N i11 a <br />LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS® <br />OF LANE COUNTY <br />June 20, 2017 <br />Chair Farr and Lane County Commissioners <br />Mayor Vinis and Eugene City Councilors <br />The League of Women Voters of Lane County urges you to approve the Envision Eugene <br />ordinances that are the subject of this public hearing. The League has followed the Envision <br />Eugene process from the beginning and has testified ten previous times on various aspects of <br />the two proposed ordinances in the urban growth boundary (UGB) adoption package. <br />The complexities of Oregon's land use laws have dictated the long and rigorous process, but <br />local situations have extended the timeline as well. Our community and county need to <br />conclude this process now and not add more years to the effort by revisiting the analyses and <br />strategies that have been developed and approved over many years. Adopting the two <br />ordinances now and establishing a new baseline urban growth boundary will allow Eugene to <br />move forward in addressing critical issues such as the need for affordable housing. The draft <br />comprehensive plan recognizes that modifications can be made in response to changing <br />conditions and supports flexibility and monitoring. The City has already laid the groundwork to <br />track the latest data and projections of population growth and housing supply and demand as <br />soon as the current proposals are adopted and to respond to current and future trends. <br />Approval now will also allow work on neighborhood refinement plans and the establishment of <br />urban reserves to proceed. We strongly endorse the Eugene Planning Commission's <br />recommendation that the City proactively address housing issues by providing adequate staff <br />resources to carry out projects on housing supply, regulatory and affordability issues. <br />The transparency and public outreach associated with this planning effort have been <br />outstanding. There have been countless opportunities for Eugene residents and groups to learn <br />about the proposals, including open houses, electronic newsletters, staff presentations, and <br />council and planning commission work sessions. And there have been numerous opportunities <br />for citizens to comment on the proposal as the details have emerged and been refined. The <br />community has been consulted and listened to. <br />In conclusion, we ask you to approve the UGB adoption package before you. It is time to affirm <br />the work that has been done openly and deliberately with the involvement of many residents <br />and move to the implementation and monitoring phase. <br />Linda Lynch <br />President <br />338 West 1 1`h Avenue, Suite 101, Eugene, OR 97401-3962 541.343.7917 league@lwvlc.org www.lwvlc.org <br />