NEWS
Recommendations Presented to Planning Commission
The Opportunity Siting Task Team recommendations were presented to the Planning Commission on June 8, 2009 and received commissioner support for continuing into the Pilot Project phase. The recommendations are posted to the Planning Commission page (www.eugene-or.gov/pc).

OVERVIEW

Opportunity Siting is a strategic planning tool aimed at facilitating the construction of dense housing that is compatible with existing development in the surrounding neighborhood. The process will identify specific sites and provide incentives, such as financial, regulatory, or procedural incentives, to encourage development that contributes to a vital and successful neighborhood. 

The City Council and the community of Eugene at large have identified compact development within the existing urban growth boundary as a growth management goal. Ongoing projects such as mixed-use center planning and the establishment of a Bus Rapid Transit system aid progress toward that goal. Many challenges remain, however, some of which actions of the City can alleviate.

An increase in residents’ concern about the negative impacts of infill development has occurred in the past few years, both in the close-in older neighborhoods and in urban transition areas farther out from downtown. Current land use code provisions have been implicated in hindering the construction of residential infill that is harmonious with existing neighborhoods. The problem is ensuring continued vitality in those neighborhoods while providing for a variety of housing options for a growing and increasingly concentrated population.

Growth Management Policies
The adopted Growth Management Policies (GMPs) direct the city to encourage infill development and increase housing density while maintaining the character and livability of individual neighborhoods. This project and the companion Infill Compatibility Standards project seek to implement the policy directives in the GMPs.

Citizen Interest
The Planning Division is experiencing a very high level of citizen interest in both the Infill Compatibility Standards and the Opportunity Siting projects. Over the last year, issues related to neighborhood character, neighborhood involvement, and residential compatibility have risen to the top of citizen concerns and desires for Planning Division work. Planning staff are committed to making these high-priority work tasks a success.