The Eugene City Council has been on break for the past week, and Mayor Kitty Piercy is locked in a heated mayoral race, but while the major city government players are out, there are still a number of local issues gaining attention from residents.

High-rise student apartments

The Eugene Planning Commission invited local residents to a public hearing Tuesday night and laid out a conceptual design for proposed amendments to the city’s minor codes. These codes could affect the proposed seven-story apartment building that is set to be built one block south of the University on the corner of East 19th Avenue and Alder Street. The building would rise nearly 100 feet in the air and include 212 bedrooms.
Residents in the South University Neighborhood Association are upset with the proposed building because plans only include 40 parking spaces, and it would tower over the neighborhood and compromise the area’s integrity, local neighbors have said. The proposed amendments could set a height limit that would mandate maximum building heights lower than the one currently proposed, redraft parking requirements and define the residential character of a neighborhood.
The city council will hold another public hearing and then make a decision as to what, if any, codes would be amended.

Homelessness

Mayor Kitty Piercy’s Blue Ribbon Committee on Homelessness will meet today at 11:30 a.m. in the Bascom/Tykeson Room of the Eugene Public Library to discuss its final report dedicated to finding methods of financing for homelessness and housing programs. The committee’s goal, according to their draft report, is to examine the local impact of homelessness, identify strategies and make recommendations to the city council related to new funding options.
One of those funding options is a serial levy that could put a five-year property tax in effect, said Richie Weinman, an employee with the city’s Community Development Department. The tax would need to be passed by the city council and then approved by voters.
The committee is a city of Eugene entity, but it is comprised of residents from Springfield and others in Lane County because, as Weinman put it, “homelessness doesn’t stop at the city lines.”
If a tax is passed by the council it would, theoretically, apply to all of Lane County. The Eugene City Council, however, does not have the authority to impose such a wide ranging tax, and a debate could result between the Lane County Board of Commissioners and the Eugene City Council as to where the tax could be imposed outside of city boundaries.
The committee’s report also consists of other funding methods, and members will urge local governments to examine their existing codes and housing policies that may contribute to the local housing affordability crisis.
If the committee finalizes the draft today, the report will be forwarded to the Eugene and Springfield city councils and Lane County commissioners to review.

Willamette Street two-way conversion

The city’s Public Works Department has been involved in an ongoing study of whether to alter Willamette Street between 18th and 20th Avenues and turn this section of one-way traffic into a two-way street, that may or may not include a bike lane or added parking. City officials created a stakeholder group consisting of local residents, commuters and business owners in the area to study the proposal.
Tonight at 7 p.m., the group will hold a public meeting in Room 202 of South Eugene High School to prepare for a large open house meeting that is scheduled for April 16. Tonight’s meeting will offer local residents the chance to give input about how the large open house will be designed and operated. The April 16 meeting is the last chance residents have to add input before recommendations are sent to the city council. Once the council receives the recommendations, it will decide which option to undertake or decide to leave the two-block section as it is.
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