Agenda Packet 3-13-19 Work Session

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Housing Tools and Strategies Action Inventory 8 In-progress Actions C. Increase the Inventory of and Access to Affordable Units Action Explanation Level of Support Impact Does this action increase housing affordability, availability, and/or diversity The City is responsible for completing these reviews. In partnership with local Affordable housing providers, the City recently created a new staff position devoted to Environmental Reviews. Aff-6 Expand Eugene’s land banking program for Affordable housing. In a land bank, a City buys land and then offers the land to Affordable housing builders at a greatly reduced cost. By providing the land, the City lowers the overall cost of development of Affordable housing on the site. The City is actively seeking to acquire more sites. HTS working group strongly supported this option (93%) in the preliminary vote. Yes - Eugene has had a land bank program since the 1970s and the program has resulted in the development of 895 Affordable rental units and 25 Affordable homeownership units. Existing funding sources limit the City’s ability to purchase sites. D. Additional Options Action Explanation Level of Support Impact Does this action increase housing affordability, availability, and/or diversity Other- 1 Use data to improve decisions and understand impacts. Staff in Planning, BPS, and ISD are currently working to build a growth monitoring database so the staff and community can better understand trends in housing development and demographics. HTS working group supported this option (96%). No one in the WG opposed it. No – The action will not directly affect the supply of housing, but it will allow the City and builders to make better-informed decisions. Other- 2 Encourage participation in Neighborhood Associations so they are more representative of the people living in the neighborhood. Eugene’s City-recognized Neighborhood Associations have many functions. Part of their mission is to establish two-way communication between neighborhoods and the City, and between neighborhoods and other external agencies. It also includes advocating the association’s position on issues such as land use. HTS working group supported this option (89%) and 4% opposed it. No- Currently, Human Rights and Neighborhood Involvement (HRNI) funds and supports neighborhood associations (NAs) to do outreach for meetings such as email listservs, meeting notice mailings, newsletters, and meeting space rentals. HRNI also holds two neighborhood leaders trainings every year to educate and inform the leaders on process, tools, resources, and different ways to make the group a success. HRNI commits funds and support to NAs to provide an avenue for representation, and it is up to members of the neighborhood to participate. It March 13, 2019, Work Session - Item 2