Housing & Jobs Actions - Package #1

The first local adoption process for Urban Growth Strategies has begun! This process includes work sessions, public hearings, a recommendation by the Planning Commission, and action by the City Council by the end of 2026.

The first package is primarily a series of legislative land use code amendments that are time-sensitive and are proposed both as actions to address some of the City’s housing and employment needs, as well as required responses to recent state legislation. Package #1 includes:

• Creating new development standards for micro village housing and single room occupancies (SROs) that would permit both housing types in all residential, commercial, and special area zones that allow housing.
• Updates to middle housing development and land division standards, including changes to reduce the cost and complexity to develop middle housing, to improve clarity during plan review, to comply with recent changes to state law, and to align with the State‘s adopted Model Housing Code for Large Cities.
• Additional changes to reduce barriers to housing and jobs development, including:
  • Allow adult and child day care centers and day care homes to be permitted in more zones.
  • Allow residential treatment facilities, residential treatment homes, and similar uses to be permitted outright in more zones.
  • Increase the maximum allowed building height in the R-1 Low-Density Residential Zone.
  • Streamline some residential land use application processes.
  • Provide temporary extensions of the expiration date of certain land use approvals.

Upcoming Public Hearing and Information Sessions

Here are some key dates, including opportunities to learn more about the proposed changes and then share your testimony with decisionmakers.

• Online Info Sessions (RSVP below! These sessions will also be recorded and available after)
  • Middle Housing Information Session: May 20 at 12:00pm (Zoom Link)
  • Micro Village Housing Information Session: May 27 at 5:30pm (Zoom Link)
• Planning Commission and City Council Work Sessions (watch live or the recording later on)
  • City Council – RECORDED, May 18 at 5:30pm
  • Planning Commission – May 26 at 5:30pm
• Planning Commission Public Hearing
  • Tuesday, June 23 at 5:30pm

How to Submit Testimony

• Verbal: Provide verbal testimony at the Planning Commission Public Hearing (limited to 2-3 minutes per speaker, instructions provided in the meeting agenda one week prior to the meeting)
• Email: Submit e-mail testimony to UGS@eugene-or.gov
• Mail: Submit a written statement to the Planning Commission, c/o Elena Domingo, City of Eugene Planning Division, 99 W. 10th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401

Interested Parties List

If you are interested in receiving mailed notice for upcoming public hearings and the notice of decision, you can sign-up for the official interested parties list for the Urban Growth Strategies adoption process. First and last names, along with mailing addresses are needed, and may be made available to the public under Oregon Public Records Law. 

As a part of the Urban Growth Strategies adoption package #1, both the Eugene Planning Commission and the Eugene City Council will hold work sessions, public hearings, and deliberations. The City Council will be the final local decision-maker. Written and emailed testimony will be provided to decision makers in batches as it is received.

Upcoming Public Hearing: Eugene Planning Commission

The Eugene Planning Commission public hearing will be held virtually, Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 5:30 p.m.

Interested in more detail about the adoption package and process? Learn more in the summary of proposed citywide land use regulation amendments (pdf). The public hearing materials, including the official proposed amendments, will be accessible online one week prior to the meeting (June 16, 2026).

More information for options to attend, watch, and participate in the public hearing will be available at: Planning Commission Meetings webpage.

To participate in the Public Hearing join using one of the two following options:

• Join from a computer, tablet, or smart phone:

Please use this URL to join: https://eugene-or-gov.zoom.us/j/86525188211

Webinar ID: 865 2518 8211

Sign up to speak by clicking once on the “raise hand” icon

• Join by phone: Dial one of numbers below and enter the Webinar ID: 865 2518 8211

+1 833-548-0276 (Toll Free); or

+1 833-548-0282 (Toll Free); or

+1 877-853-5257 (Toll Free)

For higher quality, dial a number based on your current location.

Sign up to speak by dialing *9 (Star-9)

International numbers available: https://eugene-or-gov.zoom.us/u/kb2Du7X6gt

How to Submit Testimony - Starting May 19th

• Submit e-mail testimony to  UGS@eugene-or.gov
• Submit a written statement to the Planning Commission, c/o Elena Domingo, City of Eugene Planning Division, 99 W. 10th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon 97401

Want to learn more about upcoming changes to Middle Housing regulations? How about a new type of housing called Micro Village housing? City staff are inviting you to join them for a one-hour virtual information session on each topic to learn more about ways the City is supporting housing choice and affordability. These two topics are included in the upcoming Urban Growth Strategies adoption process.

Each session will include a brief presentation and time to discuss your questions. Register using the Zoom links below.

Middle Housing Information Session – May 20 at 12:00pm (Zoom Link)

Micro Village Housing Information Session – May 27 at 5:30pm (Zoom Link)

Each session will be recorded and available for viewing after, but don’t miss out on this opportunity to talk with City of Eugene planners. Check out the Urban Growth Strategies webpage for more information on the project. If you have questions or need help joining the webinar, email Stuart Warren.

