QuickTake:

The Eugene City Council granted three awards for housing projects planned for the city. Much work is needed to increase the supply of housing for Eugene residents with below-average incomes.

Three affordable housing projects in Eugene will get nearly $710,000 in funding from the city, part of the city’s efforts to increase its long-term housing supply, city councilors decided Monday.

The city council unanimously awarded the money to three separate projects that developers have planned. The money comes from the city’s affordable housing trust fund, which can help developers with a small portion of the overall costs. The fund, which includes revenues from a construction excise tax and the city’s general fund, received $1.2 million for fiscal year 2024. 

John Barofsky, a member of the advisory committee that evaluates applications for funding, told the council that the projects all had merit. There were nearly $2 million in requests. 

“It’s kind of like picking your favorite child,” he said.

Eugene faces a long-term affordable housing shortage. Projections show the city needs nearly 15,000 more units in the next 20 years. Homelessness, underproduction of housing and rising costs all contribute to the existing challenge, which exists across Oregon. 

Here’s a look at the awards approved Monday: 

Legacy Park, a planned community of three three-story buildings with 47 affordable rental units in the 600 block of River Road, will get $373,832.The project, provided through Cascade Housing Association, will provide 11 two-bedroom units for households that earn up to 50% of the area median income. That’s $44,550 annually for a household of four. 

Legacy Park will have the remaining 36 units for households that earn up to 60% of the area median income, or $53,460 for a household of four. The units will range from one to three bedrooms each. 

The funding awarded is about 2% of the project’s overall cost of $19.7 million, city documents show. The project is expected to start construction in July and end by November 2026.

Park Run, a community planned for the 100 block of South Garden Way in the Harlow neighborhood, will get $200,000. The planned four-story, 158-unit affordable housing community will have 29 units for households earning up to 30% of the area median income, or $26,750 for a household of four and 129 units for households earning up to 60% of the area median income. 

The project, proposed by Community Development Partners, will offer 20 studios, 97 one-bedroom units, 35 two-bedroom units, and six three-bedroom units. The total development cost is estimated at $55.5 million. 

Construction on Park Run is expected to start later this year and finish by spring 2027.

City officials also awarded $136,047 to The Lucy, a 36-unit project on Hunsaker Lane in the Santa Clara Community neighborhood. It will serve households who earn up to 60% of the area median income, with units that range from one to three bedrooms.

The project received $428,273 from the fund in 2024. This year, the developer, Cornerstone Community Housing, requested another $310,094, citing rising industrywide construction and insurance costs. City officials granted a portion of that request. 

The Lucy is estimated to cost nearly $15.4 million. If other sources of funding come through, the project will start in 2025. If they do not, the city will award the funding to a different project.

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.