A.C.T. Now Lane is a coalition of community leaders, organizations and residents working together to address Lane County’s housing and homelessness crisis. Our goal is simple: make homelessness rare, brief and nonrecurring by increasing housing and supporting practical, coordinated solutions.

We also believe in protecting our natural environment, including the watersheds that sustain our community. These are not competing values — we need both.

Ballot Measure 20-373, the Lane County Watersheds Bill of Rights, raises important questions about how these goals come together. The measure would create new legal rights for watersheds and allow individuals to file lawsuits against businesses, governments or nonprofits based on perceived environmental harm.

Because the language is broad and vague, it could create significant uncertainty for housing development.

Building housing — especially affordable and supportive housing — already requires careful planning, environmental review and coordination with multiple agencies. Adding another layer of legal risk, particularly one based on perceived impacts, could slow projects, increase costs and make some housing harder to build.

In a community already facing a housing shortage, even small delays or cost increases matter. When it becomes harder or more expensive to build, fewer homes are created — and those that are built are often less affordable.

We encourage community members to take time to understand how Measure 20-373 could affect both environmental goals and our shared effort to increase housing and reduce homelessness.

Sylvia K. Barry
Housing & Homeless Solutions Strategist
Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and A.C.T. Now Lane
Eugene

(Note: This statement is from the advocacy arm of A.C.T. Now Lane that does not represent its government partners and associated staff.)