Item A: Envision Eugene - Housing Mix and Industrial Lands

Home Browse Search

happen in the future or the extent to which city policy may influence their behavior. This uncertainty makes it difficult to accurately anticipate or calculate the amount of land that will be needed to house our projected population increase. A key factor in determining needed land supply is the rate at which vacant and partially vacant land within the existing Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) may develop. We can probably all agree that utilizing currently undeveloped land and existing infrastructure capacity before expanding the UGB makes sense and would preclude the premature urbanization of resource lands. But to expect all of this land to be developed during the planning period is unrealistic given decisions that individual property owners make, and could elicit negative response from some concerned about potential undesirable effects that full development might have on the character of existing neighborhoods. Some owners are apt to hold onto their properties indefinitely as a lifestyle preference. Other owners may delay development for speculation purposes, while some properties may never be developed given natural constraints. Additionally, some land is either not served or is underserved by public infrastructure, and the capital improvement programming to upgrade or extend public facilities and services is not established. This is a city financing matter that affects the timing of development of these lands. Furthermore, we know that when vacant or partially vacant land is developed to higher densities in established neighborhoods, it is often met with dismay and resistance from those who live in the area. For these reasons, we cannot anticipate that all land will be used at maximum efficiency during the planning period. Therefore, in determining the amount of vacant and partially vacant land within the UGB that is available for development, it is worthwhile to temper (within the parameters established by statewide planning law) developmental capacity with ownership expectations, neighborhood livability and public infrastructure availability. Because there is no single right or wrong approach to the uncertainty we face, as you set the direction that will shape our community during the next twenty years, we ask that you formulate policies which provide latitude and discretion to address whatever changes and challenges may lie ahead. past planning experiences, e.g., neighborhood refinement plans, nodal /mixed-use center plans, and floor area ratio standards, that attempts at forecasting and directing in more than a general way how real estate will develop over time can be fraught with pitfalls. While the purpose of city planning is to guide development and growth, it is prudent for us to moderate our expectations with realities of the residential real estate market, and to proceed cautiously regarding the extent to which policy can influence outcomes. Obviously, circumstances change in unanticipated fashion. If we are overly prescriptive and/or proscriptive and do not allow ourselves the ability to adapt, we run the risk of generating unintended consequences and missing unforeseen opportunities. Therefore, to meet our projected future housing needs, we encourage you to assure a sufficient supply of land for a broad range of housing types (both single family and multifamily), and provide the means to facilitate, not just mandate, higher density housing in appropriate areas. For all of the above reasons, we find it difficult to recommend an exact ratio of single family to multifamily housing to assign to the new residential development that is expected to occur in our community. Below, we provide a rationale establishing reasonable bookends for this ratio.