Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities

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Project Background

The Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission adopted the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) rules in mid-2022 to help meet the state’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also increasing housing choices and creating more equitable outcomes for all Oregonians.

Eugene and Springfield, among other metropolitan areas across the state, are required to change development standards to encourage more climate-friendly development and reduce emissions from transportation.


Project Goals

Through CFEC implementation, the City of Eugene will accomplish the following goals:

  • Comply with the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities requirements
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and housing
  • Provide more climate-friendly housing and transportation options
  • Center the voices of historically marginalized community groups in decision-making

Luckily, these are projects that residents and Eugene City Council have already supported through other community projects such as the Climate Action Plan 2.0, Envision Eugene, Housing Implementation Pipeline, continued investments in downtown, affordable housing, and active transportation infrastructure, as well as other sustainability, housing, and transportation projects.

CFEC will result in changes to the Eugene Land Use Code, revisions to the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan and 2035 Transportation System Plan, as well as revised requirements for development permits.


Engage

Stay tuned for opportunities to provide input and participate in community engagement. In the meantime, use the tool below to “Ask a Question" and check out project updates as they're available.

Project Background

The Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission adopted the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) rules in mid-2022 to help meet the state’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions while also increasing housing choices and creating more equitable outcomes for all Oregonians.

Eugene and Springfield, among other metropolitan areas across the state, are required to change development standards to encourage more climate-friendly development and reduce emissions from transportation.


Project Goals

Through CFEC implementation, the City of Eugene will accomplish the following goals:

  • Comply with the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities requirements
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and housing
  • Provide more climate-friendly housing and transportation options
  • Center the voices of historically marginalized community groups in decision-making

Luckily, these are projects that residents and Eugene City Council have already supported through other community projects such as the Climate Action Plan 2.0, Envision Eugene, Housing Implementation Pipeline, continued investments in downtown, affordable housing, and active transportation infrastructure, as well as other sustainability, housing, and transportation projects.

CFEC will result in changes to the Eugene Land Use Code, revisions to the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan and 2035 Transportation System Plan, as well as revised requirements for development permits.


Engage

Stay tuned for opportunities to provide input and participate in community engagement. In the meantime, use the tool below to “Ask a Question" and check out project updates as they're available.

Have a question about Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities? Just ask!

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    Your Survey in which it is stated that the State has adopted rules that necessitate drastic changes in City parking rules, seems to significantly overstate the mandates of the State. I read the State position as requiring "Parking B" Parking Regulation Improvement. That "Task Summary" does not require the City to do what is stated and implied by the Survey. Please explain. Thank you

    JDRick asked almost 1 year ago

    Thank you for your interest in CFEC Parking Reform. I will try to answer this as comprehensively as I can. The Land Conservation and Development Commission adopted the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities rules in July 2022. The first component of the rules to be implemented is Parking Reform. Here is a short summary* from the Department of Land Conservation and Development. The rules are made up of several distinct parts – some of which have already gone into effect:

    • As of January 1, 2023: Reduced or Removed Off-Street Parking Minimums
      • New development applications may include a minimum off-street parking requirement of no more than 1 parking space per dwelling for residential developments with more than 1 dwelling
      • Eugene cannot require minimum off-street parking requirements for:
        • Properties located within 1/2 mile walking distance of frequent transit corridors 
        • Specific types of development like day care, facilities for people with disabilities, shelters, affordable housing, and dwellings less than 750 square feet
    • As of April 1, 2023: New Electric Vehicle Charging Requirements
      • New private multi-unit residential or mixed-use developments with five or more dwellings must install electrical service capacity to accommodate 40% of all vehicle parking spaces.


    The City of Eugene is required to follow the rules listed above. The survey focuses on the final part of parking reform where we do have some options to tailor parking reform to our local context. The state offers three basic paths we can choose from:

    • Option 1: Remove minimum off-street parking requirements city-wide (expanding beyond the transit corridors that have already gone into effect)
    • Option 2A: Enact certain parking policies (we can choose from a list of 5 policies provided in the state requirements)
    • Option 2B: Remove minimum off-street parking requirements for additional uses and in more locations. In addition, we need to select one of two parking pricing tools, as provided by the State.


    Regardless of which of those three options Eugene chooses, there are certain other parking regulations we will be required to adopt by the end of 2023, including:

    • Preferential placement of carpool/vanpool parking
    • Allow redevelopment of any portion of a parking lot for bike or transit
    • Allow and encourage redevelopment of underused parking
    • Allow and facilitate shared parking
    • Require new developments with parking lots more than 1/4 acre in size to install 50% tree canopy or solar panels
    • Require street trees and street-like facilities along driveways
    • Implement parking maximums in appropriate locations


    * On April 20, the Land Conservation and Development Commission adopted temporary rules that change some of the policy options for parking reform. These changes are not yet reflected in the linked summary.

    I hope that clarifies the scope and breadth of the state requirements for parking reform, and the options we have in front of us. Based on the reference in your question, I assume you are talking about the guidance documents provided by DLCD. In addition to the Parking Regulation Improvements (OAR 660-012-0405), there are four other OAR Guidance documents Eugene is required to follow and implement:


    For more questions on parking reform or additional comments, please reach out to CFECParking@eugene-or.gov.

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    What zoning changes can we make in southeast eugene to support this goal?

    Alden asked about 1 year ago

    Thank you for your question and interest in land use in your neighborhood!

    Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) is made up of many implementation projects, some of which will affect every neighborhood in the city, including south Eugene.

    To implement CFEC, Eugene will update the Land Use Code to require future development to be more pedestrian-friendly and compact across the city so neighborhoods are more connected. Neighborhoods must be designed with street, sidewalk, and accessway networks where it is safe to walk, bike, and use a mobility device. Commercial and mixed-use areas must have compact, walkable design, such as with building entrances oriented to the street, pedestrian-friendly parking areas, and other site design requirements. This CFEC implementation project is not expected to lead to rezoning but instead would result in changes to the Land Use Code across many zones, especially mixed-use and commercial areas.

    CFEC will also intersect with the upcoming Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) analysis required to be adopted by the end of 2026. The UGB analysis is a “refresh” of the City’s growth management strategy. We’ll analyze whether we have enough space within the current UGB for our projected growth, as well as come up with strategies to grow more efficiently within the UGB. These strategies may include rezoning in some areas of the city to accommodate future growth.

    Any rezoning or land use code updates should align with the Envision Eugene Community Vision. One of the pillars of the Envision Eugene Community Vision promotes compact, urban development and efficient transportation options, such as 20-minute neighborhoods where residents can meet daily needs without driving. To achieve this, the City’s vision focuses on increasing density along key transportation corridors and core commercial areas.

    Finally, you may be interested to know that C-1 zoning (Neighborhood Commercial) can be approved anywhere. Property owners have the opportunity to initiate rezoning from residential to C-1 through the typical rezoning application process.

    I hope that gives you a better sense of opportunities and alignment with CFEC. If you want to stay involved in the project, I encourage you to sign up for the Envision Eugene newsletter, where we’ll share regular updates on both CFEC and the UGB analysis.

Page last updated: 19 Jan 2024, 02:37 PM