This month's EUG Planning Newsletter includes updates on: Middle Housing Ordinance, Renter Protections, Urban Growth Strategies, River Road - Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan, Efficient, Healthy and Resilient Buildings, Low Income Rental Housing Property Tax Exemptions, Downtown Windowfront Exhibitions and Planning and Development Job Postings. We hope you'll find this information useful and reach out if you have questions. As always, you can find more information on all of our work by visiting our website.

Due to the January ice storm, the City Council public hearing on the updated Middle Housing Ordinance has been rescheduled to 5:30pm on February 20, 2024. The public will have an opportunity to provide testimony during this time. Written testimony can be sent to MiddleHousingTestimony@eugene-or.gov.

The draft Ordinance includes updated findings demonstrating compliance with Goal 11 (Public Facilities and Services) to ensure that adequate infrastructure is provided when middle housing is constructed. The text of the 2024 Ordinance is identical to the 2022 Middle Housing Ordinance except that the 2024 Ordinance corrects scrivener errors in the 2022 Middle Housing Ordinance, incorporates updates to the land use code that have occurred since the 2022 Middle Housing Ordinance was adopted, and updates the expedited land division criteria to ensure consistency with statutory requirements. More information on the updated ordinance and the remand is available on the project webpage.

City staff presented information to the City Council on this topic at a work session on January 10, 2024. At this work session, staff provided information to the City Council regarding the remand of the 2022 Middle Housing Ordinance and discussed the updates provided in the draft Ordinance that address the remand issue. After the February 20 Public Hearing, the City Council may take action on the 2024 Ordinance on March 11.

Renter Protections Phase II

Administrative Order Public Comment Period

On July 25, 2023, City Council approved Ordinance No. 20694 to provide a phase II of Renter Protections. Proposed amendments to the Rental Housing Code Administrative Rule R-8.430 provide clarity on the new rental housing code requirements related to documentation, maximum security deposits, processing applications in the order received, relocation assistance, termination of tenancy reporting, and enforcement. The proposed amendments to the rule are open for public comment.

We invite you to participate in the public comment process. See more details below.

Community Engagement Plan for Urban Growth Strategies is Going to Planning Commission

The Urban Growth Strategies Project will identify the tools, actions, policies, and land needed for the next 20 years to support housing and living wage jobs. This project is a collaborative effort that integrates state-required urban growth planning, equitable community engagement, and City Council-directed policy work.

The City of Eugene Planning Commission will provide feedback on the Urban Growth Strategies Community Engagement Plan on February 13 at 5:30pm. The Community Engagement Plan builds off the Envision Eugene Community Vision and outlines community engagement goals, activities and timeline, engagement strategies, communication tools, and equitable outcomes for the project.

During the Planning Commission work session, City staff will present the Community Engagement Plan and request feedback and approval from the Planning Commission. The Planning Commission serves as Eugene’s Committee for Citizen Involvement and offers valuable advice to City staff about engaging the Eugene community.

This work session is an exciting step towards implementing a multi-year community engagement strategy that will help identify the needs, strategies, and priorities of community members for housing, jobs, and access to community services in Eugene.

Through the strategies outlined in the Community Engagement Plan, the project will look to the community to help answer:

• How much will Eugene grow in the next 20 years and what types of housing and jobs will city residents need?
• How can the City support increased access to daily needs, such as groceries, schools, parks, and transportation services?
• What can the City do to advance more fair and equitable access to housing, jobs, and other community resources? And more!

Engagement will begin in March and run through the end of 2025. If you are interested in engaging in the Urban Growth Strategies Project, stay tuned for project updates and engagement opportunities through the EUG Planning Newsletter, Engage Eugene, and the project website.

Since rescinding the ordinance that would have restricted natural gas infrastructure in new residential construction, the Eugene City Council has directed staff to engage business sectors to better understand the challenges and opportunities for reducing emissions in new and existing buildings.

The City is currently recruiting developers, operators and owners of residential, commercial and industrial buildings to participate in a small group conversation to understand how we can decarbonize buildings. Now is the time for us to work together to identify potential pathways for achieving climate goals. 

Below are the meeting times and locations. Participants can self-select the session that works best for their schedule. Contact Danielle Klinkebiel, dklinkebiel@eugene-or.gov to RSVP.

• Wednesday, February 14th, 10-11:30am: Food Manufacturing

(food manufacturers, breweries, distilleries, coffee roasters, food storage)

• Friday, February 16th, 10-11:30am: Industrial Manufacturing

(manufacturers, processors, warehouses)

• Thursday, February 22nd, 10-11:30am: Commercial Buildings

(builders, owners, managers, commercial realtors, tenants)

• Wednesday, February 28th, 10-11:30am: Rental Housing

(landlords and property managers)

• Thursday, March 7th, 10-11:30am: Residential Buildings

(architects, developers, realtors)

• Friday, March 15th, 10-11:30am: Institutions

(public buildings and campuses)

There will be more opportunities to engage through a community survey, public meetings and listening sessions. Staff will share the results of engagement with City Council in June 2024. Learn more about the City’s engagement by visiting Efficient, Healthy and Resilient Buildings.

Formal Adoption Process

The River Road-Santa Clara neighborhood planning process has been a collaborative effort among community members, River Road Community Organization (RRCO), Santa Clara Community Organization (SCCO), City of Eugene, Lane County, and other stakeholders throughout both neighborhoods.

