Blue River Recovery
Helping Blue River come back as a real town again, with homes, businesses and jobs, after the 2020 fire left it nearly a blank slate.
The project in one minute
Ongoing. The water system is nearly rebuilt, Flex zoning is in place, and wastewater is the main hurdle left.
Downtown Blue River and the surrounding Upper McKenzie, in Lane County, Oregon.
Property owners rebuilding or deciding what to do with a lot, future businesses and workers, and everyone upriver who needs services closer than Springfield.
Neutral convener and explainer: we turn zoning and infrastructure decisions into plain language and get owners, agencies and nonprofits talking.
$25,000 to $60,000 a year for a part-time recovery coordinator, plus study and outreach costs.
We advise on Three Sisters Meadow, a 16-acre former millsite where a dozen local nonprofits are planning what comes next.
A town can’t come back one lot at a time
The Holiday Farm Fire burned 173,393 acres in September 2020 and destroyed most of Blue River. Downtown is now about 64 buildable lots, owned by many different people. Each owner faces the same questions alone: what the new Blue River Flex zoning allows, whether the lot can handle a septic system, and whether anyone else will build next door. Wastewater is the biggest constraint. The community sewer is designed but not built, and smaller shared systems would limit how much the town can grow. Without a shared picture, owners wait, and the town stays empty.
Local, neutral and already at the table
- We’ve been here since day one. MCP was on the ground right after the fire, and an MCP-led effort helped secure $15.5 million in state funding for Blue River’s water and sewer.
- We’re neutral. MCP doesn’t own downtown land or sell anything. We explain options and connect people to the agencies that decide.
- We connect the pieces. Owners, Lane County, the water district and nonprofit partners each hold part of the answer. We help them see the same picture.
- We share what we learn. Our guides on Flex zoning, septic and rebuilding are written so other fire-hit towns can use them too.
The plan grows with funding
Each phase stands on its own. Volunteers keep phase 0 going; funding is what lets us turn a shared picture into buildings.
Guides, convening and advice
Live now: plain-language guides on Blue River Flex zoning, septic and wastewater options, and rebuilding steps, plus advisory work on Three Sisters Meadow.
A recovery coordinator
- Reach out to every downtown lot owner and map their plans
- A plain-language wastewater options summary for downtown
- Quarterly owner and community meetings with the agencies
- A simple downtown vision that owners and funders can rally around
From plans to projects
- Feasibility and pre-development help for shared wastewater
- Business loop signage and gateway improvements
- Matchmaking between owners, builders and businesses
- Grant applications for the infrastructure the town needs
Why this matters beyond Blue River
Services come back upriver
Groceries, fuel, food and jobs closer to home mean fewer long drives for everyone above Leaburg.
A stronger tax base
Rebuilt homes and businesses help pay for roads, schools and fire service across the corridor.
Smarter growth
Planning wastewater and zoning together avoids costly mistakes that are hard to undo.
A model for fire-hit towns
Rural towns rebuilding after a disaster face the same puzzle. What works here can travel.
Ways to help this project
MCP is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3). Gifts to this project pay for the work described above, and we report what changed.
Give any amount
Pays for meeting space, mailings to lot owners, printed summaries and research time.
Sponsor a community meeting
Local businesses can cover a quarterly owners’ meeting, with credit on our site and in River Updates.
Fund the coordinator
Foundations, agencies and utilities can fund the part-time coordinator who keeps owners and agencies moving together.
Results we’ll report
Residents have told us they’re tired of plans that sit on a shelf. So we’ll count what happens and report it here and in River Updates.
- Downtown lot owners reached, and their plans mapped
- Owners and agency meetings held
- Wastewater decisions made and funding secured
- Building permits and new businesses downtown
- Grants applied for and won
So far: the Blue River Community Water System is nearly rebuilt, Blue River Flex zoning was approved unanimously by Lane County commissioners in October 2024, and the community sewer is designed.
Before you give
Yes. McKenzie Community Partnership (McKenzie Community Development Corporation) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax ID 93-1186618. Gifts are deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Yes. Note “Blue River Recovery” with your gift and we’ll put it toward this project.
Lane County, the state and the water district each own a piece: zoning, funding, water. No one agency is responsible for helping owners see the whole picture together. That’s the gap MCP fills.
Volunteers keep the guides current and stay at the table. Funding lets us reach every owner and move faster on wastewater.
MCP doesn’t own land downtown or sell services. Some people involved own property in the area; we disclose those interests and they step back from decisions that affect them.
Yes: sponsor a community meeting, share your plans for a downtown lot, or offer professional help such as engineering or design. Contact us.