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HomeMy WebLinkAbout240515 WSMINUTES Joint Work Session of The Eugene City Council and The Eugene Planning Commission Eugene, Oregon 97401 May 15, 2024 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Lyndsie Leech, and Randy Groves Councilors Absent: Greg Evans Commissions Present: Ken Beeson, Diane Behling, Tiffany Edwards, Lisa Fragala, Dan Isaacson, Jason Lear, Chris Ramey Mayor Vinis opened the May 15, 2024, work session of the Eugene City Council in a virtual format. Commissioner Edwards opened the May 15, 2024 work session of the Eugene Planning Commission in a virtual format. 1. WORK SESSION: Joint City Council/Planning Commission Meeting and Urban Growth Strategies Overview City Manager, Sarah Medary, introduced Planning Director, Alissa Hunter, who provided information on projects that will be coming to the Planning Commission and City Council over the next few years, with a focus on the Urban Growth Strategies project. Councilor Discussion: • Councilor Groves -asked what percentage of Eugene's residential buildable lands inventory is in the hills versus the flatlands; noted interest from manufactures in West Eugene, but they couldn't find big enough land parcels; noted the Clear Lake Industrial Area is not shovel ready and asked how many available parcels are 100 acres or more; noted living wage jobs are one half of affordable housing; noted utilizing Career and Technical Education training will cultivate a well-rounded community; noted fostering commercial development is part of addressing the City's financial shortfalls. • Commissioner Edwards -asked if the City has a plan to respond to rezoning or expansion opportunities; asked if the City has annexation strategies for those who want to voluntarily annex into the City. ■ Councilor Keating -noted appreciation for staff's framing of the expansion discussion; asked about the overlap of Envision Eugene and Onward Eugene; asked who should be part of any initial conversations with potential partners interested in relocating to Eugene; noted interest in a third Urban Renewal District and inquired about the Planning Commission's conversation on it; asked how Council can encourage building commercial property with residential areas above from a policy MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session May 15, 2024 Page 1 perspective; noted Eugene needs more affordable housing and housing at all income levels. ■ Commissioner Ramey -asked how the Urban Growth Strategies project factors into coordinating land use and transportation planning; asked if staff has looked across planning communities for best practices that Eugene could implement. • Councilor Clark -noted a local State Senator helped pass the legislation needed for Eugene to annex islanded properties; noted the value of having a locally based legislator that understands annexation issues; noted 48 percent of the City's buildable lands inventory is unbuildable due to lack of utility capacity; asked what percentage of that land will be improved using Senate Bill 1530 funds; asked what percentage of Eugene's buildable inventory will still be unserved after project completion; asked if the potential Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) extension can be done with upcoming infrastructure plans to avoid incorporating unserved and unbuildable lands. • Commissioner Lear -asked for the timeline for a Metro Plan Amendment to accomplish a rezone; asked if there is potential to make changes responsively as opportunities arise. • Councilor Zelenka -asked for the maximum slope for buildable lands in the hills; asked about costs associated with making buildable lands shovel-ready with new infrastructure buildout; asked what the current policy is for building infrastructure on unserved buildable inventory lands; asked who funds infrastructure buildout for a manufacturer's desired lot; asked how residential housing numbers work into the process; noted Eugene lacks market-based affordable housing; asked what the City can do in planning besides subsidies to encourage affordable housing. • Commissioner Isaacson -thinks more joint meetings will be beneficial to receive feedback from Council; noted interest in having a Planning Commission work session to provide Council more information on the issue. • Councilor Clark -asked if there is a more effective way to do an expansion to prevent bringing in land that cannot be served; noted he wants to make better decisions compared to the Council-made plans in 2015. • Commissioner Beeson -noted the Planning Commission's work leads to housing requirements, land use code, and housing needs; noted interest in looking inside the UGB and base zones for additional housing capacity; asked how the City can get input from impacted constituents. • Councilor Zelenka -noted the Housing Tools and Strategy Process focused on streamlining the housing development process but failed to create more affordable housing; noted the City needs different processes to get more affordable housing; noted developers are responsible for paying for land that cannot be served as growth should pay for itself; cautioned against funding pre-development infrastructure; asked for the projected multifamily and single-family split. • Commissioner Behling -noted concern about the lack of affordable housing and the obstacles preventing it. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session May 15, 2024 Page 2 • Councilor Semple -noted concern for affordable housing; noted an increase in community outreach. • Commissioner Fragala -noted concern for affordable housing; asked where there is room for innovative approaches in the process. • Councilor Leech -thinks it is important to hear from the Planning Commission throughout the process to ensure there is alignment; noted interest in learning about the requirements for engagement and how Council can guide it. • Mayor Vinis -noted staff are conducting a larger employment study as not all needed employment is in manufacturing; noted interest in looking at other employment efficiencies. Mayor Vinis adjourned the meeting at 1:30 p.m. Commissioner Edwards adjourned the meeting at 1:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Katie LaSala City Recorder (Recorded by Natalie Venhuda) Link to the web cast of this City Council meeting here. MINUTES -Eugene City Council Work Session May 15, 2024 Page 3