A FIVE-PART SERIES FROM THE LOOKOUT EUGENE-SPRINGFIELD EDITORIAL BOARD
How we fell so far behind on housing, and what it would take to build more

A new part every daily through Nov. 13

To live in Lane County is to accept a compromise.

You get unparalleled access to natural beauty. Open spaces and environmental protections. A growing urban core in Eugene and Springfield that still maintains a small-town feel.

And you pay more for all of it. Starting with your house or apartment.

The hole we’re in

2.6 → 6.1

In 1990, the median home in the Eugene-Springfield metro area cost 2.6 times the area’s median household income. Last year, it cost 6.1 times as much. Only nine of nearly 200 large U.S. metro areas saw a bigger jump.

8.4

New home construction starts per year, on average, per 1,000 Lane County households, 2016 to 2025, the slowest pace of Oregon’s five major metros. Data: Moody’s Analytics, published by The New York Times.

950 vs. 1,600

Housing units Eugene builds in a typical year, and the number it needs each year over the next decade, according to the most recent state housing needs analysis.

Part 1

What could be built

Envisioning more housing production

What would a Eugene-Springfield area that’s closer to meeting its housing needs look like? We explore zoning changes, outward growth and subsidies for denser building, each with its own trade-offs.

Part 2

Why projects stall

Oregon’s land-use legacy 50 years on

Since 2000, opponents have taken 14 major Eugene housing plans to the state’s land-use appeals board. None of the approvals was overturned, yet only about half of those 2,200 units have been built.

Publishes Tuesday, Nov. 10

Part 3

The campus effect

The University of Oregon’s impact on Eugene’s housing market

Thousands of new rentals near campus have barely dented Eugene’s supply crunch, because they’re built for students. Could the city and the UO reclaim some of that space for local workers?

Publishes Wednesday, Nov. 11

Part 4

Jobs and wages

The housing and jobs connection

Lane County’s affordability crisis has two prongs: not enough supply to drive down costs, and not enough jobs to help workers afford their monthly payments.

Publishes Thursday, Nov. 12

Part 5

Our recommendations

Lookout Eugene-Springfield Editorial Board’s recommendations

After four days of exploring the options, the board says what it thinks local leaders and the Oregon Legislature should do.

Publishes Friday, Nov. 13

What would you do?

What do you think should be done to build more housing in Lane County? If you could implement a single idea to deal with the housing crisis, what would it be? We want to hear from you. Send your op-eds — up to 350 words for a letter to the editor, or 800 words for a guest column — to lte@lookoutlocal.com.

Stay in the conversation

This series is only the start. Morning Lookout will keep you up to date on Lane County housing through 2027 and beyond.

About this series

The Lookout Eugene-Springfield Editorial Board spent the past three months speaking to more than 20 real estate developers, contractors, city planners, elected officials, and government and nonprofit housing advocates, the vast majority of whom live and work in Lane County. We wanted their candid thoughts about what could be done locally and at the state level to, if not solve our region’s housing challenges, at least dig out of the massive hole we’re in.

The series grew out of work by Community Voices Editor Elon Glucklich. The first four parts explore possibilities, each with its own trade-offs. The fifth gives the board’s recommendations.

This is only the start of our examination of Lane County’s housing issues, which we’ll continue throughout 2027. Next year, we’re also taking this conversation off the page with a free public forum. Interested in collaborating on the event? Get in touch today.