In the wake of House Bill 2001 and our upcoming Middle Housing project, we are conducting a series on each housing type we'll be discussing in that project, the third of which is Triplexes. Stay tuned for introductions to and photos of more housing types.

A fourplex, also known as a quadplex, is a middle housing structure that contains four separate dwelling units on a residential lot. Fourplexes come in all different shapes and sizes; some are single story, and some are 2-4 stories tall. Units within a fourplex can have a compact, cozy feel and often share walls with the other units. However, these units are usually distinct; each with separate entrances. .

House Bill 2001 states that, no later than June 30, 2022 , all cities of 50,000+ population size, including Eugene, must amend the City’s land use regulations to allow fourplexes on lots in residential areas: that are located within city limits, that are zoned for residential use; and on which the City’s land use regulations allows the construction of a detached single-family dwelling.

Currently, fourplexes can be built in Eugene on some lots zoned for R-1 Low-Density Residential and are subject to special development standards on lots zoned for R-2 Medium-Density Residential, R-3 Limited High-Density, and R-4 High-Density Residential. New fourplexes cannot be constructed in the city recognized boundaries of Amazon Neighbors, Fairmount Neighbors, and South University Neighborhood Association.

Next time you’re on a stroll in your neighborhood, look to see if you can spot a house with four entrances or four-house numbers. That’s probably a fourplex! Use our Housing Scavenger Hunt to spot different types of housing around you. For more information, check out our Missing Middle Handbook.

As the planning team shifts most of our public engagement online, we are looking for opportunities to reach more people in the community. You can keep up with all things planning related through this newsletter, our Facebook, and now on our Instagram! If you’re on Instagram, find us at @EUGPlanning or click the link at the bottom of the newsletter.

Is there social media we should have a presence on or content you'd like to see? If so, share your thoughts with Sophie McGinley.

Since the last newsletter, staff took the Middle Housing Public Involvement Plan to City Council on July 21, 2020 and incorporated Council’s feedback before taking the plan back to Planning Commission for final approval on August 11, 2020. Now that the Public Involvement Plan is approved, staff is working to begin public engagement – stay tuned! The plan can be viewed here, and couple highlights are:

As for House Bill 2001 regulations, the Department of Land Conservation and Development (DLCD) is still in the process of developing guidance for cities. A group of stakeholders from communities across Oregon have been regularly meeting to craft a model code and minimum code standards for compliance with the bill. City of Eugene staff are closely monitoring the rulemaking process and will share the minimum standards when they are finalized. Both the model code and the minimum standards will be finalized and adopted by the state Land Conservation and Development Commission (LCDC) by the end of the calendar year. 

For more information, visit the project webpage. If you have any questions about the project, contact Sophie McGinley at 541-682-5476.

Thank you to the 1,300+ people that attended our month-long Virtual Open House! Two hundred and ten community members completed the survey. Out of the four Urban Reserves options, the 27-Year Option that removes from consideration Class 1 soils and adjacent Class 2 soils was the most supported. The full survey results can be viewed here. To learn more about the four urban reserve options, check out our Urban Reserves Options Story Map.

Since October 2018, the Engage Eugene Technical Advisory Committee (EETAC) has met 17 times to review and provide input to staff on Urban Reserves planning work. At their July 16th meeting, they used consensus-based decision making to recommend the 27-Year Option to staff.

Earlier this month, the Eugene and Lane County Planning Commissions both met twice on Urban Reserves options. The role of both Commissions is to recommend an Urban Reserve option for the City Council and the Lane Board of County Commissioners to consider before making a final decision. For links to meeting information and webcasts, visit the Urban Reserves website.

Next Steps—Stay Involved!

Staff is preparing for a joint work session with the Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners on September 21st. Then, in October, the City Council and Board of Commissioners will be asked to provide direction to staff on their preferred Urban Reserve option, so we can begin preparing an adoption package to bring back to them. 

If you wish to provide public input on Urban Reserves, please do so by sharing your thoughts via public comment. Meeting links will be posted on the Urban Reserves webpage and Engage Eugene page. If you have questions about the Urban Reserves options or how to provide input, contact Project Manager Rebecca Gershow at 541-682-8816.

Downtown Eugene is remaining vibrant during the COVID-19 era with the help of creative thinking by the City of Eugene and local businesses. The collaboration led to the “Streatery” program, which allows restaurants to use nearby public spaces, including sidewalks and streets, for outdoor dining. Each weekend until November 1, 2020, Fifth Street, between Pearl and High streets, is being closed to vehicles so businesses in and around Fifth Street Public Market can use the outdoors to meet social distancing requirements.

The Fifth Avenue Streatery is the latest example of different ways the City of Eugene is trying to help local employers survive the pandemic-caused recession. Other temporary measures in downtown have made it easier for businesses to:

• Conduct outdoor exercise classes in public spaces

• Use publicly owned sidewalks and parking spaces for outdoor dining

• Serve takeout and pickup customers with free curbside parking spaces

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a real threat to the survival of many locally-owned downtown businesses, which requires us to think of new ways to support them,” said the City’s Downtown Manager Eric Brown. “We urge you to shop and dine downtown to help these businesses through the recovery.” 

