01/25/1978 Meeting - Laserfiche WebLink

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Betty Niven reviewed her memo for Council. She felt it important that Council go back more than two years, and she had supplied information back to 1959. She noted since that time there had been a rather wide swing in the amount of construction. She said by looking at the percentage of permits for one and two or more dwelling units, Council could see that the last three years were a part of a cycle that has changed since 1959. She said during that period 'of time, almost as many multiple-family units were built as single-family units. In spite of that, the present report indicates that unless the City takes some action it will arrive in 1985 without enough multiple housing. She pointed out for Council the magni- tude of policy decisions that it faces. She also reviewed for Council the availability of vacant residential and agricultural land, noting none of the parcel of 10 acres or more are zoned R-2, R-3, R-4, RG or RP. When considering the figures and how many fewer multiple-family units are being built, she wondered if it was because there was not suitable land on which to place them., She noted in the report by Mr. Wh i te 1 aw, the asumpti on is made that the present mix of 64 percent single-family units and 36 percent multiple-family units raises the question of whether the 1976-77 figures will come out to the same percentage figures. Taking the 64-36 percent mix, she suggested if past development practices were applied to available vacant land, one might think the percentage would come out with the same. But, by looking at Table 3 on page 7, she said it points out there will be only 23 percent of additional multiple-family units of the total of new family units to be built. This occurred because the figures were used from a census district where distribution is almost all single-family zoning. She said if that were to occur, the City would be worse off than it is now. There simply are not available sufficient lots of adequate size zoned multiple-family. Mr. Haws wondered how many of the ten acres or more in the Goodpasture Island area were zoned R-2. Jim Saul replied approximately 260 acres, noting this was the only area where ten acres or more were zoned R-2. Mr. Saul continued that the Goodpasture lsland area was an example of what was occurring in the City. He said there had been a PUD request for 50 acres last year but the proposal was now defunct. Because of financing available now, more single-family dwellings are being built even though it is zoned R-2. He said this trend would continue unless the City wished to discourage such a trend by insisting on a mix. Betty Niven interjected perhaps the City should initiate development of a policy where basically single-family projects should contain a mix. John Porter told Council the same data base would be used for update reports that would be coming to Council. Mr. Williams wondered whether very much had really changed regarding housing demands and supply. He asked whether the pressures are not converting single-family units to anything more dense and whether single- family zoning could be altered. He said it might be a necessary conclu- sion to say that Eugene's employee housing will be in Junction City, Goshen, or Springfield. Ms. Niven said that was not necessarily so. She noted the advent of the environmentalists and their pressures for open space. Until that time, all forces of public opinion were operating against what would make economic sense. She said unless people can be 1/25/78--4 55 e e -