February 13, 2021
Neighborhood Plan - River
Update on Middle Housing Code Changes/HB 2001
and Relationship to River Road-Santa Clara
Neighborhood Plan
This article includes an update on Middle Housing Code Changes, including: a survey that is open now through March 5th, opportunities for public engagement throughout the month, and how the bill will affect the neighborhood planning process. 

High-Level Overview
In June 2019, the Oregon State Legislature passed a law (HB 2001) that is intended to allow more opportunities for a variety of housing types in Eugene's neighborhoods and to increase the overall housing supply in and around cities. 
In order to comply with the law, large cities in Oregon, including Eugene, must amend their land use regulations no later than June 30, 2022 to allow duplexes, triplexes, cottage clusters, and townhomes in more places.

HB 2001 Minimum Standards and Model Code
This project is a little different than usual because it is state directed. The Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, with the input of statewide stakeholders, developed Oregon Administrative Rules, minimum standards to guide local jurisdictions’ compliance with HB 2001. Those rules were finalized on December 9, 2020 by the Land Conservation and Development Commission. Watch the February 1 Eugene Planning Commission Work Session for an in-depth presentation on the minimum standards and model code and how they will guide Eugene’s middle housing code amendment process.

One component of the rules is that they require triplexes and quadplexes to be allowed in residential areas based on lot size. This map shows the various lot sizes of residentially zoned lots in Eugene. The map also shows unincorporated areas (within the urban growth boundary but outside of the city limits) that will not be affected by HB 2001 until they are inside the city limits.
 
How Does HB 2001 affect/relate to the River Road-Santa Clara Neighborhood Planning Process?
River Road and Santa Clara are a patchwork of City (incorporated) and County (unincorporated) properties. Annexation (sometimes called “incorporation) is the legal process by which unincorporated properties become part of a city and thus can receive city services and are subject to city code. Annexation is voluntary and must be initiated by the property owner, under current City of Eugene policy (additional state statutes apply). Due to this patchwork, implementation of HB 2001 in River Road and Santa Clara will be incremental and will only apply to current unincorporated areas as property owners choose to annex.

The Neighborhood Plan’s Land Use topic area includes policies and actions related to HB 2001, specifically under Goal 12: Ensure future housing addresses the needs of the community and Goal 14: Promote land use and development that protects and enhances neighborhood character. The CAC and project staff are continuing work to identify what changes may be needed to comply with state law as well as which actions may be implemented by the City’s efforts to implement HB 2001.

The River Road Corridor Study included development of a draft Residential Middle zoning concept, which would allow increased density and housing choices within walking distance of River Road that fit into the scale and character of existing residential neighborhoods. The Corridor Study draft land use concepts will continue to be refined to ensure alignment with the River Road and Santa Clara community vision, citywide policies and compliance with HB 2001.
 
Middle Housing Survey Open – We Want to Hear from You!
Since the state’s rules weren’t finalized until December 2020, fall outreach focused on sharing information about the requirements of HB 2001 and developing Guiding Values and Principles for the technical phase of the project. In that outreach, we heard from a randomly-selected panel representative of Eugene demographics, an Equity Roundtable, representatives from local partners and City boards and commissions, and students at the University of Oregon.
 
Now that we have Administrative Rules from the state on implementing HB 2001, we are kicking-off broad community engagement and want to hear from you, and your friends and neighbors, about how to implement the house bill and shape our neighborhoods. 
Take the Middle Housing Survey to help guide the code-writing process! The survey will be open on Engage Eugene through March 5, 2021, and participants will be entered to win one of two $50 grocery gift cards. 

February is a packed month with a lot of opportunities to get involved and provide input. In addition to the survey, we’re launching a series of Facebook Live events this month discussing the links between land use and other important topics such as transportation, the environment, housing costs and economics, and equity! Our first two talks on transportation and equity already happened and are available to watch on the EUG Planning Facebook.

This month we will also host several stakeholder meetings: the Healthy Democracy panel, Local Partners Roundtable, Boards and Commissions Roundtable, and Equity Roundtable. In addition to those meetings, we will soon be launching printable, interactive materials called "Meetings in a Box", an interactive story map for young adults, and more. Stay tuned and join us for new events happening every week throughout this month through the Interested Parties List, the Middle Housing webpage, the Middle Housing Engage Eugene, and on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

Regional Transportation Plan Online Open House
The Central Lane Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) is updated every four years, allowing the region to guide transportation investments and develop projects and programs to meet the area's growing population.

An online open house is available for you to learn about the RTP and for you to share your thoughts and ideas about transportation needs and funding priorities. The open house is available through Sunday, February 28th. Participants will be entered into a raffle to win one of four $25 Fred Meyer gift cards.

Santa Clara Community Park Update
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. In December, City of Eugene Parks and Open Space shared a draft master plan for Santa Clara Community Park. The plan was based on city-wide and neighborhood planning documents and community feedback from two public workshops and surveys held last year. A third workshop and survey were used to collect feedback to help validate the plan and priorities for phase 1. The survey results and workshop input were compiled into a report and will be incorporated into the final details of the park design and phase one construction, so stay tuned to the Engage Eugene project page for more information soon!

City of Eugene Boards and Commissions
2021 Application Period Now Open
Eugene residents looking for new opportunities to get involved with the community can apply now through March 12th for open positions on City boards and commissions. Eugene’s boards and commissions are resident advisory groups that provide an invaluable service to our city by advising City Council and/or City staff on a wide variety of subjects.

To learn more about open positions and apply, visit our website. 

Get Involved In Your Community Organization
Both the River Road Community Organization and Santa Clara Community Organization are active in the neighborhood planning process as well as other neighborhood issues. Check out their websites to learn more about neighborhood events and news.