Eugene Neighborhoods and Unintended Consequences

Overview

Our planning process definitely produces unintended consequences that affect the livability of Eugene’s neighborhoods. Though transparency is desired, it’s difficult to attain because definitions change over time and when broad changes are made there’s no efficient, cost-effective way to notify all property owners who may be affected. Ensuring owners understand the impact on their homes is almost impossible. Often, those impacts only become real when a new development is proposed.

Even our philosophy of planning has changed since the first Metro Plan was adopted in 1972. Then, the focus was on predictability and a smaller scale. Now, planning is focused on growing up, not out. This has created unintended consequences and conflicts with:

  • Residential character
  • Neighborhood compatibility
  • Traffic in excess of road capacity
  • Natural areas

Livability

In many areas of Eugene, neighborhoods are primarily comprised of single-family homes. People are often surprised when higher density developments are proposed nearby. They are unaware that the city has adopted new definitions of high density that can drastically change the residential character of a neighborhood.

  • The concept of “High Density” has changed significantly over time.
    • There was no “High Density” zone at the time that many properties were originally designated as “High Density” in the Lane County Comprehensive Plan in 1972.
    • The Metro Plan identifies “High Density” as being anything over 20 units per acre.
  • In 2001, the City of Eugene created two “High Density” residential zones for the first time – the R3 and R4 zones.
    • Up to that point, the R-3 had been the “Multiple Family Residential District” and R-4 had been the “High Rise Multiple Family District.”
    • The new “Limited High Density Residential” R-3 Zone permits densities up to 56 units per acre; the new “High Density Residential” R-4 permits up to 112 units per acre.
    • Due to incremental changes in the zoning districts (made with little fanfare), “High Density” areas came to be considered appropriate for many more dwellings than their original planned intensity.

Many people believe that definitions of high density are OK for an urban or downtown environment, but not for neighborhoods that are comprised of single-family residences. Even in established neighborhoods with multi-family housing, the number of units per acre is significantly less than new definitions permit.

Compatibility

Higher densities result in taller buildings, smaller lots and more people per acre. Often higher density is not compatible with existing uses, because it changes the character of the neighborhood. Recognizing this, the Eugene City Council has taken several actions.

It formed an Infill Compatibility Study Task Force to study and propose ways to resolve conflicts between existing planning policies and their impact on neighborhoods.

The council also passed minor code amendments to address these persistent neighborhood concerns:

  • Provide for early neighborhood involvement
  • Consider residential character
  • Limit building height
  • Revise density calculation
  • Incorporate on-site parking

A package of land use code amendments affecting all lots within the City limits, approved as part of the Minor Code Amendment Project went into effect July 7, 2009. One of the new provisions will require applicants to host a meeting with neighbors prior to submitting certain land use applications to the City of Eugene. For additional resource documents go to the City’s Land Use Application and Forms Page and select Neighborhood/Applicant Meeting Process Packet at the bottom of the page.

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 City of Eugene’s Opportunity Siting Task Team has developed "Ten Tenets of Opportunity Siting.”


Traffic

More people means more vehicles, which means more traffic, which creates more congestion. In many neighborhoods, roads weren’t built to accommodate the increased vehicles that high-density developments bring. This is especially true in areas that were designated high density when the number of units per acre was not defined. As the definition is refined to include more units per acre, the traffic impacts become less manageable, safety declines, and neighborhoods are less livable.

Nature

Eugene places a premium on open spaces and setting aside areas where people can enjoy natural areas in close proximity to their neighborhoods. As development occurs, the impact on existing natural places should be considered. This is especially true when a natural area features some of the community’s most valued fauna and flora.