The Fifth Street Streatery is Eugene’s second, recent block-long street closure. In July, the City closed Broadway, between Willamette and Olive streets, so adjacent restaurants, bars and brewpubs could expand their premises outdoors. Party Downtown co-owner Mark Kosmicki said the outlook for his restaurant on West Broadway had been bleak. However, sales have more than tripled since the street was closed. “It’s been a lifeline and a lifesaver,” he said of the Broadway Streatery. “It gives us a chance for success.

A streatery does not have to cover an entire block of a city street; individual restaurants can receive City permission to use adjacent sidewalks or curbside parking spaces for outdoor dining, too. Claim 52 Kitchen on Willamette Street became the first Eugene restaurant to receive a Streatery permit, which allowed it to add sidewalk seating and tables in curbside parking spaces. So far, more than a dozen downtown restaurants have received Streatery permits. 

For more information about the free Streatery program, visit the program webpage.

In early August, the Downtown Athletic Club (DAC) began offering something unusual – outdoor exercise and spin classes. An agreement with the City allows the club to use the upper levels of the adjacent Overpark public parking garage for exercise classes. The City also permitted the DAC to offer spinning sessions on the public sidewalk in front of the Willamette Street athletic club. 

One of the DAC’s owners, Rob E. Bennett, last month thought of using the Overpark for exercise classes after the governor required masks to be worn indoors in places accessible to the public. Bennett mentioned the idea to City Parking Manager Jeff Petry, who was immediately supportive. Having a nearby place to conduct exercise classes “meant a lot, because as an urban club we don’t have outdoor space immediately adjacent to us,” Bennett said. “It’s also allowed some of our members who were concerned about exercising in an indoor environment to participate.”

The free classes, called “DAC Outdoors,” are being offered until Sept. 7. For more information, contact the DAC at 541-484-4011.

For information about using City parking garages, contact Operations Manager Travis Hargitt. For information about sidewalk permits, contact the City’s Business Help team.

Early in the pandemic when the governor ordered restaurants to close except for takeout, the City began designating curbside parking spaces for takeout customers only. Since mid-March, more than 50 businesses in downtown and elsewhere have asked the City to designate curbside parking spaces for that purpose. To learn more about takeout parking, contact Lead Parking Services Officer Jim Brown.

Land use approvals, such as Subdivisions and Planned Unit Developments, are only valid for a particular period of time. When land use approvals expire, applicants are required to repeat the land use application process and obtain a new land use approval in order to develop their property, which can be a costly and time consuming barrier to development. By extending the expiration date for certain land use approvals (Type II and Type III applications), the City Council would support development projects that have already undergone an extensive public process and received City approval, but may be slowed down or stalled due to the ongoing economic challenges and uncertainty related to the pandemic. By offering additional time for project to be completed, the City can support the community by giving developers more time to utilize their land use approvals. 

If approved by the City Council, this expiration extension will impact Type II and Type III applications that were approved and subject to expiration. Type II land use approvals typically require Planning Director approval, and include applications like Partitions, Subdivisions, and Site Reviews. Type III land use approvals typically require approval by a Hearings Official through a public hearings process and include applications like tentative Planned Unit Developments or Conditional Use Permits.

The first public hearing for this amendment will be held by the Planning Commission on September 15, 2020. 

For more details on this Land Use Code Amendment (City File: CA-20-3), visit our webpage.

Santa Clara Park is a future community park site currently comprised of two open fields with informal walking paths on the north and east sides of Madison Middle School, off Wilkes Drive.

 

City of Eugene Parks and Open Space has held two of three public meetings intended to help create a vision and gather input on conceptual plans for this 35-acre park in Santa Clara. The first took place in February and the second was held virtually last week. 

Didn’t make it? Take the 2nd online survey (available through September 7th), watch the meeting recording, sign up for email updates, and learn about virtual office hours on the project's Engage Eugene page. 

The workshop report and survey results from the first public meeting and survey are available now on Engage Eugene at the Santa Clara Community Park project page and will be updated with information from the second public meeting and survey. In general, the survey from the first workshop showed a high level of interest in the community for many of the typical elements that we see in a community park, including a playground, restroom, shade, open lawn, courts, flexible event space and picnic facilities. There is also a high regard for natural areas and trails. The concept options being developed reflect these priorities.

For questions related to Santa Clara Community Park, contact Mark Kosmos at 541-682-4902. 

It’s important to us that community members know when someone has applied to develop their property through the land use application process. City staff are always happy to discuss a project before the formal review, and can provide information about what the formal review process will be to ensure that you have a fair opportunity to review and comment on a project. Sign up to start receiving emails that list recently submitted projects.

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