QuickTake:

The city has tentatively approved the application for 372 apartments and townhomes. The site also would have two single-family homes and preserve about 70 acres as natural open space.

A developer wants to build a multifamily housing project with hundreds of units on a nearly 100-acre site in the Laurel Hill area of southeast Eugene.

The proposed project, called Laurel Ridge, is in the east hills of Eugene, northeast of 30th Avenue near Spring Boulevard. It would put homes in an area that has a combination of developed and undeveloped residential space. The site is to the west of Interstate 5. 

The proposed site for the Laurel Ridge residential subdivision in southeast Eugene is shown within the dotted line. Credit: Public records / City of Eugene

The application for the subdivision has received a tentative approval from the city and is moving closer to becoming a reality. It would have seven lots on 98.3 acres. The proposal would put 372 multifamily dwelling units on five lots that total nearly 37.5 acres. They include a mix of apartments and townhomes.

The remaining nearly 61 acres would have two lots with two single-family residences. The land would not have any other development, allowing it to be used as a forest management area long-term on 59.8 acres.

Overall, 72.2 acres would remain protected natural open space area, including the forest management area and another 12.42 acres within the multifamily lots. That’s 73.5% of the land overall. The proposal calls for no homes on the ridgeline within the property, preserving it as open space.

The site’s primary access would be a frontage road along the site’s southwest border that will be improved and connect to Spring Boulevard, the application states.

The property owner, also the applicant, is Environ-Metal Properties LLC of Lebanon, records show. The Satre Group, based in Eugene, is representing the owner’s application. It couldn’t be reached for comment.

The application materials show the applicant has completed a tree preservation report, stormwater analysis and preliminary screening for federally listed plants and habitat areas. 

A notice dated July 30 said the city’s planning director has conditionally approved a tentative subdivision. That proposal seeks to divide the property into seven parcels. 

Residents who wish to dispute the decision can file an appeal by 5 p.m. Aug. 11. That deadline marks the 12-day period for local appeals.

If there is no appeal to review, the developer can submit a final subdivision application. After an application is deemed complete, the city’s planning director has 30 days to make a decision on the application.

Ben Botkin covers politics and policy in Lane County. He has worked as a journalist since 2003, most recently at the Oregon Capital Chronicle, where he covered justice, health and human services and documented regional efforts to combat fentanyl addiction. Botkin has worked in statehouses in Idaho, Nevada, Oklahoma and, of course, Oregon. When he's not working, you'll find him road tripping across the West, hiking or surfing along the Oregon Coast.