After five phases and countless volunteer and staff hours, an adoption package was recommended by the Community Advisory Committee, as well as both Eugene and Lane County Planning Commissions. The adoption package will now be considered by the Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners as the final decision-makers. Eugene and Lane County are considering amendments to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area General Plan (Metro Plan) to adopt the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan. Eugene is also considering neighborhood-specific land use code amendments within the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhood boundaries (these changes would only apply to properties within city limits).

Upcoming Work Sessions and Joint Public Hearing

The Eugene City Council has a work session scheduled on Wednesday, February 21, at 12:00pm and the Lane County Board of Commissioners has their first reading and work session scheduled on Tuesday, February 27, during their 1:30pm afternoon work session.

The City Council and Board of Commissioners will hold a joint public hearing on the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan Adoption Package scheduled for March 12, 2024 at 6:00pm. The public hearing will be entirely virtual.

Providing Testimony

City and County officials are formally accepting comments on these proposals. All testimony received since September 12, 2023 will be shared with the City Council and Lane County Board for their consideration before any final action is taken. To submit testimony:

• Email Testimony: Send e-mail testimony to RRSCPlan@eugene-or.gov.
• Written Testimony: Send a written statement to the City Council and/or Board of Commissioners, c/o Elena Domingo, City of Eugene Planning Division, 99 West 10th Avenue, Eugene, OR 97401.
• Spoken Testimony: Attend the virtual public hearing on March 12, 2024 at 6:00pm.

Interested Parties

If you are interested in receiving mailed notice for upcoming public hearings and the notice of decision, you can sign-up for the official interested parties list for the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Plan adoption process. First and last names, along with mailing addresses, may be made available to the public under Oregon Public Records Law.

To learn more about this project and how to watch or participate in upcoming meetings, visit www.RiverRoad-SantaClaraPlan.org.

Council supports creation and preservation of affordable housing with property tax exemptions

The Eugene City Council approved three Low Income Rental Housing Property Tax Exemptions (LIRHPTEs) on January 22, a decision that will contribute to the creation and preservation of 285 affordable housing units.

Adopted in 1990, the LIRHPTE program is a partnership between the City of Eugene and the 4J and Bethel school districts. It provides a 20-year property tax exemption for rental housing and limited equity cooperatives that serve households earning no more than 60% of the area median income (approximately $50,580 for a family of four). This critical tool supports the pressing and ongoing demand to create housing that is within financial reach for lower and moderate-income households in Eugene.

Annually, the City Council considers new and renewing LIRHPTE applications. Since its inception, LIRHPTEs have played a pivotal role in sustaining affordable rents for more than 1,600 rental units in Eugene. Furthermore, the exemption can be renewed, with over 400 units having had their LIRHPTEs renewed since the program's commencement, ensuring the preservation of affordability for an additional 20 years.

The most recent developments to be approved for the exemption include:

• Olive Plaza Senior Housing: An existing downtown development providing 149 low-income rental units for seniors.
• Reveille on Sixth: A new affordable housing project occupying a former hotel building. This development provides 66 low-income rental units and includes collaboration with community organizations and the Veterans Administration to provide studio and one-bedroom units for people exiting homelessness.
• Peace Village Housing Cooperative: A new low-income limited equity cooperative located on River Road. This cooperative consists of 70 homes collectively owned by its members, with a long-term lease on land owned by SquareOne Villages as a community land trust, ensuring long-term affordability.

For more information about the LIRHPTE and other local efforts to create stable, safe, and affordable housing opportunities in Eugene visit the city’s website. 

A new cycle of Windowfront Exhibitions returns with rotating public art installations in the City’s vacant storefronts. This series of installations was unveiled on Friday, February 2, and marks the final season of exhibits in temporary locations as the program prepares to evolve.

In 2020, Windowfront Exhibitions was developed in the darkest winter days of the pandemic as an initiative to support local artists and bring the vitality of art to the heart of Eugene. The goal of the project was to partner with downtown property managers to refresh empty storefronts into temporary galleries and installation spaces for local artists and arts organizations to present their work.  

“Windowfront Exhibitions had a positive influence on the look and feel of downtown, particularly during the lowest points of the pandemic,” City of Eugene Downtown Manager Eric Brown said. “It brought a flash of color and expression to our streetscapes in places that would have otherwise stood empty and dark. It’s also brought the City, property owners, property managers and artists together around investing in our downtown.”

After more than three years, the program has met great success as most of these empty spaces are now rented and thriving as new local businesses. With vacant locations becoming scarce in downtown Eugene, the upcoming series will be the last to be displayed in storefront windows. Later this year, the project will change course by securing new permanent public locations throughout the downtown area that have rotational exhibition opportunities for local, regional and national artists.

This series of Windowfront Exhibitions is produced with support from partners Pacific Real Estate Services and Broadway Place. For more information, visit https://www.eugene-or.gov/4637/Windowfront-Exhibitions.

Neighborhood Services Officer



City of Eugene is seeking experienced team members to address complex community challenges in our public spaces as a Neighborhood Services Officer (NSO). The NSO position is part of our nationally recognized and community centered Parking Services team. The NSO position works independently to address a variety of situations encountered while conducting operations in the public way to enhance public safety, support economic activity, and neighborhood livability. The successful candidates will balance exceptional trauma informed community service with general code enforcement in the public way and/or City property for permits, camping, and obstructions. To learn more and apply through February 7, click here.

It’s important to us that community members know when someone has applied to develop their property through the land use application process. City staff are always happy to discuss a project before the formal review, and can provide information about what the formal review process will be to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to review and comment on a project. Sign up to start receiving emails that list recently submitted projects.

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