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HomeMy WebLinkAbout201209 WS MINUTES – Eugene City Council Work Session December 9, 2020 Page 1 MINUTES Eugene City Council Virtual Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 December 9, 2020 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg Evans, Claire Syrett and Chris Pryor Mayor Vinis opened the December 9, 2020, work session of the Eugene City Council. 1. WORK SESSION: CAP2.0 Update Sustainability Manager Chelsea Clinton provided updates related to the CAP2.0 community engagement work, greenhouse gas emissions inventories, and other efforts to implement the Climate Recovery Ordinance. Council Discussion: • Councilor Evans – asked staff for a high-level overview of the City’s current negotiations with Northwest Natural Gas (NWNG). • Councilor Zelenka – stated the City is making progress toward an agreement with NWNG; acknowledged the list of actions presented by staff and stated the timeline seems appropriate given that only 2.0 FTE are performing this work; said he feels the equity panel input is important. • Councilor Syrett – stated this is an impressive amount of work; asked about systems at Echo Hollow Pool and Campbell Community Center and how the new infrastructure at these locations will contribute to climate recovery goals; asked how staff balance budget and climate recovery goals when purchasing fleet fuel and requested to see the policies that guide staff in these decisions; suggested to staff to consider ranking more than just the top 10 City-led ideas. • Councilor Clark – asked for staff to provide the respective carbon emissions of electricity produced by gas, solar, wind and hydro, and what the cost is to the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) to buy electricity produced by each. • Mayor Vinis – asked about EWEB’s electrification study, including the timeline and content. • Councilor Taylor – asked how accessory dwelling units are connected with climate change; stated she had hoped there would be a possible motion at this meeting to ban the expansion of natural gas infrastructure; stated a vote is important so the public can see if their councilor supports it, and Williams & Dame need to know. • Councilor Syrett – reported the Oregon Transportation Commission is taking input from area commissions on transportation across the state on prioritizing transportation projects for the next round of funding in 2024, and the Lane Area Commission on Transportation (Lane ACT) is recommending active transportation be given a higher priority level. • Councilor Zelenka –stated there is a new director at Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT); stated EWEB has a high percentage of energy coming from renewables so using more electrification is good as long as renewables are used. • Councilor Clark – stated a number of decisions Council will make depend on the information to be included in the EWEB study and feels it would be wise to wait for the information it contains. MINUTES – Eugene City Council Work Session December 9, 2020 Page 2 2. WORK SESSION: Housing Tools and Strategies – Inclusionary Zoning Follow-Up Economic Development Planner Anne Fifield shared how inclusionary zoning relates to the City’s work on Housing Tools and Strategies and answered questions related to Senate Bill 1533. Councilor Evans left the meeting at 12:55 pm. Council Discussion: • Councilor Taylor – expressed disappointment that it took so many years for Council to consider this even after it was permitted, and in the amount of information provided; noted there are other states and cities doing this and it is about affordability and integration; stated she thinks it should be required and wished there were possible motions to vote on at this meeting. • Councilor Clark – stated he does not feel inclusionary zoning should be mandatory; stated he would like to see the City incentivizing the building of affordable housing along 7th and 8th avenues and Hwy 99 corridors. • Councilor Zelenka – stated he would like to see more analysis of the Portland program; stated he is willing to keep inclusionary zoning in the tool box and possibly take a deeper dive into why is has been successful in other states with an eye toward bringing back policies, programs and incentives; stated metrics are needed to show if the City’s efforts are creating more affordable housing units. • Councilor Syrett – asked clarifying questions regarding Portland’s inclusionary zoning program; stated she is not ready to support mandatory inclusionary zoning and is interested in hearing how other states and jurisdictions outside of Oregon have seen benefits from mandatory inclusionary zoning; expressed concern that if Eugene were to make it mandatory it would push developers to look to other jurisdictions to build. • Councilor Pryor – asked clarifying questions related to Portland’s inclusionary zoning program; stated he is interested in having units available for a longer term; stated that mandatory affordability does not guarantee the housing will be built and that affordable housing needs to be built through partnerships. • Councilor Yeh – stated it seems better to go with a voluntary program; asked clarifying questions regarding inclusionary zoning programs in Portland and Ashland. • Mayor Vinis – stated it feels that voluntary inclusionary zoning and the City’s Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) program would be quite similar; asked for clarification of this observation when this item returns to Council. • Councilor Taylor – stated that people in subsidized housing should have their income checked; stated HB 2001 will most likely not contribute to affordability of housing, it will likely destroy the affordable homes; stated the implementation of HB 2001 should be resisted; stated the City needs to look into other cities and states that have successful inclusionary zoning programs. • Councilor Zelenka – stated that voluntary inclusionary zoning without incentives seems worthless; stated he could support the motion with new incentives for voluntary compliance and more information from other jurisdictions; asked staff why the Renters’ Protection Sub-Committee for the Housing Policy Board work has paused and why Council has not seen its recommendations made a year ago. • Councilor Clark – agreed with Councilor Taylor that HB 2001 will not have the intended effect of preserving housing affordability; asked clarifying questions related to Portland’s inclusionary zoning program timeline; stated that Portland adopting mandatory inclusionary zoning probably caused a drop in homes built that will go on for years. MOTION: Councilor Semple, seconded by Councilor Yeh, moved to direct the City Manager to provide an update in early 2021 on Housing Tools and Strategies to discuss housing affordability overall, progress made to date, and expanded options for tools including voluntary inclusionary zoning. MINUTES – Eugene City Council Work Session December 9, 2020 Page 3 •Councilor Taylor – stated she will vote against this motion because voluntary inclusionaryzoning doesn’t mean anything. VOTE: PASSED: 6:1, Councilor Taylor opposed. The meeting adjourned at 1:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Julie Adams Deputy City Recorder (Recorded by Jessica Gebb) Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.