The city of Eugene is seeking community input on changing off-street parking requirements in light of a 2020 emission reduction state mandate, which requires updates to transportation and housing services among all metropolitan areas in Oregon.
Eugene plans to limit off-street parking choices, such as parking lots, with community input in mind. The City of Eugene is hoping to gain insights into what members think about parking changes and their take on how they use and rely on parking, Reid Verner — a land use supervisor in Eugene — said.
The City of Eugene administered a survey open to community members regarding their opinion on public transportation and parking requirements, which was closed on May 8. Planning Commission hearings will be open to the public in June as well.
After former governor Kate Brown’s executive order to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050, Eugene and other cities must follow emission rules mandated by Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities.
CFEC’s rules “give cities directives to make changes to land-use and transportation-planning codes to start going in the right direction on dealing with climate change issues,” Verner said.
The first part of CFEC’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Oregon is by “reduc[ing] parking requirements in certain areas, such as along frequent bus routes, to free up land for housing and other services,” as explained on its website.
The parking reform requires that as of Jan. 1, new development applications may include one off-street parking space “per dwelling for residential developments with more than 1 dwelling.” The reform also requires that properties within 1/2 a mile of walking distance to “frequent transit corridors” or that have specific care, such as daycare or shelters, will not have a parking minimum.
Verner explained that if someone wanted to develop their property into business or residential use prior to CFEC, they were required to build a certain number of off-street parking spaces in order to be permitted. However, after CFEC’s implementation, development areas closer to transit lines will not be required to create off-street parking development.
“The idea then,” Verner said, “is the decision is left up to property owners and developers” to decide if they think their customers will prefer parking or not.
Community feedback on the changes to off-street parking has been “a mixed bag,” Verner said, adding, “people are supportive of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. However, people are still reliant on cars. The idea of people not being able to find parking are legitimate concerns.”
Areas with more abundant public transport may welcome fewer parking spaces, but areas in Eugene that rely more on cars may find the off-street parking changes more difficult to manage. Areas with less parking in the future may experience reduced rent prices due to the costs of parking development, Verner said.
CFEC plans to implement “Climate-Friendly Areas” in downtown Eugene, as well as increase public transportation and pedestrian-friendly options. CFEC will be implementing these goals through 2026 in Eugene.
“While it may have some growing pains, the project will have good changes for the city going forward,” Verner said.
