Willamette River Greenway. Tell them what you value about The Greenway! Send your public comment to: City Council mayorcouncilandcitymanager@eugene-or.gov and Gepper/Eugene Planning Commission GreenwayTestimony@eugene-or.gov
Or you can cut-and-paste this message: Dear Planning Commissioners, City Councilors, Mayor, and City Manager, A healthy and vibrant Greenway is vital to a healthy community. We need our officials and staff to ensure the protection, preservation, and enhancement of the Willamette River Greenway with clear and objective standards, more open space without impervious surfaces, and creating local options for conservation easements. In addition:
All pathways on public land will be open to the public and a public process will be required for all sales or swaps of parkland.
The public land and 10-foot native plant buffer zone will be planted with species native to the western United States.
Our greenway needs MORE protection under Statewide Planning Goals 5 & 15 (not less!) to preserve the natural ambiance of the Willamette River Greenway.