John Coon

Email: ncoon@uoregon.edu
Title: Community Development Assistant
Organization: City of Lebanon
Community: Lebanon, Linn County
Population: 17,417
County Served: Linn

Meet John Coon (he/they):

John is originally from the great state of Alabama (Roll Tide!) but has spent the past year in Oregon. They studied Political Science and Urban Planning at The University of Alabama before moving to Oregon to attend the University of Oregon School of Law. Having developed skills with the Ghanaian EPA and gaining a desire to jump headfirst into work after a year of school, he wanted to shift focus to building back communities. He is excited to get back into the flow of small town life and work on creating effective strategies for the city’s growth. When not pouring over policy or inspecting parks for work, he enjoys hiking, fighting mindflayers in D&D, rubbing his dog’s belly, and watching ocean documentaries.

Community and Organization:

Lebanon is a small town located along U.S. Highway 20, and home to the historic Santiam Wagon Trail. Nestled near the enough to the Cascade Range for a short trip into the mountains and an hour south of Salem and north of Eugene, Lebanon provides easy access to much of the Willamette Valley. Lebanon has maintained its small town charm through economic hardship and is currently beginning to grow with the influx of universities and healthcare work. But what sets Lebanon apart, is its annual Strawberry Festival. Lebanon has hosted this festival for over 100 years; more importantly, it boasts the world’s largest strawberry shortcake. Some might say that being home to the largest strawberry shortcake is pretty sweet.

Project:

John will primarily be working to update and combine the Parks and Trails Master Plans into one cohesive document. Most of his work will be involved in taking inventory, creating ADA compliance plans with stakeholders, performing community outreach and needs assessments, and locating funding sources for parks and trails development. Outside of the Master Plan work, John will be helping write the Housing Production Strategy and policy for the city. Working with the planning commission, city council, developers, and community members to develop effective housing strategy for Lebanon. Alongside this, he will be working with community members, organizations, and governmental departments in updating the 2040 Vision Plan and creating a 5-Year priority agenda. On top of these three projects, he will be assisting on other projects and responsibilities as assigned.