HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC Minutes - 05/22/13 Work SessionEugene City Council
Harris Hall, 125East 8 1h Avenue
Eugene, Oregon 97401
Councilors Present: George Brown, Betty Taylor, Alan ���George Poling, Mike Clark, Chris Pryor,
Claire Syrett, Greg Evans
A. WORK SESSION: Multi-Unit Property Tax Exemption (MUPTE) Program Panel Discussion
Panel Members: Corey Dingman, Bill Morris, John Tcxter Rob Bennett, MiaNelson.
The panelists introduced themselves, stated their jobs and relationship to the topic, and gave
some background abocAtheirwork as it relates to MDPTE.
• The University area is attractive to developers because projects there are viable and can be
more easily financed.
• The degree of uncertainty in the current MUPTE process causes many developers to
withdraw their applications.
• Project costs are tight and profits speculative - developers often break even or incur a loss.
• Downtown development is often more difficult and more expensive to undertake.
• Development in the Coburg Road area may be viable if the land is already owned.
• Student housing is/has been the primary driver for MDPT8projects.
• University student populations are becoming more dispersed around the community,
causing rental rates toshift.
• Consider creating a small, independent advisory group to screen MUPTE applications prior
to the council's sigu'ntf.
• Put criteria in place so that developers will have some assurance that if they meet the
criteria their project will receive the tax exemption.
• Acknowledge the local hiring: issue: there are not enough employees available to meet need.
• For some parts of a construction job, qualified companies outside of Eugene or even outside
o[ Oregon must beused.
• A certified payroll program is fairly burdensome: the cost is high and it's difficult to monitor.
• Banks and finance agencies already track all the financial info the council is seeking.
• The shortage of multi-family housing and buildable land on which to build multi-family
housing in Eugene iscritical.
• Inclusion of affordable housing units in market-rate development is largely unfeasible.
• Affordable housing almost always involves families with children and requires a specific set
of amenities.
• There is support among appraisers, developers, lending institutions, builders and
community planners for continuing the MDP?E program in some form.
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 22, 2013 Page {
Work Session
MOTION AND VOTE: Councilor Pryor, seconded by Councilor Poling moved to extend the
meeting
• 5 minutes. PASSED: 7:1, Taylor opposed.
Due to the length of the panel workshop, the council agreed to push back the timeline for
implementing programmatic changes to MUPTE.
The meeting adjourned at 1:35 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
(-', ,AJJJ�-
Michelle Mortensen
Deputy City Recorder
MINUTES—Eugene City Council May 22 2013 Page 2
Work Session