Eugene took a big step Monday night toward ending a battle that has raged for nearly a decade — the fight for a housing code.
An estimated 100 people piled into the Council Chambers for a City Council public hearing on the proposed code, which calls for local enforcement of the state Landlord-Tenant Act, a law that details the rights and obligations of landlords and tenants in Oregon.
About 45 people from the Eugene Citizens for Housing Standards, a coalition of neighborhood associations, community organizations and student groups, formed a welcoming aisle for the City Councilors as they entered the Council Chambers, holding banners with pictures of Eugene citizens with signs supporting local housing standards.
More than 30 people spoke at the meeting, the majority landlords who opposed the proposal. They said the proposal was an unnecessary duplication of the Landlord-Tenant act that is in place in Oregon.
“I don’t see the need for the duplicated bureaucracy,” said John Morrison of Morrison Real Estate.
Opponents also voiced concerns about the cost and the lack of justification for the code. Many landlords said they had requested a list of problem properties from the Eugene Citizens for Housing Standards last year and have yet to receive a response.
Supporters of the code stressed that the $8-per-unit cost would be barely noticeable during the course of a year’s rent and is worth it to ensure everyone has safe housing.
Brett Rowlett of the Eugene Citizens for Housing Standards said minor costs should not be a factor in such a major issue like enforceable housing standards.
“It is a human rights issue that affects us all,” Rowlett said.
Both sides used the housing code in nearby Corvallis as fodder for their arguments.
Landlords said Corvallis has not used the code enough to justify the costs.
“In three years they’ve had an average of three code issues they’ve had to address,” said Jamie Sterling Cunnard of the Sterling Management Group.
ASUO President Adam Petkun, speaking on behalf of Eugene Citizens for Housing Standards, said the code acts as a warning to landlords and prevents problems.
Rowlette said the code must be working in Corvallis, as it is still supported more than a year after being put in place.
“It continues to have overwhelming support from the City Council,” Rowlette said.
Many of those opposed to the code said it seemed inevitable that the Council would pass it but urged councilors to consider some of their arguments beforehand.
The City Council agreed to hold the public hearing after unanimously approving a motion from the Eugene Citizens for Housing Standards to create an ordinance that would provide for local enforcement of housing standards.
Eugene has not had an enforceable housing code since 1983. The ASUO has been working with the community on implementing a housing code for several years.

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