As you know, the cost of housing is making it unaffordable for people to live in Eugene, whether it’s buying a house or renting an apartment. Since 2019, there have been changes at the state and local levels designed to significantly increase the housing supply. Governor Kotek has set Oregon’s annual goal at 29,500 units, and Eugene’s is 1,600.
River Road and Santa Clara are prime areas to increase the density of housing, because we have larger lots with single family homes. The City of Eugene is encouraging the development of more housing here, from “accessory dwelling units” to “multi-family dwellings,” ranging from tiny homes to apartment buildings. They’re also offering tax incentives to develop multi-family units, under certain conditions (see maps here).
City staff are dedicated to increasing the supply of low and moderate-income housing and expect it will aid in reducing homelessness in our area. For our unincorporated neighbors under County jurisdiction, the City is making it easier and more affordable to be annexed to be eligible for City services and to develop more housing.
We need to learn more about how the regulatory landscape has changed, what’s possible and how that will affect our neighborhoods.
To that end, we’re convening a land use meeting at North Eugene High School library, 5:30pm – 7:30pm on September 29th. Your questions and concerns can be better addressed if we submit them in advance. Please send them to us at info@riverroadco.com before August 31st, and we’ll forward them to the City.
Join us!
Beth Gerot, River Road Community Organization Co-Chair
& Kate Perle, Santa Clara Community Organization Chair
This article was edited on 8/27/2026 to add meeting date and time information, and remove an outdated reference to HOA restrictions.