Item C: Ordinance on Downtown Urban Renewal Plan Amendment

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property. In some cases, the Matrix indicates that a particular property does not meet any of the blight criteria. However, in many cases, a property meets more than one criterion. For a determination that a property is “blighted,” only one criterion need be met. The final column on the Blight Findings Matrix includes a “Y” or “N” to indicate whether the property has attributes that make it “blighted” under the definition/criteria at ORS 457.010(1). The determination of blight for a particular property is not an indication that that property is slated for improvement or for demolition, but an indication of the character of the area and substantiation of the need for reinvestment and improvement in the district. While not every individual property is blighted (some properties have improved due to urban renewal projects), taken as a whole, the City concludes that the urban renewal area is a blighted area. This conclusion is supported by substantial evidence, as discussed below. General Findings ORS 457.010(1)(a) The language in the statute that defines blight under ORS 457.010(1)(a) specifies that properties must be unfit or unsafe to occupy for their intended purposes due to one or more of the conditions listed in ORS 457.010(1)(a) (A – E). The statute does not elaborate on what “unfit” or “unsafe to occupy” means, nor does it state that the building must be literally unusable or uninhabitable. The City concludes that a building that meets the criteria under (A) – (E) evidences conditions that indicate that the structure is “unfit” for its intended purpose or “unsafe to occupy,” even if the building is in fact occupied and otherwise habitable. These conditions are described below. Information for buildings on individual tax lots was gathered primarily from visual surveys of the buildings’ exteriors and, in some cases, sources familiar with the entire edifice. ORS 457.010(1)(a)(A) Properties identified on the Blight Findings Matrix as meeting (a)(A) were determined to have structures that are unfit for their intended purpose or unsafe to occupy because of defective design and quality of physical construction. This was the case with the following publicly-owned properties in the current boundaries of the Urban Renewal District: 27, 45, 51, 84, 125, 143, 149, 150,151 and 152. These buildings were considered blighted per this criterion due to seismic concerns. Information on these buildings has been made available from City of Eugene Public Works, indicating that every public building built prior to 1998 is out of compliance with current seismic code requirements. While every private building built prior to 1998 is also likely out of compliance, it is possible that some of those structures would meet today’s code. Without a detailed inspection for each structure, in most cases it is not feasible to assess current seismic code compliance. ORS 457.010(1)(a)(B) None of the properties within the existing District or the proposed expansion area were determined to have structures that are unfit for their intended purpose or unsafe to occupy because of faulty interior arrangement and exterior spacing. ORS 457.010(1)(a)(C) None of the properties within the existing District or the proposed expansion area were determined to have structures that are unfit for their intended purpose or unsafe to occupy due to overcrowding and a high density of population. Ú·²¼·²¹î