Ordinance No. 18686 - Laserfiche WebLink

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18686 Findin s 1. The structure of the Eugene - Springfield metropolitan area economy is undergoing a shift away from lumber and wood pr- oducts manu- f actur i ng (and other heavy industrial activities) , and towards a more diverse economic base characterized by growth in light manu- facturing activities and the nonmanuf actur i ng activities of trade, commercial and professional services, finance insurance, and real estate. 2. The lumber and wood products sector is the metro area's dominant manufacturing activity, and i n. this respect Lane county's forest is the area's most important natural resource u t i l i z e d as a factor of production, 3. Major institutions in the metro. area, including the University of Oregon and Sacred Heart Hospital, have had a stabilizing influence on the local economy. 4. The Eugene - Springfield metropolitan area is developing as a regional center for activities such as tourism., d i s t r i b u t i o n , and financial services, serving the Southwestern and Central Oregon area. 5. In order to meet the projected growth in the commercial and light manufacturing segments of the economy, an adequate supply (quan- titativel'y and qualitatively) of land must be ava. l able. The current supply is. not adequate to meet pro needs � quant i -- tatively, qualitatively, or in terms of location, through the end of the century. 6. Local per capita income is lower than for Oregon as a.. whole or the Portland metropolitan - area, but is comparable to or higher than adjacent counties. 7. The local area labor force is characterized by higher levels of unemployment than is Oregon as a whole and the nat ion; h'owever, it is not presently known what portion of the-total unemployment is short -term and what portion is chronic or long-term. 8. - Job creation is at a very h-i gh level in the metro area. This fact, together with the available data on unemployment, - implies that there may be a mismatch between 1) existing job skills and job finding skills and 2) the jobs which are available. These condi- tions are particularly important to the area's expanding labor force which results from people moving to the area and seeking jobs as well as existing residents entering the labor force for the first time, e.g., women. 9. Heavy manufacturing industries, including primary metals, chem- icals and paper, are characterized by high levels of po l l ut i on or energy consumption. 10. Both expansion of existing businesses through use of local capital and entrepreneurial skills - and the attraction of new employers offer realistic opportuniti for economic development. III-B-2