HomeMy WebLinkAbout251112 WSMINUTES
Eugene City Council
Work Session
Eugene, Oregon 97401
November 12, 2025
12:00 p.m.
Councilors Present: Eliza Kashinsky, Matt Keating, Alan Zelenka, Jennifer Yeh, Mike Clark,
Greg Evans, Lyndsie Leech, and Randy Groves
Mayor Knudson opened the November 12, 2025, Eugene City Council Work Session in a
virtual format.
1. WORK SESSION: Urban Growth Strategies Adoption Package Overview and
Housing Action Updates
City Manager, Sarah Medary, introduced Principal Planner, Terri Harding, who presented
an update on the Urban Growth Strategies Adoption Package.
Councilor Discussion:
• Councilor Clark - stated strong support for the proposed housing incentives,
especially the Moderate -Income Revolving Loan (MIRL) program; asked about the
timeline for moving forward with MIRL and if there was a deadline to implement;
asked staff to move forward quickly with MIRL and stated his preference for having
formal votes rather than informal head nods from Council.
• Councilor Zelenka - noted the housing crisis impacting Eugene, especially in
affordable housing; noted previous efforts related to affordable housing have not
returned the expected results in Eugene; stated his support for affordable housing
projects, moderate -income housing programs, and micro villages but noted the
impact on the housing market has been minimal; asked staff to quantify expected
housing outcomes from the proposed actions.
• Councilor Leech - would like to learn more about all the concepts presented, but
stated particular interest in the micro village concept; asked about ownership
models, whether the homes were available to rent, buy, or a hybrid model like
mobile -home parks; asked about the availability of land for this model and site
flexibility; in support of expanding housing development incentives and their
potential impact.
• Councilor Kashinsky - expressed interest receiving more details at the next work
session about the different single occupancy types; stated her full support for all
proposed housing concepts; emphasized the importance of utilizing diverse tools to
achieve desired outcomes.
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Councilor Yeh - stated support for all concepts presented; noted that projects like
this cannot predetermine whether the homes will be available for ownership or
rental; emphasized the need to incentivize homeownership, especially for middle
and lower -income households; asked for clarification on the Area Median Income
(AMI) figures, if they were a local number or for the whole state of Oregon.
Councilor Groves - emphasized the importance of building more housing and
opportunities for owner -occupied housing in Eugene; noted home ownership is a
key factor in generating personal wealth; asked about changes to state laws to
support or enable a streamlined process for micro housing and Section 8 housing;
encouraged staff to engage with state -level partners and noted that Council's
Intergovernmental Relations (IGR) committee can also help to support this work.
Councilor Keating - noted the number one concern at a recent neighborhood
association meeting he attended was housing affordability; noted a key component
to a thriving city is the opportunity for renters to move into owner -occupied
housing; stated support for all housing concepts outlined in the presentation; asked
about incentives for mixed -use development along transit corridors; asked about
the community benefit of mixed -use housing and availability of incentives.
Mayor Knudson - noted the difficulty of building affordable housing and the
importance of having a diverse set of tools to accomplish desired outcomes;
expressed full support for the MIRL program and asked about existing programs
like the affordable housing trust fund to increase production and affordability of
units locally; asked about leveraging state-wide tools such as the Housing
Infrastructure fund.
• Councilor Clark - highlighted the national challenge of homeownership and the
average age of first-time home buyers; noted the State's down payment assistance
program which allows people from 80-120 percent of the area median income to
participate; noted the lack of new housing being built and the buildable land supply
problems; asked about incentives for moderate -income housing for purchase; noted
barriers such as infrastructure and permitting availability.
• Councilor Keating - asked about future opportunities to increase revenue through
commercial properties and vacant residential properties.
2. WORK SESSION: Incentivizing Voluntary Annexations
City Manager, Sarah Medary, introduced Alissa Hunter, Planning Director, who presented
information regarding incentives to voluntary annexations.
Councilor Discussion:
• Councilor Clark - asked about fire service agreements and mutual aid to special
districts; emphasized long-term tax base benefits of annexation; stated support of
incentives and pilot programs.
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• Councilor Kashinsky - expressed caution about property tax waivers; in support of
targeted incentives tied to housing development; stated concern about unintended
consequences of non-contiguous annexation legislation.
• Councilor Groves - in support of all the proposed incentives; emphasized the need
to close service gaps; noted historical context of annexation challenges and the
impacts on fire services.
• Councilor Leech - in support of exploring all the incentive options; requested more
information on how a pilot program could work; asked about the percentage of
annexation applications tied to housing development; asked about the cost of
processing annexation applications.
• Councilor Yeh - in support of continued discussion as the issue remains prevalent in
the River Road and Santa Clara areas of the City; emphasized taking budget -
conscious approaches; stated support for less disruptive incentives.
• Councilor Zelenka - noted this issue has been ongoing since he joined Council;
stated support for further analysis and conversations; asked if fee waivers could be
targeted; noted budget impacts of tax deferrals and subsidization; concerned about
unintended consequences and creating more islands that are difficult to service.
• Councilor Clark - asked about the budget impacts once the 10-year tax deferral
ends.
• Councilor Keating - asked for clarification on voluntary annexation language and its
urban growth boundary implications; stated in support of incentives if limited to
properties within the urban growth boundary.
• Councilor Leech - emphasized promoting equity in incentives; stated individual
homeowners should have similar opportunities for support like large developers;
indicated that River Road and Santa Clara as key areas for housing expansion.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:29 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
A J, t�'
Katie LaSala
City Recorder
(Recorded by Rosa Roach)
Link to the webcast of this City Council meeting here.
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