IMPORTANT: Save-The-Date, December 10, Wednesday, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, Lincoln School, Ward 3

[Keenan Bloom]

Dear Southtown,

This info didn't get sent out to this list serve. However this affects all of us in South Town. Please come on December 10th, change plans if you need to. This is the last opportunity we will have to make our voices heard to the council before they vote on changing the zoning for South Town. 

Areas 10 and 11 are of most concern to me and to others. 

Keenan

__________________________________________________

• Save-The-Date, December 10, Wednesday, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM, Lincoln School, Ward 3 (open to all of Ward 3, but held now due to the urgent timing of our concerns)
• This 12/10 Ward 3 meeting is our most influential opportunity to be heard BEFORE the Planning Department and the Planning Commission configure their next version (Scenario) of the SCAP.
• The Planning Department will have another public information meeting AFTER they've configured their final proposal, but effecting change at that point would be a much, much heavier lift.
• The City Council vote on the adoption of the South Corvallis Area Plan will be occurring sometime during the first few months of 2026. We need to have our voices heard before that time.
• Urgency continues because the City Planning Commission, in essence, overruled the City Planning Department, and is - unanimously - insisting a return to RS-9/RS-12 zoning on Crystal Lake Drive.
• More on the inexplicability of this process in my next email - the Planning Commission is unelected, has never met with us, but has tremendous influence. We need them to get to know us.
• Having a large turnout on 12/10 is of the utmost importance; please encourage everyone you know who values our Southtown community, and the Crystal Lake Drive neighborhood, to attend.
• This is worth changing plans to be able to attend - we are at a pivotal point in the City Planning Department and City Planning Commission decision-making processes.

• More information will be emailed in the coming days. This first email is just to ensure that we're all aware of the date of this important meeting.

The GCLCC effort is to ensure that we have agency as housing density increases over time and we welcome newcomers into the Crystal Lake Drive community. We want the development that occurs to be one that includes, rather than displaces, our current community. We wish to preserve our ecosystem and the treasured Crystal Lake Drive corridor that connects us. In most ways, and perhaps in every way, our wishes and the City's objectives can coexist. For this to unfold in a way that benefits everyone, however, our voices, ideas, and creative problem solving must be included in the process.

More soon (and read over the attached two flyer pages - composed in early October - if you can),

Jono/Jonathan

2565 Crystal Lake Drive

p.s. please forward on to everyone who you can imagine might take an interest

[Keenan Bloom]

Here are those attached documents 

[luna singer]

I have some important info to share regarding the Southtown Plan, and the meetings.

I would like to have a meeting before Dec. 10 to share this.

Can we get together on an evening this week, please?

Luna

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[Miriam Edell]

If you are unable to attend the meeting , please consider sending a letter to the Mayor and the council and the Benton County Planning Commission. 

https://www.corvallisoregon.gov/mc

https://cd.bentoncountyor.gov/planning-commission/

Miriam

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 3, 2025, at 12:54 PM, Keenan Bloom <Keena...@gmail.com> wrote:



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<City Traffic Vision_10-03-2025_120 percent.pdf>

<CLD Handout_Door to Door_11-03-2025.pdf>

[nancy bee]

This video was made 14 years ago and still hits hard. I recommend. It’s relevant. I promise. 

Nancy Bee

“Every morning I awake torn between a desire to save the world and an inclination to savor it. This makes it hard to plan the day. But if we forget to savor the world, what possible reason do we have for saving it? In a way, the savoring must come first.”

  

E.B. White

On Dec 3, 2025, at 5:34 PM, Miriam Edell <miria...@gmail.com> wrote:

If you are unable to attend the meeting , please consider sending a letter to the Mayor and the council and the Benton County Planning Commission. 

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/F43AE46E-C424-4447-AE37-429B077B9DC5%40gmail.com.

[Russell Sullivan]

Nancy-

Bullseye! I hope the Planning Commission and City Council view this.

Thanks for sending, Nancy.

Russell Sullivan

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/south-corvallis/CFB6CD24-B409-4128-A65C-3D805FD2F072%40gmail.com.

[Karen Smith]

One thought to add:

This is really two projects - Zoning and street "modernization" (their words) that is already approved in the 2018 Transportation System Plan (TSP) where Crystal Lake Drive is designated a neighborhood collector. Whether or not the rezoning goes through, we should push to make an exception for the standard cross-section for a neighborhood collector. They recently made an exception to the standard cross section when making future plans for West Hills Road, so it has been done before.

For anyone who isn't familiar, the image below is what our engineers see in their heads when they hear "neighborhood collector without on-street parking." This image is from the 2018 TSP:

 
If we build up support, we may be able to get Public Works to help alter this particular vision with a new design specific to this special street. So even if the re-zoning goes through, let's not give up on the street!

-Karen Smith

P.S. I'm a volunteer with SAFE Corvallis, and this is on our radar!

[nancy bee]

Karen, thanks for sharing this graphic.

Regarding street width- another place to see what might change is the part of CLD in front of CoHo. 

Only short trees are allowed under the power line so little shade.  

I have measured the width of CLD south of Alexander and there is a bare 10 feet for each lane. I measured in the CoHo section and I think the lanes were close 12 foot wide. City policies may have changed since the northern part of CLD was built.

Wide lanes invite motorists to speed.

As a frequent walker/cyclist on CLD both the old and the new, I feel much safer on the old narrow no bike lanes part. 

Some people will try to argue that widening the street increases safety for those walking and biking and I do not think that is true.  I think we are safer on the narrower, southern part because narrow lanes and overhanging trees slow motorists down. It would be even better if the street were not so straight.

The city is planning bulbouts on Alexander and CLD and I think that’s great. They slow turning motorists and the curb radius is way too wide and lets motorists turn without slowing enough.

   

On Dec 4, 2025, at 9:19 AM, Karen Smith <kmsm...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Richard Hervey]

My two cents on this thread.

1) What a wonderful exploration this video presents.

2) For many that last or nearly last point about "and you have to help pay for it".  I don't know if this anecdote applies but  ...

My memory is that Christine and Patricia undertook "remodeling" their house rather than building a "new" house because if they built "new" they would have had to pay for the portion of Crystal Lake "improvements" that were required for the construction of CoHo.  My memory is that that would have been about $60,000.

3) an extra cent - to Mark's point, maybe someone should check out whether the plan for Crystal Lake "improvements" would include street lights.

Richard

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[Karen Smith]

I'll add one more thing that someone pointed out to  me yesterday in a conversation - The cross section from the TSP is followed for new developments and when there is already space. It is likely that no matter what the Crystal Lake Drive won't ever look like the 66' cross section. That being said, they will want changes when reconstructing the street, and I think it will take some public pressure to save trees, keep cars slow, and not induce more vehicular traffic.

Thanks to everyone who's putting effort into this! I truly hope that the City is willing to be collaborative on street design.

-Karen

[Deb Curtis (Woven Fire Designs)]

Join us for the 14th annual SouthTown Art Walk this coming Sunday.

There are new artists to the walk this year and some returning artists who haven't been on the walk for at least a few years!

Maps and artist information can be found at  southtownartwalk.com

See you in the neighborhood!

Deb Curtis

Woven Fire Design s

www.wovenfiredesigns.com