Item C: Eugene Comprehensive Lands Assessment

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Recommendations for Baseline Assumptions ECONorthwest April 2009 Page 6 ? Potential range of assumption: There is little information available about the amount of employment accommodated on land not designated for employment in Eugene, beyond the data reported above. In work for other Oregon cities, ECO has generally found that between 10% and 20% of employment is accommodated in residential or other non-employment plan designations. ? CAC and TAC discussion: Some CAC and TAC members suggested that the share of employment accommodated on land not designated for employment uses may increase in the future, based on trends in working from home. ? Current technical recommendation for baseline assumption: We recommend assuming that 15% of non-industrial employment will accommodated on land not designated for employment. The basis for this recommendation is that the 2006 covered employment data are the best available and we have little data as a basis for assumptions about changes in the amount of employment that may locate in non-employment designations in the future. ? Data source: The estimate of 15% of covered employment on land not designated for employment is a point estimate. The data source for the employment base was Quarterly Census of Employment and Workforce from the OR Employment Department, overlaid with the LCOG GIS data showing the City of Eugene Plan Designations. New employment accommodated in existing built space As firms add employees they may fit many of them into existing office spaces, through filling vacant cubicles or offices or increasing density of use existing workspaces (e.g., by adding new cubicles). There is no study that quantifies how much employment is commonly accommodated in existing built space over a 20-year period in a city. ? Potential range of assumption: There are no data that documents the amount of employment located in existing built space. Clearly some employment is accommodated through this type of intensification of use but, equally clearly, not all employment can be accommodated this way. ECO typically assumes that 7% to 10% of employment will be accommodated in existing built space. ? CAC and TAC discussion: CAC and TAC have not discussed this assumption in great enough depth to have suggestions for different assumptions from more than one committee member. ? Current technical recommendation for baseline assumption: We recommend assuming that 10% of new employment will locate in existing built space. ? Data source: ECONorthwest has typically assumed that about 10% of employment would locate in existing built space for similar studies in other cities.