March 2, 2017 <br />To: County and City Planning Commissioners <br />Copy: Lloyd Helikson, Robin Hostick, Terri Harding, Heather O'Donnell <br />From: Bill Aspegren <br />Re: Testimony on Eugene Urban Growth Plan <br />There are serious flaws in Eugene's urban growth plan, especially regarding multi-family housing. These <br />problems will be discussed below. <br />Please reject this plan until these issues have been resolved. <br />Basis <br />What is my basis and background for concern? <br />I reviewed research and analysis done by Lloyd Helikson into projected multi-family housing needs <br />versus actual construction. In addition, I have talked to Lloyd many times, met with staff and others to <br />gain an understanding of the information. <br />I was a member of the Community Resource Group (CRG) as well as the Economic Development Sub- <br />committee and have followed the Envision Eugene process over the last eight years. <br />My conclusions and perspective may not be identical to Lloyd's but it is important to understand we are <br />both pointing out plan problems that require resolution before approval. <br />Plan Problems <br />The planning process had many problems that resulted in incorrect data and assumptions being used as <br />input to the land model. <br />• Inconsistencies between the Metro Plan and Eugene's zoning and refinement plans were never <br />resolved. <br />• The Metro Plan map used by staff was not lot-specific. <br />• This data was used to produce inconsistent, lot-specific maps that were used as the basis for <br />developing a Buildable Land Inventory (BLI). <br />• The BLI maps were never site-verified for correctness, which led to improper designation of lots <br />as vacant, partially vacant or developed. <br />• In addition, various assumptions were developed based on history rather than current trends <br />resulting in low estimates for the following categories. <br />o Level of redevelopment <br />o Development density <br />o The amount of mixed commercial/residential development <br />0 As a result, the land model used questionable input to project Eugene's land needs. <br />