CHAMBER

CURRENT ISSUES & HOT TOPICS

Buildable Land Supplies

• Eugene and Springfield are implementing House Bill 3337 which requires each city to have its separate Urban Growth Boundary. Eugene is set to begin a Comprehensive Land Assessment of existing inventories.
• Adequate supplies of commercial, industrial, and residential land are essential for quality economic development and access to affordable housing.
• The Chamber has been urging Eugene to undertake this type of land analysis for several years. The Chamber has a representative on the Eugene Comprehensive Lands Assessment Citizen Advisory Committee, and will continue to be involved at every opportunity.

Downtown Revitalization

• Eugene is considering adopting several amendments to the Downtown Zoning Code
• The amendments would remove barriers to attracting new development and redevelopment in downtown.
• The Chamber believes a vibrant downtown would strengthen the economic vitality of the entire community.
• The Chamber has provided testimony in support of the code amendments.
• The Chamber has been a consistent advocates for downtown development tools such as Urban Renewal and Multiple Unit Property Tax Exemptions.

EWEB Master Plan

• Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB) and the City of Eugene have appointed a 9-member citizen advisory committee to begin developing a master plan for EWEB’s property along the Willamette River in downtown Eugene.
• Chamber President Dave Hauser and several other active Chamber members are serving on this committee.
• The Chamber believes much of the EWEB property has potential for significant redevelopment into a mix of commercial, retail, housing, and open space uses.

West Eugene Collaborative

• The Chamber is a stakeholder in this effort to identify solutions to the transportation challenges in this portion of Eugene and Lane County. This process began after the West Eugene Parkway was terminated by Eugene.
• The efficient movement of people, goods, and services is too essential to the economy of this area and the entire region for the Chamber not to play a role in identifying solutions these transportation problems.