The adoption process will include public hearings and opportunities for verbal and written public testimony. If you are interested in receiving mailed notice for upcoming public hearings and the notice of decision, you can sign-up for the official interested parties list for the Urban Growth Strategies adoption process. First and last names, along with mailing addresses are needed, and may be made available to the public under Oregon Public Records Law.

A view of downtown Eugene from the Amazon Path

On February 24, the Eugene Planning Commission will hold a work session on Phase II of the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan. The Comprehensive Plan guides the City in its land use planning for future growth within Eugene’s urban growth boundary. The first phase of the Comprehensive Plan was adopted in 2017. The second phase includes the following chapters:

• Chapter 1 – Community Engagement
• Chapter 2 – Compact Development & Urban Design
• Chapter 4 – Housing
• Chapter 5 – Community Health
• Chapter 11 – Land Use (Including a new parcel-specific land use designation map)

These new chapters are based on years of work and engagement with the community -- over the last two years City staff have engaged over 1,400 people on components of the Urban Growth Strategies Project, including the Comprehensive Plan. In late 2024 and early 2025, staff used this input to draft goals and policies for community review. Residents provided feedback through in-person events, digital surveys, a community advisory panel, and through the City’s boards and commissions. Over the past several months, staff have incorporated that feedback into the draft goals and policies. As a result, some policies have been removed, changed, added, or strengthened. To learn more about what staff heard from the community, check out the 2024 Community Engagement Summary (PDF) and the 2025 Community Engagement Summary (PDF).

To learn more about Phase II of the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan and its development, tune in to the February 24 Planning Commission meeting or visit the project webpage. The Planning Commission welcomes input from the community and encourages community members to provide input during the Public Comment section of the agenda.

Please email project staff (Stuart Warren: swarren@eugene-or.gov) with your questions, thoughts, and feedback.

Next Steps

During the February 24 Planning Commission meeting, staff will ask for the commission’s feedback on the updated draft chapters. Staff will then incorporate the Commission’s feedback in advance of the official adoption and public hearing process, which will begin in April 2026.

Curious about what's going on with Urban Growth Strategies? Staff share regular updates that provide relevant project information, milestones, and upcoming opportunities for engagement. For October 2025, project updates include:

• Eugene's Equity Atlas Charts a Path Toward More Inclusive Planning: The Planning Division is proud to announce the launch of its Equity Atlas: Selected Stories in Eugene’s History of Displacement—a research effort that documents how historic land use decisions have shaped today’s patterns of land use and housing access.
• Eugene's Comprehensive Plan Update: Using the feedback staff heard from the community, staff are refining the draft goals and policies, as appropriate. In 2026, staff will be asking the Eugene City Council and Lane County Board of Commissioners to consider adopting the new chapters.
• Draft Eugene Centers and Key Corridors Map: As a result of community input and staff research, the Planning Division has created a draft Centers and Key Corridors map and policies for the Comprehensive Plan.
• Community Input on Housing Actions: To help meet Eugene’s 20-year housing and jobs needs, City staff have proposed a series of housing, compact development, and jobs actions as priorities for City Council adoption in 2026 and 2027. To inform these actions, staff have engaged with housing developers as well as a Community Advisory Panel supporting Urban Growth Strategies.
• 2025 Community Engagement Summary: The 2025 Community Engagement Summary provides an overview of the engagement activities and key takeaways from the past year of community engagement. Staff continued to hear about housing affordability and availability, desired neighborhood qualities, and support for working towards a more equitable future.
• Recent and Upcoming Public Meetings: City Staff will be providing updates on the Urban Growth Strategies project to the Planning Commission on October 28th, 2025, and City Council on November 12, 2025. Then, on November 24, 2025, Planning Division staff will ask the City Council to initiate land use code and plan amendments for Urban Growth Strategies.

Read the full project update for October 2025 here.

Thank you to those who took the time to share your thoughts about the draft goals and policies for the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan. You are helping shape Eugene's blueprint for future growth and development.

What's Next?

Over the next several months, staff will review input from the surveys, tabling events, and community presentations, and refine the draft goals and policies as appropriate. Later this fall, Planning staff will ask the City Council to initiate the formal adoption process for Urban Growth Strategies work, including the Comprehensive Plan. The adoption process will include multiple opportunities for the community to provide testimony on the draft goals and policies.

Eugene's draft Land Use Designation Map

The Land Use chapter of the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan lays out the goals and policies for Eugene’s land use designations and map, urban growth boundary, and urban reserves. Together, these components help to guide allocation, utilization, and transformation of land inside Eugene’s urban growth boundary.

There are many ways to learn more about this important element of Urban Growth Strategies, and share your ideas:

• Watch a brief overview of the draft land use chapter goals and policies below.
• View the interactive Story Map to see the draft land use designation map and learn about how it was modernized.
• Review the draft Chapter 11 - Land Use goals and policies.
• Take the Chapter 11 - Land Use survey to let us know your thoughts and ideas about the draft goals and policies.

If you have questions, comments, or need help, please email project staff. To learn more about the work underway with the Envision Eugene Comprehensive Plan, check out the other recent project updates below (on community health, housing, compact development & urban design, and community engagement goals and policies) or visit the project webpage.