1. INTRODUCTION <br />BACKGROUND <br />The River Road Transit Community Implementation Plan, referred to herein as the River <br />Road Corridor Study, or "Corridor Study," reflects several years of partnership efforts <br />between the City of Eugene and Lane Transit District (LTD) to examine ways to increase <br />density and mixed-use development, and improve multimodal transportation access and <br />connectivity while maintaining desired aspects of neighborhood character. The efforts are <br />built upon and integrated from previous land use and transportation planning processes. <br />River Road has long been designated as a key corridor for focused long-term transit and <br />land use development at the state, regional, and local levels as summarized in the plans <br />below. Furthermore, the River Road corridor is part of the MovingAhead project, which is <br />a process to evaluate the feasibility of expanding the region's bus rapid transit system <br />along multiple corridors. The MovingAhead project will be further described in subsequent <br />sections. <br />Integration of Land Use & Transportation Planning <br />The state of Oregon has a proud legacy of integrating land use and transportation <br />planning. The concept is acknowledged statewide in the 1992 Oregon Transportation Plan <br />as well as locally within the Eugene -Springfield area's 2002 Regional Transportation <br />System Plan, called TransPlan. The following summarizes some of the key plans and <br />policies in place today that set the foundation for and support transit -oriented <br />development opportunities. <br />Oregon Department of Transportation — Oregon Transportation Plan <br />In 2006, the Oregon Transportation Commission adopted a revised Oregon Transportation <br />Plan to address the future needs of Oregon's bicycle and pedestrian facilities, highways <br />and roadways, public transportation and railroads, and other public facilities through <br />2030. Among the plan's six key initiatives is to "integrate transportation, land use, <br />economic development and the environment" by "encourage(ing) and support(ing) land <br />use plans and policies to enhance overall transportation system efficiency and <br />transportation choices, including planning for compact and mixed-use development in <br />appropriate locations."' <br />House Bill 2017 — Keep Oregon Moving <br />In 2017, the 791h Oregon Legislative Assembly passed House Bill 2017, known as "Keep <br />Oregon Moving." This transportation bill validates and codified a coordinated planning <br />approach by authorizing the Director of Transportation, subject to policy direction by the <br />Oregon Transportation Commission, to "construct, coordinate, and promote an integrated <br />transportation system in cooperation with any city, county, district, port or private entity" <br />including participation in and review of land use decisions. Section 122 of this bill <br />established a new dedicated funding source called the Statewide Transportation <br />RIVER ROAD CORRIDOR STUDY <br />68 <br />