EUG Planning Newsletter

What's New with EUG Planning

December 3, 2022

This month's EUG Planning Newsletter includes updates on: Downtown Eugene Survey, ADU Program, Parking Rules Changes, Urban Reserves, Public Facilities and Services Plan 2022 Update and Planning and Development Department 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.

Visit Our Website
Facebook  Instagram  

Downtown Survey - Closes Tomorrow!

City Seeking Input on Priorities and Projects in Downtown Eugene

 

Downtown Eugene is the social, economic and cultural heart of our community, and the source of some of our most vexing community challenges. As the City evaluates these challenges, we want to hear from the community on the priorities that should guide future projects and programs in downtown Eugene.  


The survey will be open until Sunday, December 4. More information about this effort, including a link to the survey, can be found at: https://www.eugene-or.gov/4723/Downtown-Priorities-Projects.

Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Program

Urban design is essential to the vitality of a community – it impacts everyone’s wellbeing and it helps to build a connected community. It is also realized through countless solutions and applications. The Pre-Approved Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Program, is one creative and responsive tactic of urban design.


The program works to significantly and thoughtfully reduce barriers to housing by fast-tracking the permitting process and supplying free or low-cost ADU plans with the help and generosity of local architects. The ADU program also works to actively create additional affordable housing options by helping to fill the missing middle housing gap. The footprints are small, but the impact is great!


Currently, there are four (4) pre-approved plans in the library. One (1) plan was created by the City of Eugene and three (3) plans were crafted by local architecture firms, Studio.e, CedarStone and Aligned Architecture. The ADU designs are a blend of modern, adorable, cozy, and smart. You can explore the options here: www.eugene-or.gov/4979/ADU-Pre-Approved-Plans-Library.


Call for Library Entries:

We have room in our library for additional plans. More information and details regarding submitting a design can be found here. Whether you are a designer or a property owner considering building an ADU, feel free to contact Urban Designer, Annie Loe, with any questions, or explore our project webpage for more information.


We are in good company with promoting ADUs. Check out the article, All About ADUs, from the Livable Communities Newsletter published by AARP. Lastly, thank you to the designers, community members, staff, and contractors for playing key roles in this program. The program continues to evolve, and we look forward to working on this with you all.

Climate Friendly & Equitable Communities: Parking Rule Changes

On November 22, 2022, the Planning Commission received a detailed presentation on the State’s Climate Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) parking rule changes (meeting materials). The CFEC rule changes were adopted by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) in mid-2022 to help meet the State’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75% below 1990 levels by 2050, while also increasing housing choices and creating more equitable outcomes for all Oregonians. The parking rule changes are the first component of the broader update to Oregon’s Transportation Planning Rules and related administrative rules to take effect. The rules focus on rethinking off-street parking requirements for the development and re-development of properties within City limits.


The parking changes included in the CFEC rules have three sets of deadlines. Some of the parking rules (such as a prohibition on off-street parking requirements within one-half mile walking distance of a frequent transit corridor and for some specific uses) go into effect at the end of this calendar year. The rules related to electric vehicle charging conduit for multi-unit developments take effect on March 31, 2023. Additionally, the land use code changes to implement the CFEC rules requiring the elimination of or reduction to the minimum off-street parking requirements must be adopted and effective by December 31, 2023, consistent with the six-month timeline approval granted by DLCD. See the DLCD’s Parking Reform Summary for a full overview of the parking rule changes.


Our choices:

We want to hear from you! Staff is seeking input from the community on which parking reform option is preferred. For additional information, please consult the project webpage, or email: CFECParking@eugene-or.gov to ask questions or submit comments.


Staff will continue presenting the new CFEC rules and the main work components to review bodies and decision makers over the next few years. The overview presentation was most recently provided to the Sustainability Commission on November 16, 2022 (webcast), and earlier to the City Council on September 12, 2022 (meeting materials, webcast) and the Planning Commission on August 23, 2022 (meeting materials and webcast).

Urban Reserves Project

This Tuesday, December 6, 2022, the Lane County Planning Commission will hold deliberations on the proposed Eugene urban reserves (agenda and meeting materials). Then the following Tuesday, December 13, 2022, the Eugene Planning Commission will hold their deliberations.


