A 21-acre swath of property along the Willamette River in Glenwood is one step closer to being an official part of the City of Springfield.
On March 3, the Springfield City Council heard the first reading of the Glenwood Riverfront Annexation project. The city’s Senior Planner, Tom Sievers, said all the property owners within the boundary of the proposed annex are on board.
“Thirty-two lots that were part of the annexation will be brought into the city, officially within the boundaries of the city limits," Sievers said. "And that needs to be done in order to extend public services—being utilities, sewer, power.”
Sievers, who provided the first reading to the council, said the city has received no letters of disapproval of the project and no one showed up at a public hearing to voice concerns. There are two large riverfront properties to the east which opted out of the annex. He said those owners may be “on their own” when plans for future roads and other infrastructure get underway.
"Every step forward in Glenwood is a big one, and this has been a long time coming," said Springfield City Councilor Kori Rodley during the hearing. "This annexation is critical to unlocking the full potential of this area, and I’m thrilled to see us moving ahead.”
Glenwood is considered a neighborhood of Springfield. The nearly one-square mile area is abutted by Interstate 5 on the west and south, and the Willamette River to the east and north. The land was once a part of Eugene—until jurisdiction was transferred to Springfield in 1999. Glenwood redevelopment plans, including the Willamette Riverfront north of Franklin Blvd. have been underway since 2005. Portions of the neighborhood have already been annexed into Springfield, but the rest—including the area targeted by this annexation—remain unincorporated.
Sievers said the annexation project was initiated as part a Glenwood urban renewal project and a Master Plan for development will come out of it
The primary property owner within Glenwood Riverfront Annexation boundaries is the Springfield Economic Development Agency, which leases to at least one business—Brooklyn Street Studios, a woodworking makerspace. Roaring Rapids Pizza and a putt-putt golf course owned by Roth & Roth LLC, a handful of small businesses, and other structures also appear on the annexation map.
"I believe there's going to be some turnover [of businesses] in the future as this Master Plan takers form," Sievers said. And he noted there's a high likelihood that if annexed, the newest part of Springfield will be re-zoned.
A final decision on the annex request is scheduled for April 7.
