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HomeMy WebLinkAbout250528 WSMINUTES Eugene City Council Work Session Eugene, Oregon 97401 May 28, 2025 12:00 p.m. Councilors Present: Eliza Kashinsky, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark, Lyndsie Leech, and Randy Groves Councilors Absent: Greg Evans Mayor Knudson opened the May 28, 2025, Eugene City Council Work Session in a virtual format. 1. WORK SESSION: Review of 2024 Implementation of Bond Measure to Fix Streets and Pavement Management Report City Manager, Sarah Medary, introduced Principal Civil Engineer, Katie Marwitz, who presented the 2024 bond measure and pavement management report. Councilor Discussion: • Councilor Groves -asked if there is a public list of street classifications; asked if the list is on the Public Works Engineering website; stated he receives a lot of questions about streets from his constituents. • Councilor Kashinsky -asked staff if progress is being made on projects impacted by pandemic delays. • Councilor Keating -asked if bond funded projects are marked with signage stating the work is funded by voter approved bonds; asked what public outreach exists related to these types of projects. • Councilor Zelenka -thanked the community for consistently supporting the road bond measures at the ballot; believes the accountability aspect of the bonds is important, and why they continue to be supported by the public; asked staff about the current backlog and reasons for its increase; stated the need for better infrastructure for alternative transportation; stated concern over the poor maintenance of the 7th Avenue side of the parking lot on Pearl Street; noted appreciation for the improvements to crosswalks at the Farmer's Market. • Mayor Knudson -stated appreciation for the community outreach and notification of upcoming road projects, timelines and impacts; is looking forward to the upcoming projects on Broadway, 24 th and Hilyard, and sidewalks. • Councilor Clark-asked staff how much of the bond funds have been used on backlog projects; asked if the funds going toward the backlog is creating more backlog on current projects; asked if there is an ideal percent of the funds allocated to backlog that would prevent increasing the future backlog. • Councilor Zelenka -stated that Council previously chose to increase the funding for alternative transportation modes; noted the increase to alternative transportation funding decreased the funding for project backlog; asked staff to summarize the Vision Zero Action Plan; asked staff for an update on the progress of Vision Zero in the last year. 2. WORK SESSION: Housing Implementation Pipeline 2-Year Report City Manager, Sarah Medary, introduced Housing Implementation Pipeline Analyst, Amber Friedman, who presented the two-year Housing Implementation Pipeline report. Councilor Discussion: • • • • • • Mayor Knudson -asked staff to clarify the difference between Low Income Rental Property Tax Exemption (LIRPTE) programs and direct funding projects. Councilor Clark-asked staff to outline the current planning for the Housing Implentation Pipeline; asked staff if the City is on target to meet state mandated annual goals for new housing production; stated that current policies do not meet the housing needs of the community; believes the current policies are constraining housing market growth; wants a more broad and intense strategy to address Eugene's housing challenges; proposed a Council retreat to address long-term sustainable fiscal and housing planning. Councilor Kashinsky-stated that housing is one of the City's most serious and complex challenges; noted concern about meeting state mandated housing production goals; asked if the high student population impacts the median income housing metrics; noted the importance of understanding the underlying factors in the high-level housing summary. Councilor Groves -stated concern for housing production challenges and developable land supply; noted that increasing constructions costs, supply chain issues, and labor shortages negatively impact housing production; asked staff if there is strong developer interest in starting projects in the area; asked staff if student housing projects are calculated differently from standard housing; stated student housing has a higher per square foot rate than standard housing; asked staff how the different housing types are evaluated by developers; stated many students benefit from housing funds through grants or other financial aid, creating a different financial situation compared to the average renter. Mayor Knudson -noted that student housing projects do not qualify for Multi Unit Property Tax Exemptions (MUPTEs). Councilor Zelenka -stated the current housing production goals are less than a quarter of what is needed to meet the five year goal; stated economic challenges create barriers to housing goals; stated there is a need for more family-wage jobs; recognized the increase in market rate housing in the downtown area; asked staff to explain the difference between permanent affordable housing and supportive housing; stated that with the reduction in federal funds, the housing support burden will fall more heavily on the state and local governments; noted appreciation for Governor Kotek's efforts to prioritize market based and affordable housing; stated that the City is far from reaching housing goals; stated that current strategies are not working; suggested various options for increasing funding for affordable housing; stated that affordable housing is critically underfunded, and a root cause of homelessness. • Councilor Clark -asked the mayor to organize a local housing summit to focus on reviewing available tools for housing development, identifying gaps in resources, assessing needs, and supporting the housing market. • Councilor Keating-stated that House Bill 3644 (HB3644), if passed, would negate the need for a summit; provided a general summary of HB3644; asked how HB3644 would impact the City's temporary shelter support services goals to increase safety and stability; asked if HB3644 would increase or decrease emergency shelter capacity; asked if the responsibility would shift to county partners. Mayor Knudson adjourned the meeting at 1:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, City Recorder (Recorded by Sara McKinney) Link to the web cast of this City Council meeting here.