HomeMy WebLinkAbout180409 WSMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Harris Hall, 125 East 8 th Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
April 9, 2018
5:30 p.m.
Councilors Present: Emily Semple, Betty Taylor, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Greg
Evans. Claire Syrett, Chris Pryor
Mayor Vinis opened the April 9, 2018, Work Session of the Eugene City Council.
1. Committee Reports and Items of Interest from Mayor, City Council, and City Manager
Council Discussion
• Recognize that the neighborhood matching grants are on the consent calendar tonight and
all nine projects were approved.
• Would like to see a dog park in every 20-minute neighborhood.
• Concerned about how the Planning Commission meeting regarding SB 1051 was set up.
• Councilor Syrett will be attending a community court conference in May.
• Santa Clara Community Organization expressed concerns about potential car camp in their
neighborhood.
• More information requested about the timeline for discussing C-2 zoning.
2. WORK SESSION: Construction Excise Tax
Community Development Director Michael Kinnison and Grants Manager Stephanie Jennings
returned to Council as a follow-up from last April with suggestions, analysis, and
recommendations about implementing a Construction Excise Tax and local options for
affordable housing. This included reviewing a set of recommendations from the Housing Policy
Board.
Council Discussion
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Appreciate staff response to Council direction from last year, but a lot has changed over that
time period.
Not supportive of implementing a CET, but do support a motion to have a broader
conversation around housing affordab_ility and best outcomes.
Questions raised about how the one percent CET rate was determined .
Stakeholders in the community have concerns about moving forward with the CET without
having broader, deeper conversations about barriers to building affordable housing in the
community.
Questions raised about the difference in residential vs. commercial/industrial CET rate .
Concerns expressed about creating a double exemption for projects that may overlap with
Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemption.
Request made for meeting notes from Housing Policy Board .
CET issue should be part of a larger conversation about missing middle housing because it
should all be thought of as a package.
Affordable housing requires affordable building and worst outcome would be if efforts to
come up with funding mechanisms makes affordable construction more expensive.
MINUTES -Eugene City Council
Work Session
April 9. 2018 Page I
• Important not to confuse affordab le and subsidized housing.
• Best outcomes are exploring and addressing the specific barriers to building affordability.
• Clarification requested about whether CET money co uld be used to help people stay in their
homes or pay utility bills .
• Support analyzing each possible component to affordable housing as a package to make
sure there aren't conflicts between them.
• Should have high expectations for community input on this issue and make sure it is diverse
and representative.
• Housing incentive tools include purchasing land, helpi ng with infrastructure costs, clo sing
gap for construction, SOC exemptions , property tax exemptions, addressing regulatory
issues -some are process-oriented and some are financial.
• Want a package of strategies that work together to rebalance the m arket, deliverable items
to make housing more affordable.
• For clarity, staff coming back should be as immediate as possible with the cost and the p lan,
but will accomplish ultimate work of going forward within six months of motion passing.
• Suggest friendly amendment to specify the date-certain be October 9, 2018, and that t he
mayor appo int a t ask-force of stakeholders to lead the conversations.
• Better Housing Together was formed for this p u rpose and started th is process; m ay be able
to build from that.
• Friendly amendment made and accepted that sets the time frame as six months from when
staff brings back proposals and funding options.
• In favor of implem enting a CET and addressing the barriers; want to know what the
timeline is for potential actions.
• Worried that the concept of a "package" will delay action because it could make project too
large -want to be realistic about what can be accompli shed.
• Questions asked about using consultants vs. expecting planning staff to take on work.
• Would like staff to lay out a scope of work that addresses current issues and fundamentals,
not entirely solving the hous ing crisis.
MOTION AND VOTE ( including friendly amendments): Councilor Clark, seconded by
Councilor Taylor, moved to direct the City Manager to bring back to Council for
consideration a recommended process a nd the necessary fund ing to allow staff to
identify existing barriers to housi ng affordabili ty, availab ility, and diversity of type
within the City o f Eugene, the process to be completed within six months from Council's
approval of the process and the funding. PASSED 8:0.
Mayor Vinis announced the Council did not get to the t h ird item on the agenda, dog licensing, and it
wou ld l ikely be put on the agenda for the Wednesday work session.
The meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m .
Respectfully subm itted,
Elena Domingo
Deputy City Recorder
MINUTES -E ugen e C ity Council
Work Session
April 9, 2018 Page 2