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e e e Mr. Chenkin said it was hoped that the proposed amendments would reduce the cost of housing by expediting City procedures and make housing more affordable to a larger segment of the population. Public hearing was opened. Betty Niven, 3940 Hilyard Street, said that she was chairperson of the State Housing Council and that one of the responsibilities of that group was commenting on proposed legislation that would affect the cost of housing. She felt that the proposed changes would have a positive impact on the cost of housing and would provide increased choices of housing types. She felt that condominimum ownership and the accompanying responsibilities for working with homeowners' associations were not a good solution to the housing needs of many people, since they provide little flexibility and often do not result in lower cost than home ownership. Ms. Niven felt that the proposal before the council provided a much simpler solution to meeting the needs of people who want less expensive housing and smaller yards to maintain. Ms. Niven spoke for herself and for planning consultant Jim Saul in support of reducing the time involved in processing cluster subdivisions applications. John Bennett, 3960 Hilyard Street, represented the Lane County Homebuilders Association. He said that the association had worked with the staff of the Planning Department in development of the ordinance. He was especially suppor- tive of amendments to increase flexibility and decrease processing time for planned unit development applications. He said that in the Eugene-Springfield area, the average cost of a house lot currently accounts for 35% of the total cost of new housing. He said that Lane County currently ranks 17th highest among counties in the nation in terms of average house lot costs. He urged the City to pursue further measures to reduce the cost of housing, such as rolled curbs, lower-cost road construction techniques, and making row houses an outright use in residential zones. Mr. Bennett urged the council to adopt the ordinance. Roger Kaldahl, 927 Ellsworth, spoke in opposition to the proposed ordinance. He felt it was unrealistic to say that the amendments would reduce the cost of housing. He noted that 40 percent of the annexable land in the Bethel-Danebo area is undeveloped and could, under the terms of the proposed ordinance, be developed entirely with small lots. He said that such development would increase the need for park space in the Bethel-Danebo area. Joseph Kaiserlik, 4566 Avalon, represented Active Bethel Citizens. He said he was chairperson of that group's planning and land use committee. He said that the proposed reduction in lot size would have a strong impact in the Bethel-Danebo area. He said that area was currently underserved with developed City parks. He urged that if the council passed the ordinance, it include provisions to design sideyards for maximum privacy, minimizing window-to-window contact. Jerry Liebersbach, 485 Berntzen Road, opposed the proposed code amendments. He felt they were unfair, since they would have a much more specific impact on one part of town than on other parts, and since they will make that part of town more "vulnerable" to high-density development. He said that, when applied in MINUTES--Eugene City Council May 24, 1982 Page 8