Neighbor Alert
The City staff is revising code to comply with HB2001, the middle housing law passed in 2019. The law:
- Defines Middle Housing as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, row houses and cottage clusters.
- Mandates duplexes must be allowed on everyresidential City lot.
- Requires that triplexes, fourplexes, row houses and cottage clusters be allowed in allneighborhoods.
Most of the Planning Staff’s changes to City code greatly exceed what is required by HB2001. Their changes will eliminate most development standards, making it easier to develop multi-unit buildings on all residential City lots with single-family houses – except in those in subdivisions that are protected by homeowner covenants.
- Lot Size – the staff’s proposal is that any of the aforementioned buildings be permitted on lots that may be half as large as what is specified in HB2001. This will result in large houses on small lots.
- Multiplexes – the staff proposes that duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes may be either attached or detached. Constructing a detached building effectively creates multiple single-family houses on the same lot. Allowing both is not required by HB2001.
- Other state legislation, SB458, compounds this by allowing lots with Middle Housing detached units be split into separate lots. This will go into effect at the same time as HB2001.
- Density – limits on density have effectively been dropped, which will result in greater lot coverage, less open space, fewer trees and reduced solar access.
- Parking – as lot size shrinks, little or no on-site parking will move us away from a future based on electric vehicles as on-site vehicle charging will be impossible.
- Near transit lines– within a quarter mile of frequent transit lines (Hilyard, east to Potter is approximately 1/4 mile) staff is proposing even smaller lots with larger buildings and no on-site parking.
To continue reading more about the extent of the city’s proposals compared to HB2001, visit here.
See pictures of Eugene Middle Housing that displaced affordable housing here.
To understand the impact of Middle Housing on Eugene’s housing problems and its potential for displacing families in affordable rentals, go to: https://housing-facts.org/
To share your opinion about these proposals, email: mayorcouncilandcitymanager@ci.eugene.or.us