CC Minutes - 06/11/03 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Bettman said that the Jefferson Westside Neighborhood Association had recently been assured by staff that the MUPTE boundaries would not be expanded beyond Lincoln Street. Now staff was indicating that in the four weeks since that meeting, things had changed. She asked what had changed. Mr. Weinman said that staff had done a more thorough examination of the area, and it appeared there were a large number of already existing multi-family units and empty lots. There was development along the alleys behind the buildings. The area was zoned R-4, encouraging the highest density housing in the area. If the City did not want that density, he had to question why it was zoned R-4. He said that the alternative areas were included as Exhibit A because staff recognized that there was apprehension about the expansion of the MUPTE in the neighborhood and among the councilors. He suggested that the best opportunities for housing were not in the heart of downtown but at its edges. Ms. Bettman asked how the City could guarantee quality, high-density housing without design standards. Mr. Weinman suggested that given that each exemption was approved by the council on a case-by-case basis, it would have an opportunity to examine the proposed quality of housing. He added that those developments constructed with the assistance of the MUPTE to this point were generally of higher quality. Ms. Bettman thought the application of the exemption outside the core would discourage housing inside the core because it would create a competitive advantages for the area closer to the University of Oregon. She noted that she had initially supported the Vertical Housing Zone boundaries because on the surface it appeared to be a good idea, but now she believed that it would result in the loss of residential housing and the creation of more commercial development to compete with downtown commercial properties. That would mean one business was paying taxes and another across the street was not. Ms. Bettman said that she could only support the Vertical Housing Zone if it added housing on top of existing commercial development. She supported the existing MUPTE boundaries but was willing to consider expanding it to targeted areas. She wanted to find a way to encourage high-density quality housing but did not want to destroy existing neighborhoods for new projects. Ms. Taylor supported the existing MUPTE boundaries and did not support an additional expansion. She agreed that the neighborhoods should be consulted and was unhappy with the suggestion to change the boundaries without further consultation. She agreed that housing development outside the core meant housing development inside the core was less likely to happen. She also supported the Vertical Housing Zone if it resulted in the addition of housing on top of existing commercial uses. Ms. Taylor believed that most people who wanted to live downtown were young people with low incomes and questioned why the City could not encourage that through the development of low- income housing. Mr. Weinman said that such low-income housing was encouraged, citing the Aurora project, which had far deeper subsidies than most of the housing contemplated to be built under the MUPTE. The MUPTE would not bring the cost down sufficiently to make such housing affordable for low-income people. Ms. Taylor clarified that when she talked about low-income MINUTES--Eugene City Council June 11, 2003 Page 6 Work Session