Eugene’s public health land-use proposal: A timeline

QuickTake:

The Eugene City Council will weigh changes to the land-use code that would incorporate public health into how industrial development is reviewed. The proposal has evolved through four versions, with a central dispute over how much responsibility new businesses should bear to protect public health. The City Council is expected to decide March 9.

The Public Health Standards Project is a city-led effort to protect residents who live in or near Eugene’s industrial areas by adding public health considerations to land-use policy.

Over the last year, the proposal has grown increasingly complex, and the latest revision shifts a key responsibility originally intended for industrial businesses. According to drafts, city staff — no longer private applicants — would be on the hook for tracking and disclosing pollution-control permits for new developments.

Here’s a timeline detailing how the city got here and rundown of the four versions of the amendments.

Project timeline

2021: Environmental justice group Beyond Toxics introduces a policy effort after the extent of J.H. Baxter & Co.’s pollution came to light. Beyond Toxics’ goal was to create land-use policy that accounts for public health risks when approving new or expanding industrial sites.

2022: The City Council takes up Beyond Toxics’ idea, but the proposed policy would have required rezoning, a challenge given the extent of industrial infrastructure in the area.

2023: The council directs staff to explore ways public health considerations could be built into the city’s land-use code.

2024: The city’s land-use team starts organizing the Public Health Standards project.

May 2025: The city hosts a public engagement period in the spring, surveying residents about their concerns and needs for public health and protection. A key technical analysis for the project never materialized — a study that could have provided key data to help inform city councilors.

June 2025: The council votes to move forward with the project in June, directing the city manager to draft land-use code amendments requiring applicants to demonstrate they have obtained or applied for necessary permits from pollution control agencies.

October 2025: The Eugene Planning Commission starts rounds of meetings to review code for the Public Health Standards project. During a public hearing, business leaders raise concerns the new land-use change could harm Eugene’s economic competitiveness. Residents and advocacy groups maintain their need for stronger protections for west Eugene neighborhoods long affected by industrial pollution.

February 2026: The City Council takes public comment from more than 10 people, many of whom had also spoken in October. Councilors plan to discuss on March 9 whether they will take any action.

March 2026: City staff presented councilors with the fourth version of code. Councilor Eliza Kashinsky introduced a motion directed the city manager to schedule another public hearing and make minor word adjustments to version 3. The motion passed unanimously, 8-0.

Four versions of code, broken down

Since October, the city has produced four versions of the amendments, each revised in response to public comment and Planning Commission discussion.

In short:

Versions 1 and 2 build on one another, requiring applicants to have — or be in the process of obtaining — water, land and air pollution permits from the Lane Regional Air Protection Agency and the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality before receiving a building permit.
Version 3 instead requires applicants to attest to any permits their project may require through an administrative notice process.
Version 4 shifts responsibility for coordinating information about those permits from the business to the city.

For a detailed look, open the drop-down tabs to read each version of the code, with notes from Lookout Eugene-Springfield describing the changes.

(All of the changes are contained to Eugene land-use code Chapter 9, which governs the industrial zones. The following zones are mentioned in the draft codes: E-2 Mixed Use Employment, I-2 Light-Medium Industrial and I-3 Heavy.)

Version 1

(a) In E-2, I-2, and I-3, prior to city approval of any development permit, the applicant

shall submit:

(1) Documentation that all required Air, Land, and Water permits and/or licenses

have been obtained; or

(2) Documentation that all required Air, Land, and Water permits and/or license

applications have been submitted to the appropriate agencies and the

permits/licenses are likely to be obtained.

Change (from Version 1 to Version 2): Identifies the jurisdictions that oversee permits in interest of transparency.

Version 2

In E-2, I-2, and I-3, prior to city approval of any development permit, the applicant shall submit:

(1) Documentation that all Air, Land, and Water permits and/or licenses required by

the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and/or Lane Regional Air

Protection Agency have been obtained;

(2) Documentation that the applicant has submitted applications for all Air, Land,

and Water permits and/or licenses required by the Oregon Department of

Environmental Quality and/or Lane Regional Air Protection Agency; or

(3) Documentation from Oregon Department of Environmental Quality and/or Lane

Regional Air Protection Agency that no Air, Land, and Water permits and/or licenses

are required for the development.

Change (from Version 2 to Version 3): Shifts from requiring permits to requiring applicants to attest, through a notice process, to the permits their business may require. It also specifies what applicants must compile before development approval and adds a section outlining the required process and documentation.

Version 3

(a) Prior to city approval of any development permit for development on property located in the E-2, I-2 or I-3 zones, the applicant shall submit:

(1) Documentation identifying all Air, Land, and Water Permits required for the proposed development. The documentation shall include an attestation by the applicant that the listed Air, Land and Water Permits are the only Air, Land and Water Permits required for the proposed development; or

(2) Documentation attesting that no Air, Land, and Water Permits are required for the proposed development.

b) Prior to city approval of any development permit, for development on property located in the E-2, I-2, or I-3 zones, the city shall provide notice of the proposed development to the Environmental Protection Agency, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency. The notice shall include, but is not limited to the following information:

(1) The street address or other easily understood geographical reference to the subject property;

(2) The Map and Tax Lot(s) for the subject property;

(3) The associated development permit number(s) and scope of the proposed work; and

(4) The information provided by the applicant referenced in subparagraph (13)(a) above.

Change from (Version 3 to Version 4): Transfers responsibility for permit coordination and notice from the applicant to the city. It removes the requirement that applicants identify and attest to permits.

Version 4

Prior to city approval of any development permit for development on property located in the E-2, I-2, or I-3 zones, the city shall provide notice of the application for the development permit to the Environmental Protection Agency, Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and Lane Regional Air Protection Agency. The notice shall include at least the following information:

(1) The street address or other easily understood geographical reference to the subject property;

(2) The Map and Tax Lot(s) for the subject property;

(3) The associated development permit number(s) and scope of the proposed work; and

(4) Information about the proposed use provided by the applicant.