Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities

In March of 2020, Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order directing state agencies to take actions to reduce and regulate greenhouse gas emissions and mitigate the impacts of climate change while also centering the needs of Oregon’s most vulnerable communities. In response, the Oregon Land Conservation and Development Commission developed new requirements, the Climate-Friendly and Equitable Communities (CFEC) rules, for cities to help meet these goals through changes to local transportation and housing planning systems. 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. This page outlines Eugene's efforts to implement the CFEC requirements.

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

Implementation

To implement the new requirements, the City of Eugene will advance a few key strategies through 2026, including:

Plan for more housing and jobs in Climate-Friendly Areas such as in downtown, in commercial centers, and along key corridors designed so people can live, work, and play without having to drive
Reduce parking requirements for certain types of development and in certain areas, such as along frequent bus routes, to free up land for housing and other services, support pedestrian-friendly design, and reduce housing costs
Prepare for a future with more electric vehicles by ensuring new mixed-use and multi-family housing development provides charging infrastructure
Plan for more climate-friendly transportation options so that people can walk, bike, roll, and take the bus safely and easily
Plan for more pedestrian-friendly and compact development across the city so neighborhoods are more connected
Throughout the process, center the voices of historically marginalized community groups and improve equitable transportation and housing outcomes, particularly for those who have been harmed by past planning, climate, and transportation decisions
Track progress towards achieving more equitable outcomes in transportation and housing, increasing housing production, and supporting areas where people can bike and walk more easily across the city

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, the 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 updates 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.

Parking Reform
Climate-Friendly Areas

Parking Reform

On November 13, 2023, the Eugene City Council adopted Ordinance 20699 to implement city-wide parking reform in alignment with state requirements. This decision eliminates minimum off-street parking requirements citywide, effective December 31, 2023. The City Council considered three options as provided in the state requirements.

The City Council decision aligns with a recommendation from the Eugene Planning Commission to eliminate minimum off-street parking requirements citywide. In addition to being the most straightforward of the three options to draft and implement, most stakeholders expressed a preference for this option.

Additionally, the adopted changes to the land use code include the following parking regulation improvements:

Preferential placement of carpool/vanpool parking
Allow redevelopment of any portion of a parking lot for bike or transit uses
Allow and encourage redevelopment of underused parking
Allow and facilitate shared parking
New developments with parking lots more than ½ half acre in size must install 40% tree canopy OR solar panels; require street trees along driveways
Establish parking maximums in appropriate locations
Codify required parking reforms that have already taken effect, including new electric vehicle charging requirements

Public Involvement

From March to May 2023, the City hosted 9 individual interviews, small group conversations with 62 participants, discussions at two tabling events attended by 180+ participants, a virtual information session with 18 participants, and collected 437 online survey responses. Involvement included proactive outreach to Black, Indigenous, and other communities of color, the LGBTQ+ community, Spanish speaking residents, people experiencing disabilities, neighborhood groups, and groups affiliated with affordable housing, transportation, environment, development, and more.

Read the full Public Involvement Summary here.

Public Meetings & Testimony

CFEC Parking Reform began the formal adoption process in June. Both the Planning Commission and the City Council held work sessions, public hearings, and deliberations. Review previous meeting agendas and webcasts below.

June 13: Planning Commission Work Session (agenda and webcast)
June 27: Planning Commission Public Hearing (agenda and webcast)
July 25: Planning Commission Deliberations (agenda and webcast)
August 1: Planning Commission Deliberations and Action (agenda and webcast)
September 13: City Council Work Session (agenda and webcast)
September 18: City Council Public Hearing (agenda and webcast)
November 13: City Council Deliberations and Adoption (agenda and webcast)

Public testimony is no longer being accepted on the Parking Reform code amendments. Written testimony shared with the City Council is provided in batches below.

Key Dates

January 1, 2023: Reduced or Removed 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
- No minimum off-street parking requirements for:
  - Properties located within 1/2 mile walking distance of frequent transit corridors (map at right or using link)
  - Specific desired types of development like day care, facilities for people with disabilities, shelters, affordable housing, and dwellings less than 750 square feet
March 31, 2023: New Electric Vehicle Charging Requirements
- New multi-unit residential (5 or more dwellings) or mixed-use developments must install electrical service capacity to accommodate 40% of all vehicle parking spaces.
December 31, 2023: Parking Reform City-wide
- The City will adopt land use code changes implementing the elimination of or reduction to the minimum off-street parking requirements, including:
  - Selecting one of three options for city-wide parking reform
  - Implementing improved parking regulations
  - Codifying changes that have already gone into effect, including new electric vehicle charging requirements