At the deliberations meetings each planning commission will consider making a recommendation to its elected officials. Then, the Eugene City Council and the Lane County Board of Commissioners will consider their planning commission’s recommendation and they will hold their own series of meetings, including a joint public hearing (anticipated for February 2023) before making final decisions on urban reserves adoption.


Meeting information and project materials will be posted on the urban reserves project web page.


We want to hear from you!

The project team has set up an email address for public comments about urban reserves. Community members can send their comments to UrbanReserves@eugene-or.gov, and staff will compile the public testimony for sharing with the Board of County Commissioners and City Council.


As always, feel free to contact project staff Zoli Gaudin-Dalton or Rebecca Gershow with additional questions.

Public Facilities and Services Plan (PFSP)

2022 Update

Eugene is partnering with Springfield and Lane County to make updates to the Eugene-Springfield Metropolitan Area Public Facilities and Services Plan (PFSP). The purpose of the PFSP is to identify and plan for the infrastructure (water, wastewater and stormwater) needed to serve the current and future populations and land uses within the urban growth boundaries of Eugene and Springfield.


Eugene recently updated the PFSP as part of the urban growth boundary (UGB) adoption to ensure that all residential lands could be served and is ahead of Springfield in terms of infrastructure planning, however; the housing landscape is ever changing and the proposed updates to the shared plan require coordination and cooperation between the two cities and their service providers.


This project is generally intended to update the project lists and maps in alignment with each city’s growth management plan and separate urban growth boundaries and to update the plan amendment process to better align with the Metro Plan.


Prior to the start of a formal adoption process in spring of 2023, we are seeking comments on the draft changes. To see a draft of the proposed changes visit

https://www.lcog.org/planning/page/pfsp-2022-update. To provide comment on the proposed changes and/or to be added to the list of interested parties, please email kwilson@lcog.org. The public comment period will be open until 11:59 p.m. on January 10, 2023.


In spring of 2023, the proposed amendments to the plan will be brought before the Eugene, Springfield and Lane County Planning Commissions for a joint public hearing. Subsequently, each planning commission will hold its own deliberations meetings and form separate recommendations to their respective elected bodies. Following the planning commission recommendations, the Eugene City Council, Springfield City Council and Lane County Board will hold a joint public hearing and take action on the proposed amendments. 

Planning and Development Department Jobs

Senior Planner


The City of Eugene Community Planning and Design team is looking for a positive, productive and collaborative individual to help us turn our community vision into reality. The Senior Planner position involves a wide range of work with an emphasis on project management and policy work for city-wide or district level planning, corridor and transit-oriented development planning, research and technical analysis, and new programs and regulations. The organization often finds itself at the cutting edge of public sector projects, and this position provides the opportunity to advance future oriented ideas to enhance our community’s neighborhoods, business and shopping areas, and renowned public spaces. This position focuses on leading long-range community planning projects and state-originated work to further our vision of a compact, connected, livable Eugene for all. To learn more and apply, click here.




Applications System Analyst (Limited Duration)


The City of Eugene Planning and Development Department is looking for an excellent C#.NET software developer for an exciting opportunity to rewrite a business-critical application that is currently written in PowerBuilder. PowerBuilder knowledge is not required but is a plus. This position is part of the Planning and Development Technical Services Team. The effort will be highly collaborative for requirements gathering, project management, code review and testing processes. The application being rewritten is responsible for processing the City’s Land Use applications such as subdivisions and zoning changes. This is just the beginning of an effort to make this a more transparent, accessible process for the community. To learn more and apply, click here.


For all City of Eugene jobs, visit our careers webpage.

Interested in Land Use Updates?

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.
Sign up for Land Use Updates

Upcoming Meetings

City Council Agendas and Webcasts
Planning Commission Agendas and Webcasts

You can decide which email lists to be a part of by clicking update profile below. This will allow you to unsubscribe from this email list while remaining on other City of Eugene Planning and Development email lists. If you would like to unsubscribe from all City of Eugene Planning and Development emails, please click unsubscribe below. Thanks!

City of Eugene Planning & Development Department
99 W. 10th Avenue | Eugene | OR | 97401
Facebook  Twitter  Instagram