On Jan. 13, Eugene Mayor Kaarin Knudson delivered the State of the City address at the Hult Center.
Housing and homelessness
A major focus of Knudson’s speech was addressing housing and homelessness, a key priority during her campaign for mayor. Knudson called the current state of homelessness in Eugene a “crisis.”
“The lack of available, affordable housing is the root cause of our homelessness crisis,” Knudson said.
During this year’s state legislative session, Knudson said she plans to advocate more state funding to stabilize Eugene’s limited shelter capacity. According to city data, of roughly 3,000 people who are homeless in Eugene more than 2,000 are without shelter each night.
Knudson highlighted housing reforms made under her predecessor Lucy Vinis, including the Affordable Housing Trust Fund and changes to Eugene’s middle housing code.
“Thanks to reforms that allow for diversity and prioritize affordability, so far we’re seeing about 100 new units per year spread throughout a city with more than 83,000 existing residential addresses,” Knudson said. “So while the change isn’t radical, it’s significant progress. In just a few years, these regulatory changes are on track to spur what could be $50 million in new housing investment.”
Reflecting on her predecessor’s reforms, Knudson said it is important to remember that much of the new housing built in Eugene recently as a result did not need public funding. Rather, they needed policies that “allowed them to exist,” she said.
Knudson called to attention that Downtown Eugene has lower residential density than most of Eugene’s neighborhoods. That’s not the way it should be, she said.
“Our city center should be where residential density is highest,” Knudson said. “Downtown needs people to support local businesses, to start small businesses, to activate public spaces and to breathe life into the center of the city.”
Knudson set a goal to build 1,000 new housing units in Eugene’s downtown in the next five years. But achieving that goal won’t be easy, she said.
“This is double our current housing production and a huge challenge,” Knudson said. “Zero units of housing have been built in the Downtown core in the past five years.”
To meet her goal, Knudson said the city will need to take various steps, including reforming the process of building new housing.
“To meet this goal, the city will need to identify multiple new sites for housing development each year, reform our processes to reduce cost and time and ensure downtown has the public safety support it needs,” Knudson said. “We will need to continue to work as an effective partner, bring financial tools to the table and look for new ways that the city can partner with housing developers to meet our community’s needs.”
Community engagement
This year, Knudson said she plans to hold a series of informal community porch tours at residences and businesses across Eugene. The sessions will allow residents a chance to connect and share their thoughts on issues that matter to them, she said.
“Accessibility is a priority on my calendar, and as mayor, I hope to get to know you in the months and years ahead,” Knudson said. “Through me, I hope you will get to know our city better.”
