08/25/11 City Council Newsletter

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Authors of three books and more than 40 research articles, the Glasers have been honored with the International Association of Business Communication Research Foundation Award for bridging communication theory and practice. Feature stories have been written about them in Business Week, Nation’s Business, National Business Review, Working Woman, Success Magazine, and the Washington Post. For more information about their work, visit www.theglasers.com. Books for purchase and signing will be available at the talk, courtesy of the UO Duck Store. For more information about the talk, contact the Eugene Public Library: 541-682-5450or www.eugene-or.gov/library. New Affordable Housing Development on City View Ready to Proceed Eugene’s first affordable housing project that will test an innovative Passive House design is moving forward. On August 19, St. Vincent de Paul Society of Lane County (SVDP) was awarded federal low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs), State General Housing Account Program funds, and Oregon Affordable Housing Tax Credits from Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS Notice). The credits and funds will allow SVDP to proceed with the development of Stellar Apartments on City View Street. Stellar Apartments will provide 54 units of affordable, new rental housing to families, individuals, seniors, and veterans earning at or below 50 percent of the Area Median Income based on their family size. The entire development is designed to achieve Earth Advantage certification, which includes energy efficient design and equipment, solar hot water, nontoxic building materials and finishes, and sustainable landscape design. These green features will lower residents’ utility costs and add to the project’s affordability. In addition, the City’s Waste Prevention and Green Building Program and EWEB are providing support to use a Passive House design on part of the project. The City is also funding a University of Oregon life cycle assessment on the benefits of units designed to Earth Advantage versus Passive House standards to determine its usefulness for other affordable housing projects. The Passive House approach has been proven to decrease energy use for heating up to 90 percent without extensive upfront cost increases. The pilot program to improve the energy efficiency of affordable multi-family housing projects furthers the goals of the City’s Community Climate and Energy Action Plan and the Eugene- Springfield 2010 Consolidated Plan. In 2010, the City Council selected SVDP to develop Stellar Apartments on the Westmoreland landbank site and to receive federal HOME funds and Eugene system development charge waivers through a competitive request for proposals process. Now that the tax credits have been awarded, Community Development staff will work with SVDP to transfer ownership of the site and provide federal funds for predevelopment costs. Construction will begin on the site, which is just north of the Westmoreland School, in spring 2012 and will be completed in 2013. For more information, contact Becky L. Wheeler, Planning and Development Department, at 541.682.5532 or becky.l.wheeler@ci.eugene.or.us. New Accessible Aquatics Program Offered The City of Eugene Adaptive Recreation Program is offering a new program this fall called “Accessible Aquatics,” that allows individuals with disabilities, as young as six years, to get in Amazon pool to move and relax. The four-week class will feature small groups with staff-to-participant ratio of 1:2, giving participants the assistance they need in the shallow water. The class will meet from 10-11 a.m. on Wednesdays, September 7-28. The cost is $30. For more information and to register, call Carly Schmidt at 541-682-5311. EUGENE CITY COUNCIL NEWSLETTER PAGE 2 August 25, 2011