Item A: Envision Eugene - Land Need for Single-Family Homes and Public Uses

Home Browse Search

The Technical Resource Group of the Community Resource Group and the Planning Commission have reviewed the work on public and semi-public land need, and have concurred with the results. Single-Family Housing There are several factors that determine the future land need for single-family homes. An important first step is identifying how many homes can be accommodated inside the current UGB. There are five different ways to accommodate new single-family homes inside the current UGB:  On lands that are currently vacant  On lands that are currently partially vacant  Through redevelopment of existing developed land  Through code changes that allow or promote alternative dwelling types (efficiency strategies)  Through re-designation of parcels to low-density residential lands. The work around partially vacant land and redevelopment has recently been completed and is further explained below. The identification of lands that are appropriate to re-designate to low-density residential is underway and summarized below. Partially Vacant Lands State statute requires that local jurisdictions identify partially vacant lands within the urban growth boundary (UGB) and attribute future development to those lands. Partially vacant lands are those that have some level of development, but also have a vacant portion of the property with potential for additional development without demolishing the existing dwelling. In general, partially vacant lands occur on lots that are one acre in size or larger. Lots smaller than one acre in size are addressed under the “Redevelopment” category below. Staff worked closely with the Technical Resource Group (TRG) and a sub-committee of the TRG that was dedicated to this task. The resulting analysis goes beyond what is required by the state and provides a thoughtful and reasonable approach to predicting future development activity on these lands. Redevelopment Redevelopable lands are those that are less than one acre in size and have some level of development that may or may not be removed to add new housing. It is not feasible to identify specific properties that will redevelop over the next 20 years because the factors that go into the decision to redevelop are highly unpredictable. The City also has limited data to help understand the historic redevelopment rate for single-family homes. However, by reviewing the amount of new dwellings on lots less than one acre in size that have occurred historically, a reasonable prediction of the future amount of new dwellings can be made. Based on this review, it is assumed that approximately 600 single-family dwelling units will be produced through redevelopment over the next 20 years. The TRG and its sub- committee worked closely with staff to develop the methodology and analysis. Re-Designation of Parcels to Low-Density Residential Staff have identified and sent letters to a group of landowners to explore their interest in changing their property’s current land use designation from Medium Density Residential (MDR) to Low Density Residential (LDR). This will make development of single-family homes more feasible on certain properties, thus helping to address the need for additional land for single-family home development. S:\CMO\2011 Council Agendas\M111109\S111109A.doc